“When we forget one thing, we have forgotten everything. Without it, nothing else works. It’s hard to give it a name. We might call it wonder.”

– Joko Beck

Practice Meetings

Tuesday May 15, 8:30am
Friday May 18, 7:00pm

This Week’s Reading

Charlotte Joko Beck, Nothing Special, “Chaos and Wonder,” p. 239.

We’ll be discussing Nothing Special until early July, then we’ll start on Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha (Parallax Press, 1991). To order a copy from Amazon, click here.

This Week’s Koan

Book of Serenity, #76: “Shoushan’s Three Verses”

Shoushan instructed his assembly and said, “If you attain the first verse, you will be the teacher of buddhas and patriarchs. If you attain the second verse, you will be the teacher of heaven and humankind. If you attain the third verse, you cannot save even yourself.”

A monk asked, “Which verse did Your Reverence attain?”

Shoushan said, “The moon is set at midnight; I walk alone through the market place of the city.”

Comment:

Shoushan (“Shuzan” in Japanese), b. 926
15th Generation
Lineage: Mazu > Baizhang > Huangbo > Linji > Xinghua > Nanyuan > Fengxue > Shoushan
Dharma Siblings: None of record.
Appears also in: Gateless Gate #43 and Book of Serenity #65.