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The Valley Spirit Never Dies (DDJ6)

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KOAN:

The valley spirit never dies,
it is the woman, primal mother.
Her gateway is the root of heaven and earth.
It is like a gossamer veil, barely seen.
Use it; it will never fail.

—Laozi, Daodejing Chapter 6

Video April 1, 2023

Winter Sesshin – Trusting in the Dao

John Tarrant

Koans
Bodhidharma's Vast Emptiness (BCR1)(BS2), If You Get It the First Time (BS76), Mazu's Purpose of Your Life, Solitary Boat, The Moon Sets at Midnight (BS76), The Valley Spirit Never Dies (DDJ6), Yunmen Says It Upside Down (BCR15), Yunmen's Give Me the Reaching
Tags
2023 Winter Sesshin, Bodhidharma, Daodejing, Daoism, February 3 2023, Laozi, Mazu, moon, Mother Deep, solitary boat, Valley Spirit, vast emptiness, Yunmen
Category
Video

Explanations of Zen, or of anything, are not it. Zen does not try to make you pure—it tries to make you whole. We can trust in the Dao, but by explaining it, we move away from it. Something deeper is going on, carrying us.

22' 33"