“All the Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, beside which nothing exists. This Mind, which is without beginning, is unborn and indestructible. It is that which you see before you—begin to reason about it, and you at once fall into error. It is like the boundless void which cannot be fathomed or measured. The One Mind alone is the Buddha, and there is no distinction between the Buddha and sentient things…”

Master Huang Po

Those words and many others from Master Huang Po were the catalyst for realizing that the journey to enlightenment was not a journey at all but simply one of giving up, that is letting go of trying to find enlightenment.

For much of my life I traveled around the world seeking education from many of the world’s religions and philosophies. With a restless spirit I was looking for “something” out there, a forgivable sin of youth.

With each new discovery I found but a grain of truth and not the complete picture. Each time I would gain some small insight into my true nature but still sought from without.

I studied zazen and read the scriptures and was finally introduced to Taoism and the concept of non-duality. It was here that I was lead by the Tao to John Blofeld’s translation “The Zen Teachings of Huang Po, on the transmission of Mind.”

As many of you most likely have experienced it, a sudden and short lived flash of satori found its way into my mind, and I realized I did not have to travel or study the scriptures to find enlightenment, I was already there. I simply needed to focus on studying my own true inner nature, without the “I” so to speak.

Since then it has been an amazing and gentle awakening knowing that the “I” does not exist, that there is no distinction between what appears to be me and the Buddha, as we are truly One. It is no longer a task of duality vs. non-duality but the continued and joyful path of believing that the only “thing” that exists (not-exists) is … The One Mind.

The above represents the whole process of growth and discovery, and for the past five years Daily Zen has been a wonderful source of inspiration. I have been following this blessed site during this part of my journey and continue to use it as a source of hope and re-affirmation.

Blessings and gentle singular moments to all along the Way.

Jzero