18 January 2011

The Price of Admission

I recently got tapped at the last minute to teach a couple of sections of a course on Japanese Zen for a continuing ed program here in town.  It was not an opportunity I sought out, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that they are able to staff this course in the future with someone besides me.

It's not that I mind terribly.  It's just that the course involves the discussion of four texts over the quarter, and if there's one thing that characterizes all of them, it's that they were penned by people who had sat a lot of zazen.  Discussing them with people who have never pursued meditation practice is, well, nigh onto impossible. 

The fact is that there are some things one can say only after putting in a lot of time on the mat.  The fact is that there are some things only those who have practiced long and hard have any chance at all of seeing.  And one who has not put the time or effort into it is just not positioned to say much in response. 

Some secrets are perhaps best kept within the family.

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