Stop Trying to Fix Yourself: Zen and the Freedom of Not Knowing
In this episode of Awakening Streams, Sensei Michael Brunner takes up Case 45 of the Book of Equanimity, “The Sutra of Complete Awakening.” The case offers a striking set of instructions: do not give rise to deluded thoughts, do not try to extinguish delusion when it appears, do not add discriminating knowledge, and do not turn reality itself into something to grasp.
We often come to practice hoping that meditation will make us more certain, more composed, and less troubled by difficult thoughts and emotions. Zen points somewhere else. Practice invites us to stop dividing ourselves into the person we are and the person we think we should become.
Michael explores Great Doubt, the practice of Maintain Wonder, and two memorable Chinese stories: Chaos, who is “improved” to death by well-meaning friends, and the master axman capable of removing a speck of mud from another person’s nose without touching the skin.
The teaching is simple: perhaps there is less to fix than we imagine.
In this episode:
Book of Equanimity / Book of Serenity, Case 45
The Sutra of Complete Awakening
Delusion and discriminating mind
Great Doubt and uncertainty
Zazen and direct experience
The story of Chaos (Hundun)
“The mud’s already gone. Put down the ax.”
Faith in Mind (Shinjinmei)
Maintaining wonder in everyday life
Learn more about One River Zen:
https://oneriverzen.org
🪷 Awakening Streams: The One River Zen Podcast
Teachings and reflections with Sensei Michael Brunner (Sōen) of One River Zen Center, 121 E Prospect St, Ottawa IL 61350.
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