I don’t even remember how I came across Daily Zen. Reading the poems uplifted me so I set up my computer so I see them every morning first thing.

At some point, I was encouraged to listen to the Teisho, talks of the ancient masters to students. This gave me a much deeper experience of the teachings.

In fact, Daily Zen itself has become my teacher, probably the only teacher I need at this advanced stage of my life.

“Be like a mirror,” and “Great effort, no goal.”

After a life studying Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, and Mystical Christianity I can understand these koans and epithets. Neti neti means “not this, not this.”

It is the seeker’s journey that has brought me to Zen which encompasses it all. Here is a picture of the view from my room in our house in Indonesia.

I sit in a chair looking out at the garden, a chair where I meditate, read, and think. Up on the roof is another chair where I can sit when the weather is right and look out over the neighborhood. It is a peaceful spot.

My way of using the talks in the Teisho is to download them all, upload them to my phone, and listen to one every day using Bluetooth earbuds which give excellent sound. The narrator’s excellent voice and diction are perfectly suited to the commentary.

– Ricker W.