Tesshin used his talk this week by continuing to expand on the topic of the “Three L’s” introduced last week.  This week he wanted to explore using these tools to work through the challenges of the current period which include the Covid situation and the racial tensions in the US.  

 

The first tool we discussed last week was listening.  This process is a very specific intellectual process which takes place in the prefrontal cortex.  We take in all kinds of information and data.  We should not judge, rather we simply open ourselves up and be present with the reality of all situations.  We strive to do this without our discriminating mind.  Students of the path should recognize this as “Zazen Mind.”    As we know, this sounds easy to do, but the ego is a persistent thing – it never gives up framing reality to its own rules and preferences!  This is why our practice lasts a lifetime and is never really done.  

 

From there we go into the learning stage.  This has to do with taking the experiences which we have gathered and examining and interpreting them.  This is tricky as it is partially cognitive, but partially intuitive.  We have to ask, who is interpreting?  What karmic “baggage” do we bring to the process of learning?  For instance, how do we process and interpret something like 400 years of racism?  Here, Tesshin raised an interesting question.  What do we mean by something being “institutionalized?”  He asked us to consider that the purpose of an institution is to simply complex situations and to release us from having to hold multiple conflicting points of view.  We look to these institutions to spare us deep interpretation which is exhausting and difficult.  Institutions absolve us from having to consider the karmic ramifications of our actions.  However, we know this is an illusion.  We can never really escape the karmic reverberations of our actions.  Karma is cause and effect – it is how reality is built.  

 

Tesshin emphasized, however, that not all institutions are bad or deluded.  Institutions of ‘rule of law’ and ‘equal protection’ are valuable.  We all depend on the institution of ‘democracy’ to ensure that the changes we desire get implemented.  By using the term ‘Institution,’ Tesshin was focusing on the ingrained patterns of thought which collectively distract us from the truth of reality.  

 

The first step in true “Learning” is to understand how the ego builds up our personal institution and understand how this affects our decision-making process.   If you want to change your decisions, you have to consider the karmic ramifications from all angles.  Our practice allows us to shift perspective, because we eschew attachments.  This is an essential step if we are really going to learn from what we have observed while listening.  The issue, of course, is that we desire instant gratification in modern life.  We skip from the listening phase directly to the action phase.  We never take the time to consider and interpret.  Our challenge is not to rush to action until we have deconstructed the deluded thought patterns and complexes in our mind.

 

To put this into practice, Tesshin challenged us to consider the karmic outcomes of our personal decisions?  He provided us with some questions we should consider when doing this work …

•How do my decisions affect my own safety and security?

What about others in my family and community?

•How does the decision I am about to take impact my “membership” of something?

For instance, being a part of something (family, society, etc.)  Is this membership driving my decision?

•How does this decision affect how I develop as a human being…

Emotionally, Spirituality, Socially, Financially, etc.

Tesshin remarked that as we go through this exercise, we will become uncomfortable as a decision may come up against our personal narratives, biases, and preconditions.  

 

Tesshin next provided an example of how personal institutions can actually hold someone back.  He was on a teleconference this week with a group of personal coaching colleagues.  One participant commented that to make “real social change” one must sacrifice something.  However, the commenter admitted that he was struggling with getting started.  Tesshin remarked here that the participant on the call had done the first part.  He understood the pain minorities were going through, but then proceeded to “short circuit” the learning step and moved directly to the action step.  It was clear that the ego and a superstructure of personal institutions were blocking skillful action in this case.  First, there is the ego that believes that a single person can solve the whole problem.  Second there is the whole institutional loading of the word sacrifice which is tied up in guilt and punishment.  Tesshin suggested that this this person should engage in some deep introspection before starting action.  He could start to think about investing in a better future as opposed to sacrificing.  This investment will lead to a future where EVERYONE is better off rather than some people benefiting and others being punished.  Removing the institution of “guilt” could open up this well-meaning person to new ideas and provide energy to actively start improving things.

 

Tesshin wrapped up stating that the term “Nirvana” translates to extinguish or blow out.  Everyone always talks about enlightenment – why would the state of Nirvana implying blowing out the light in enlightenment?    In all of us there is a flame that penetrates our entire being.  It is the flame of ego, desire, and attachment.  We strive to blow out that flame in order to go beyond pain, suffering, and delusion.  We want to ensure that our decisions are not based on our ego, but rather the reality we have clearly observed and compassionately interpreted.  Our personal institutions are based on the ego.  We need to understand our ego and transcend it to ensure that our decisions are based on our true nature.  If we can do this, then we can rest assured that the actions we take will be skillful and lead to a better future.