Winter Sesshin: My Heart Is Not at Rest

Deep in Winter Sesshin dedicated to silence, it is difficult to find words.

Jesse Cardin tells the story of Zen’s favorite odd couple Yantou and Xuefeng, holed up snowbound on Tortoise Mountain. Xuefeng’s heart is not at rest, he can not sleep or stop thinking about his heart not being at rest.

Yantou is irritated and tells him:

Let the teaching flow from your own breast! Don’t you know the treasure does not come in through the front gate?

Jesse tells the story of his own heart not being at rest during an ill-timed grocery run that almost made him late for his own talk.