Not Knowing

Nicolee Roshi, one of Maezumi Roshi’s successors, sent me a Hopi Message, this is a passage from it:

The Elders say that we must let go of the shore,

Push off into the middle of the river, and

Keep our eyes open and our head above the water.

See who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history we are to take nothing personally.

Least of all ourselves.

For the moment we do, our spiritual journey comes to a halt.

In evoking the metaphor of the river, the teacher of impermanence, and letting go, realizing there is nothing to hold onto, this Hopi message aligns beautifully with Zen teaching. In letting go of the shore, and pushing off into the middle of the river, we trust "not knowing"' a fundamental teaching of Zen. Not knowing where the current is taking us, or even if there is a destination, or even who we are.

When we first begin that journey of connecting with the current of the Dharma*, there is the current or the river, and there is me. As we continue our journey, the current pulling us, we letting go of trying to understand where we are going, or to grasp something solid to hang onto, like the banks of the river, or trying to know what the destination is, we may realize we are the current, the Dharma itself, and there is no separation, only one. The Dharma becomes our life, and our life becomes the Dharma.

“See who is there with you” we connect with other human beings, and all sentient and insentient beings. Celebrate, appreciate and be grateful for this life and all life, including the river.