This week’s topic for reflection is right effort. Right effort naturally follows last week’s topic, “this moment.” What kind of effort is needed to hear birds singing as if for the first time? When asked, “What is enlightenment?” Suzuki Roshi replied, “I don’t know anything about enlightenment. I just teach my students how to hear the birds sing.” How do you teach that? What kind of effort is that?
There is a koan about this moment and right effort. It goes like this. Zen Master Baoche of Mt. Manu was waving a fan. A monk approached him and asked, “The nature of the wind is ever present and permeates everywhere. Why are you waving a fan?” The master said, “You know only that the wind’s nature is ever present— you don’t know that it permeates everywhere.” The monk said, “How does wind permeate everywhere?” The master just continued waving the fan. The monk bowed deeply.
This monk is asking about true nature or true self which is like the wind. It’s always present here and now, always moving, affecting and being affected by things and it’s ungraspable without inside or outside. His question is about making effort to help the wind. The master responds that his student sees the nature of the wind and all things but he is not yet able to hear the birds sing. This requires fanning along with the wind. Hearing the birds sing is not a passive activity. Right effort doesn’t change anything, “the wind’s nature is ever present.” Being alive and present, being moved and moving in the moment brings the moment alive. This effort requires getting out of the way or putting down what binds or distracts you. Penetrating everywhere means there is no subject-object separation.
Maezumi Roshi used to say, “Appreciate your life.” Your life is a given. It’s “ever present and permeates everywhere.” Your appreciation of this life is not a given. Hearing the birds sing is appreciating your life. Listening to and working with an aging worn out body is appreciating your life. Right effort, birds singing, is appreciating this life.
Please join us Sunday morning on Zoom for zazen and a discussion of this topic. Here’s the link.
Meeting ID: 811 6100 3357
Passcode: 278259
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