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All buddhas of the past, present and future
also take refuge in prajñaparamita (perfection of wisdom)
realizing unexcelled, perfect enlightenment …

—Excerpt from The Heart Sutra

In a recent article in The New Yorker, called “Enemy of the Good; The Pain of Perfection,” Leslie Jamison writes about the growing trend of perfectionism, not as a constructive aspiration, but as pathology. That perfectionism might be some form of admirable striving is misguided, says Gordon Flett, a clinical psychologist who has co-authored many studies on the subject. “I can’t stand it when people talk about perfectionism as something positive,” he says, “they don’t realize the deep human toll.”

I considered the notion of striving for “perfection” in our Zen practice. There it is in the Heart Sutra, the foundational sutra of our school: with all our being we work to achieve perfect wisdom. To do that, we get up early, sit with a straight back, keep nose vertical and eyes horizontal, and soak into our koan, day and night.

As it is for students, so it is for teachers. How do I be a perfect teacher? Do I try to go toward it, or not? As Nanquan said, ”If you go toward it, you go against it.” To which Zhaozhou remarked,“If I don’t go toward it, then how do I know it is the true Way?”

Koshin Paley Ellison writes in his book, Untangled: “I often tell my students, ‘I will disappoint you!’ And then I like to say, ‘And I’m committed to being with you in the disappointment.’ This makes for a good beginning. We need to find a good enough teacher, we need to find a good enough community, which is one where you can be dirty potatoes in a barrel [rubbing up against each other to get clean].”

Flett found that the antidote for perfectionists was for them to realize that their lives mattered. He calls it “the psychology of mattering.” It is the mattering of our own unique jewel, shining within Indra’s vast and boundless net. The universe would be a darker place without our light.

—Jon Joseph

COME JOIN US on Mondays for koan meditation, dharma talk and conversation. Register to participate. All are welcome.

Jon Joseph Roshi, Director of San Mateo Zen Community