Zazen, by the side of the road …
cars-thoughts passing by,
from emptiness come, now gone
stillness & movement
from emptiness come, now gone
stillness & movement
In Master Dogen’s Genjo Koan he writes …
In general, a quiet room is good for experiencing Zen balance ….
But where is a truly quiet room found?
“For at one time, Lord, Alara Kalama was on a journey, and he went aside from the highway and sat down by the wayside at the foot of a tree to pass the heat of the day. And it came about, Lord, that a great number of carts, even five hundred carts, passed by him, one by one. And then, Lord, a certain man who was following behind that train of carts, approached and spoke to him, saying: ‘Did you, sir, see a great number of carts that passed you by?’ And Alara Kalama answered him: ‘I did not see them, brother.’ ‘But the noise, sir, surely you heard?’ ‘I did not hear it, brother.’ Then that man asked him: ‘Then, sir, perhaps you slept?’ ‘No, brother, I was not sleeping.’ ‘Then, sir, were you conscious?’ ‘I was, brother.’ Then that man said: ‘Then, sir, while conscious and awake you still did not see the great number of carts, even five hundred carts, that passed you by one after another, nor heard the noise? Why, sir, your very robe is covered with their dust!’ And Alara Kalama replied, saying: ‘So it is, brother
Highway Mandala – Click on picture to ‘play’
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