The Sunken Words

Anecdotes

oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, June 29, 2009, 15:54

The poet, Gary Snyder told of an incident that happened during his practice sessions of Zen, on a rainy day at Green Gulch Temple. Years before, as a young man, Gary attended a practice session that comprised of lectures while studying Zen in Japan.

It so happened that the monsoon rain storm beat the roofs of the temple where the lectures were held deafening the students of the words of the Roshi. It was customary of the rain to pound on the roofs at the scheduled time of the lecture every afternoon. Since the words sank in the noise of the rain, not a word was audible. Years later Gary came across one of his fellow students of the Zen lectures on the monsoon hit days.

The man asked Gary " Do you remember the dharma talks we could not hear at all during the training period?"

Gary replied, "Well I am beginning to hear them now?"

The core of Zen in sunken words.