Speaking of Buddhism

Above is a scene from Jay Cooke State Park near Duluth. My son and I were up camping for the weekend. Now back in town and getting ready for a 7-day sesshin in Ohio and a final job interview via the phone. Sounds like an MMPI for education administrators. 

Life seems wild and sweet today.

I’ve been following some of the posts about the Buddhist conference at Garrison Institute, especially at Monkey Mind. I admit, though, that I don’t get the hub bub.

Let ’em talk.

If you think that something might have been decided there about Buddhism in the West, well, you better get out more. There’s a reason that the joke about how many Buddhists it would take to change a light bulb is funny. One would turn it this way and another would turn it the other.

Well, that doesn’t seem all that funny just now.
 
Anyway, I’ve found conferences quite valuable, despite all the blah, blah, blah. Connecting with others and hearing about how others are approaching this great experiment is really quite helpful and fascinating.

If you teach and think that you’re beyond all that, well, that’s probably just arrogance.

I take in a conference every couple years and that seems about right for me. I went to the American Zen Teachers meeting in Rochester last summer so this year I’m doing other things. I’m rather introverted and usually find myself exhausted from all the talk that Buddhists like to do. 

To speak to another does not necessarily divide self and other. Speaking to another is self speaking to self. It is self and self, hearing and speaking together. One ear speaks and one ear hears. One tongue speaks and one tongue hears. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, root, consciousness, and objects are all like this. Furthermore, one body and one mind realize and practice. This is the ear itself hearing and speaking, the tongue itself hearing and speaking.