De rode zon gaat op
zonder gedachten,
voor iedereen gelijk.
We verheugen ons als kinderen over de zon.
Er komt een dag dat ons stof uiteen zal vallen,
wanneer heeft geen belang.
Nu schijnt de zon in ’t diepste van ons hart,
vult alles met gedachteloosheid,
sterk als het bos, de winter, de zee.
Entering the Heart of Zen
In order to reveal the heart of Zen, a practitioner must be willing to face all of her or his barriers and resistances. In this course we will learn how our habit-ridden consciousness prevents us from penetrating deeply into our practice. When we are able to stay present with our disturbing feelings and feel them thoroughly, the wisdom of the body will provide us with the clues on how to proceed. – tricycle.org
Gerry Shishin Wick, Roshi is President and Spiritual Leader of the Great Mountain Zen Center in Lafayette, Colorado. He is a Dharma Successor of Taizan Maezumi Roshi, founder of the Zen Center of Los Angeles. He did rigorous training in both schools of Zen, Soto and Rinzai. He received inka and the title Roshi from Bernie Glassman in 2006. Shishin and his partner, Ilia Shinko Perez, are currently developing a residential training center called the Abbey on a 5-acre ranch in Berthoud, Colorado.
If we learn to keep our mind quiet through meditation, to just stay present with our feelings, to connect with our heart, to let go of the story lines, and to directly feel all the unpleasant sensations associated with our emotional hurts, then the heart will open and we can approach each situation from a wider perspective. Meditation practice and the cultivation of heart-mind awareness give us the opportunity to respond to our emotions in a very nonviolent and compassionate way.
Gerry Shishin Wick