Description
Takuan Soho—whose death poem was one character: dream—taught the dangers of a distracted mind. Son of a samurai, he understood how to lose your life. Circumstances need not be extreme. We can lose our lives any moment when we rely on devices or install veils between us and the unfixed motion of reality.
Summary
Allison Atwill & Tess Beasley sat in for John Tarrant this Sunday.
Takuan Soho, whose death poem was one character: Dream, taught the dangers of a distracted mind.
Son of a samurai, he understood how to lose your life. Circumstances need not be extreme—we can lose our lives any moment when we rely on devices or install veils between us and the unfixed motion of reality.
Chan masters ask: Can you accord with circumstances in such a way that you turn the whole situation toward awakening?
—Allison Atwill & Tess Beasley
What do we do with our minds?
Takuan Soho introduced and gave his name to the daikon pickle, eaten by monks, which you can still buy at a temple in Kyoto. He was a sword master and taught the art of living through paying deep attention.
It’s good to remember that the mind doesn’t have to be so noisy. We don’t need so many social media likes.
Takuan said,
One may explain water, but the mouth will not become wet. One may expound fully on the nature of fire, but the mouth will not become hot. If you follow the present-day world, you will turn your back on the Way; if you would not turn your back on the Way, do not follow the world.
He also said,
There is no place to put the mind. When faced with a challenging situation, put your mind completely in tune with the present moment. Your thoughts must cease to exist, leaving only observation, accurate understanding, and purposeful action.
—John Tarrant