An exploration of the subject of death. Delivered Jun 8, 1986
About this episode
Lola McDowell Lee explores the concept of death through Zen teachings and personal insights.
Zen Roshi Lola McDowell Lee, opens by recounting the classic Zen koan of Master Dogo and his disciple Zengen. When visiting a deceased parishioner, Zengen asks if the person is alive or dead, to which Dogo refuses to answer either way. Even after Dogo’s passing, another master, Sakeso, repeats this refusal, telling Zengen, "No saying whatever". The story illustrates that life and death are not distinct realities, but two doors to the exact same cosmic secret. They are experiences to be lived through directly rather than intellectual problems to be solved. The human mind constantly seeks to placate itself with borrowed concepts and comfortable conclusions, missing the fundamental truth of existence. She cites Sri Ramakrishna’s metaphor of a festival crowd debating the depth of the ocean. While they argue, a man made of salt jumps into the water to discover the truth directly, dissolving in the process. Lola equates humans to this salt man; we must be willing to jump into the unknown and die daily, allowing our conditioned personalities to dissolve into the greater awareness. She notes that individuals satisfy themselves with some spiritual terminology, like karma , using it as a…
More episodes of Talks by Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee
- Accumulating knowledge versus attaining true wisdom. June 22, 1986
- The Lesson of True Listening. June 15, 1986
- Does an enlightened Zen master live a saintly, extraordinary life? Delivered Jun 1, 1986
- Give gifts with no notion of reward or praise. Like moving something from one hand to the other. Mar 9, 1986
- Learning to live less from the mind and more from the hara. Oct 14, 1981
- Allowing Purusha to extricate itself from the mindless play of Prakrit. Sept 27, 1987
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