The Koan for May
Transmission verse of the 12th century nun Wenzhao
If the well of divinity fails to stir,
what embodies wonder?
Utterly unique solitary brilliance,
whose radiance is it?
Perfect thus-ness
looks like reality.
Conceiving of an eminent ancestor
is making a blemish on perfect flesh.
Discussing "just this"
is searching for shadows.
For a lifetime the old teacher spoke of dreams,
and then died.
Each of us came here to wake up.
Don't you remember?
Newsletter
We send out a newsletter every few weeks. It shows what we're doing, and has poetry and pictures and some writing about the koan, and life, and what's going on in the world.
Primary Teacher
Rachel Boughton
Rachel Boughton is a Zen Roshi. She's a feminist, artist, writer, and meditation and koan teacher. She is also a Jungian Analyst in training.
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