In this morning talk on the first full day of the Fall Practice Period Sesshin, Sensei Shinzan draws from Dōgen’s Bendōwa (“The Wholehearted Way”) to remind us that zazen itself is the true gate of the Buddha Dharma. With warmth and humor, he encourages practitioners to release striving and self-judgment, saying, “Sesshin is not for making decisions or planning your life. It’s for trusting the process and letting go.” As we surrender the impulse to control or achieve, we allow the practice to reveal its own quiet wisdom. “You are already Buddha,” Shinzan reminds us, pointing to the natural awakening that unfolds when we sit wholeheartedly—moment by moment, breath by breath—entering the wondrous dharma through the true gate.
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