It’s been just nearly eleven years ago I stumbled across a small advertisement in Tricycle magazine with this Buddhist monk saying he was sitting zazen each day and was extending the invitation to sit with him. Over the years he has been there for me. Someone to sit with, someone I can kick around issues of life, but never has he asked for anything or required anything.
Over the last months I have been slowly reading Okumura’s The Mountain and Waters Sutra. Much of the time I am totally lost as to where he is taking us while exploring Dogen. Once in a while however something really hits me and significantly advances my understanding of our practice. The section on Living By The Water where Okuramura describes his relationship with Uchiyama Roshi, “he didn’t hook me, so I had to hook myself” was particularly significant. His statement is so much like my view of Jundo. Jundo Roshi and Treeleaf. The teacher and the sangha hooking themselves during Ango, Rohatsu, Retreat, Jukai, and finally everyday life. I realized these last ten years has been a process of hooking myself.
I was so taken by this I put together the following picture which I feel graphically depicts this view. Our teacher, standing by the water in his practice. He has no line, hook or bait. It is up to the individuals to be the fish and hang on for the ride.
HOOK2.jpg
SAT TODAY
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