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April 16, 2012

Awareness

Bones
To reach Diamond Hill Zen Monastery, retreatants walk up a 1/4 mile dirt road from Providence Zen Center.

Long ago, someone placed the corpse of a fox on a small boulder alongside the road. (I don't actually know that it was a fox, but that's the story.)

We used this road nearly every day during walking meditation and the fox remains, now simplified to a scattering of pure white bones, always startled me:  Wake up! Wake up! You're next!

Posted at 10:00 PM in Buddhism, Daily Life, Zen |

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  • Zen teachers sometimes use the Ten Ox Herding Pictures to describe the path of awakening. Within this metaphorical framework, the ox symbolizes the secretive, unruly human mind.
  • Ox Herding reflects my ongoing pursuit of the ox. You can reach me (Barry Briggs) at oxherding [at] me.com.

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  • I extend grateful appreciation to my daughter, Susie, who designed this site; to Zen Master Seung Sahn, for crossing the ocean; and to all beings for their never-ending encouragement and teaching.
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