In a Dream 1

“How do you answer if you are asked, what is the meaning of Bodhidharma coming from the west, by someone in a dream? If you cannot answer it the teachings of the Buddha are worthless.”

Norman Fischer's Lojong slogan, “See everything as a dream,” might have helped me to lighten up a little. Every week I'd complain to my dad about some injustice in my life. He would always divert the conversation to something more interesting. When I drift off, it is always uncomfortable to be asked, “Where are you right now?” And then there is the boundless “now” that began before my parents were born and maybe never ends.

How simple am I willing to let it be?

I'm just dreaming!!!

Moving Mountains

“A man asked Ummon, ‘How do Buddhas appear?’ Ummon answered, ‘The eastern mountain moves along the stream.’”

Mountains are mountains—or are they—or aren't they?

It was only recently that I realized that motion, not stillness, is the default.

Aimlessness

“Absorbed in the flight of birds, he sees mindlessly.”

I see two brands of concentration: hard and soft. Seeing this way is definitely soft. And maybe so soft it becomes hard.