Description
It’s easy to see how we divide the world. The impossible task of koans is to just be here. When you realize that, a 7,000-pound stone will feel light as a feather, and all the world will be united. With musical vows from Jordan McConnell. Recorded May 14. 2023.
Summary
In ancient Hawai’i there was a giant slab of rock called the Naha stone.
It was found on the banks of the Wailua River on the island of Kaua’i, but was carried by double-hulled canoe to the city of Hilo. There it became a symbol of the Naha clan. It was believed that whoever could turn over the 7,000-pound stone would be granted power to unify all the kingdoms of all the islands of Hawai’i.
It is said that at the age of fourteen, King Kamehameha the Great lifted and toppled the stone. Later in life he fulfilled the prophecy, unifying all of Hawai’i under his rule.
How did King Kamehameha the Great turn over the 7,000-pound Naha stone?
How do you unify all of Hawai’i?
—Hawai’ian myth and … koan?
It’s easy to see how we divide the world: masculine and feminine, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat. But where are those divisions when you look in the eyes of a child? When a whale breaches unexpectedly or the scent of an unfamiliar flower touches your nose?
The impossible task of koans is to just be here.
When you realize that, a 7,000-pound stone will feel light as a feather and all the world will be united.
Complete Sunday Zen session recorded May 14, 2023, with musical vows from Jordan McConnell.
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