Zen Koan

good living...zen cabin in paradise

"Dogen Zenji's Genjo-koan Lecture (8)from here

Rev. Shohaku Okumur

Director, Soto Zen Education Center

(Text: section 9)

"When a person attains realization, it is like the moon reflecting on the water. The moon never becomes wet; the water is never destroyed. Although it is a vast and great light, it reflects itself on a small amount of water. The whole moon and even the whole sky reflects on even a drop of dew on a blade of grass, or a single tiny drop of water. Realization does not destroy the person, as the moon does not make a hole in the water. The person does not obstruct realization, as a drop of dew does not obstruct the moon in the sky. The depth is the same as the height. [In order to investigate the significance of] the length and shortness of time, we should consider whether the water is great or small, and understand the size of the moon in the sky."

Kinda hard to get my head around this koan, but many of the images, created by the writer, are amazing.

I like the analogies, and the way the elements are often referred to in these short Zen reflections and stories. They all contain lessons, but sometime it takes me a while to find the message.