It’s the start of my 2010 training, although I’m not entirely certain of my race schedule yet. The great early 13th-century Chinese Zen Master Hengchuan (quoted in this richly fascinating and inspiring book) said of personal meetings with his teacher, “When Tianmu was alive, when I was face to face with him, all tricks were useless.” I feel the same way when I go for dokusan with my Zen teacher, or when I’m running a race. When you’re in dokusan and one of your teachers asks a question, there’s no way to cheat or trick them with clever words — if he or she is a teacher worth their salt. You can’t fake or act your way through dokusan. You must sit with your koan, live your life through your koan, become your koan. And you can’t fake your way through training for a race and toe the starting line thinking that the ol’ race day magic will somehow carry you through. A race and a good Zen teacher will reflect the depth of your honesty and your work. There you are, sitting on your cushion in front of your teacher. There you are, thumb hovering over the start button on your watch as the race director raises his megaphone. Races and teachers, waiting patiently for your answer. How will you respond?
