Zen teachers profoundly influence the way we see the world. My teacher, Rev. Dai-En Bennage, taught me, through her own example, to be. I landed in the present moment and from that point forward, vowed to continue landing in the present moment through devotion to zazen, the teacher, and the sangha.
Zen teachers also get sick and die. We can’t always rely on them. Buddha taught us to “be a lamp unto yourself” upon his death. My relationship with my teacher had and continues to have its ups and downs. While not excusing a teacher’s bad behaviors, this flux in feelings towards our teachers is an opportunity.
Zen Master Nagarjuna said, “The mind that fully sees into the uncertain world of birth and death is called the thought of enlightenment.” In other words, stepping off the roller coaster of expectations, of good and bad, of high and low, and watching from the ground, this is the beginning of enlightenment. We distance ourselves to a certain degree from our thoughts and feelings, and just watch without judging mind.
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