When Confronted with Great Difficulties: Zhaozhou's "Just Right"
5/15/202621 min
How can we practice without ignoring the world, but also without being overwhelmed by it? We can learn something from a koan involving the 9th century Chan master Zhaozhou (Joshu): A monk asked, "When a great difficulties come, how should I avoid them?" Zhaozhou said, "Just right." We can include great difficulties in our perception of this life without being destroyed by them, letting our hearts break without rejecting this world or becoming consumed by anger or grief.
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDomyo Burk· Host0:00
[on-hold piano music] Welcome to the Zen Studies Podcast. I'm Domyo Burk. Thanks as usual to new supporting members of the podcast, Philip from Fredericton in New Brunswick, Canada, Chad from Sebastopol, California, Willow from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and Michael from Concord, Massachusetts. Thanks so much. So the title of this episode, "When Confronted With Great Difficulties: Zhaozhou's Just Right." Practicing the Dharma in a world full of great difficulties. In my Zen community, Bright Way Zen, we started reciting this verse before our talks and classes, "We gather in Sangha to practice and study the Dharma, to sustain ourselves spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Let us call to mind all those who are suffering in this world