In this Zazenkai Day Talk during Fall Practice Period, Chris Senko Perez reflects on Dōgen’s Genjō Kōan through his image of sailing far out to sea, where the ocean appears perfectly round. Dōgen comments on this imagery, “When Dharma fills your whole body and mind. You understand that something is missing.” Senko explores this paradox—how true fullness awakens an awareness of vastness still unseen. As practice ripens and familiarity sets in, complacency can create what Senko calls “a thin layer of non-contact,” a subtle barrier between ourselves and the living moment. His encouragement: return to the heart of our intention, to the freshness of not knowing. “You have no idea the depth of what’s here,” he reminds us. Senko invites us to rest in this mystery with “warmth and precision” asking “Why are you actually here? Why are you actually doing this?” opening us to a relaxed attentiveness where the ordinary reveals its quiet profundity—“the present moment becoming the present moment”.
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