It's not that "I" hear the birds,
it's just hearing the birds.
Let yourself BE hearing,
seeing, thinking.
It is the false "I"
that interrupts the wonder
with the constant desire
to think about "I."
And all the while
THE WONDER is occurring:
the birds sing,
the cars go by,
the body sensations continue,
the heart is beating —
life is a
second-by-second miracle.
But dreaming
our "I" dreams
we miss it.

USEFUL TEXTS

Charlotte Joko Beck

The Glass of Water

Images

Some Suggestions on Practice

Everyday Zen — Excerpts of Charlotte Joko Beck

Right Here Now — Charlotte Joko Beck

Ezra Bayda

On Practice

Diane Esshin Rizzetto

Waking Up to What We Do

 

Elihu Genmyo Smith

Practice Principles

Dogen

Ordinary Mind Zen School has its roots in the long tradition of Soto Lineage and its emphasis on Gradual Awakening. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253) is considered the founder of the Soto Lineage and was one of the first to transmit Zen Buddhism from China to Japan. Not only a teacher, he was an influential essayist as well as a poet. A very good introduction to his writings is Moon in a Dewdrop edited and translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi. Here is another tidbit:

Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen (Fukanzazengi)