Sho Shin , Original Heart-mind By Rev. Gene Bush

Sho Shin

In response to a student doubt, “there’s nothing to get and therefore the whole enterprise is discouraging and pointless” Katherine offered a talk about this understanding of non-attainment.

Katherine  expressed, “What is meant by this [nothing to attain] is that when we stop expecting to get something from practice, we begin to live immediately  and directly in the moments of our lives, not looking forward to the “bliss of the teaching” but realizing that we are always in the midst of the teaching. To truly understand that this present moment is the only moment of our lives is to interrupt and thwart the obsessing, planning mind.” (See “No treats no discounts” in Katherine Thanas’ The Truth of This Life, 2018, Shambala)

 These characters can be understood to express something about ‘always being in the midst of the teaching’.

初心 --- SHO SHIN

SHO has the meaning of new or beginning or initial; and SHIN is understood as heart-mind-spirit. Suzuki Roshi translated this as ‘beginner’s mind’.

This is not our customary way of thinking of beginning something with the expectation of gaining something. I believe that this is actually the initial aspiration of a practitioner’s mind and heart to awaken, which is prodded by the already-existing presence of the awakened mind and heart.

SHO SHIN – while beginner’s mind seems like the beginning and Bodhicitta (understood as ‘awakening mind’) seems like the goal, actually they are synonymous – Bodhicitta is already present and fully developed in SHO SHIN.

It is my faith that the forms of practice, handed to us by generations of elders, have the potential to be liberative. But we must engage them, with intention, but not a goal orientation. We have to put in the hard work of returning again and again.

Zazen is the training of being present -- finding stillness, quieting karma, moving with the Dharma as it unfolds.  Engaging this practice right here, within our ordinary lives, this is nothing special. Just this ordinary way meeting the ordinary way, making it extraordinary.