The busyness of life often pulls us away from presence.
In this powerful dharma talk, Koshin Sensei invites us to pause, to soften, and to return to the stillpoint at the heart of movement.
Opening with a moving ritual of gratitude for his teacher, Koshin continues his reflections on Keizan Jokin Zenji’s Zazen-Yojinki. He reads: “Do nothing at all. The six senses produce nothing.” Through this lens, we explore how zazen can help us stop habitually following the sights, sounds, and sensations that shape our self-made world.
What opens when we stop grasping for identity or perfection?
Keizan Zenji writes: “Trying to think of it, the thought vanishes. Trying to speak of it, words die.” In this talk, we are reminded that true aspiration is not about achieving something, but about allowing boundlessness to arise.
Drawing on the mythic figure of Baba Yaga, Koshin invites us to show up fully and foolishly—to live in truth rather than fear, and to meet life as it is, not as we wish it to be.
This is the heart of our practice: setting down the demand for perfection, and opening to the spaciousness available in every moment.
ZENTALK NOTES
Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.
MUSIC
Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
NYZC PUBLICATIONS
- Untangled here: https://bit.ly/untangled-book
- Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
- Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
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