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Test Talk Demo
AI Suggested Keywords:
The talk centers on the metaphorical "Zen Ox" as a symbol for personal engagement with Zen practice, emphasizing varying approaches to understanding and interacting with one's spiritual journey. It discusses how individuals might attempt to approach enlightenment and the futility of trying to control the process, reflecting on a story of a monk's inquiry to an ancient master and Dogen's commentary that true understanding arises from engaging with the Buddha Dharma rather than attempting to control circumstances.
- Dogen's Commentary
Dogen comments on the story of a monk questioning an ancient master about appropriate actions when confronted with myriad experiences, emphasizing that these experiences are expressions of Buddha Dharma, not controllable objects. This perspective highlights the importance of accepting the natural flow of events as part of spiritual practice.
AI Suggested Title: Riding the Zen Ox Path
And the question and answer is how we talked about meat or food or is it meat and killing and copers and various things. So I know you have a lot of different feelings about this and thoughts and views. Tomorrow we are going to encounter a Zen Ox. And we have to find out, each one of us, how we want to do that. And, you know, what we are going to, how it is we intend to entangle with the Zen Ox. Some of you might like to just try to go up and pat him.
[01:02]
Pat him a little bit. I don't know what he'll do in that case. Some of you may wave a cape in front of him and hope that he'll run past you, charge right past you, and you won't get gored. Some of you probably won't be quick enough to get out of the way when you try that. and you might get bored. And then again, some of you may want to take on this zen arts in a life and death fashion. So today I thought I'd talk a little bit about this. And I wanted to tell you that I was going to talk about this so you would know that that's what I was talking about. Because when I talk about what I'm talking about today, you might not realize that it's about this encounter tomorrow unless I tell you.
[02:11]
So now I've told you. The Zen Ox is a little bit like the beast I talked about before. It's not like you can just go up to the Zen Ox and say, can I have the highest meaning of the Holy Truth, please? Would you give me some enlightenment, please? Something like that. Probably... The Xenox will not be so accommodating, just like the wild man wanted to get out of the cage.
[03:17]
But in this case, the Xenox might tell you to get out of your cage and then you can have whatever you want. Anyway, today I wanted to bring up again the story a monk who asked an ancient master, when the hundred and thousand and myriad things come, what should I do? And the master replied, don't try to control them. And as I said, Dogen, in commenting about this, What comes is not objects. What comes is the Buddha Dharma, not objects at all. And don't think this is just a plug or ammunition.
[04:19]
But even if you try to control things, they can't be controlled.
[04:25]
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