Inquiry, Patti Smith, and Deepening Zazen

In Omaha over the weekend, I worked with the group on how to do dharma study. I did this by asking questions and listening and in this case the medium was the message.

Zen is questions and questioning. Zen is about learning to ask questions that crack the bunny life open. And about how to attend to those questions that erupt into our life.

Sutras and koans almost all begin or pivot on a key question. Just pick up any sutra and pay attention to the beginning and you’ll find it. Koans too, of course – like does a dog have buddha nature? Or does a person of great practice still fall into karma?

Questions are not just the domain of Rinzai Zen or cross-dressing lineages (that one is for you, James). Dogen-zenji implores us throughout the Shobogenzo, usually many times in each chapter, to sit quietly and deeply reflect on something – the beginning and ending of the body, for example.

And rolling into work this morning I put on one of my favorite rockers of all time, Patti Smith, and listened to “Ghost Dance” and found these wonderful questions:

What is it, Father, holy that night ?
What is it, Father, that moves to the right ?
What is it, Father, that is waiting in Heaven ?
What is it, Father, that shapes from your hand ?
What is it, Father, that makes me spin around ?
What is it, Father, that brings me down
What is it, Father, you can’t tell what I like.
What is it, Father, I just ride into space
What is it, Father, I can tell you one night
What is it, Father, I can tell what I like
What is it, Father, are you into shape
What is it, Father, are you calling today

And, oh my God, what energy in her presentation!

I’m raising this issue now in the context of staying with zazen in our wild and free lives. How to continue?

Zazen can be used as a drug to calm the mind and wallow in certain mind states. But there are probably more effective pharmaceuticals out there that get you there with less trouble. And anyway when we use zazen to lull ourselves we find it very it difficult to continue. There is just not enough energy in lulling.

We can sit like Patti sings – from time to time at least – and then find a more sustainable but still rocking way. One way to do that is through wholehearted inquiry.

What is the breath? Who is this woman? Who is this man? What is sitting up straight?

What is the beginning and ending of the body?