Our Life is inseparable from Realization Barry Magid October 28th 2017

Joko Beck used to describe her students as hungry birds waiting for her, the mama bird, to drop a worm in their beaks. What happens when such a student is full? When he has all the worms he needs, has heard enough talks. It's a picture of a realization you start off lacking and then can get, and no longer have to go chasing for it. But what do you do with it? What's it for? How are you different?

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Miscellaneous Koans

Once there was a monk who simply stopped following the regular schedule of the monastery and his fellow monks. He started sleeping late. He didn't go and do zazen very much. And he never went to hear any of the teacher's talks. This went on for a while and eventually the teacher began to notice. He had the head monk drag him down into dokusan and ask what's going on.

He says, "How come you don't come to sit zazen or listen to any of my talks?"

And the monk says, "A man who has eaten his fill is not tempted by a new banquet."

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