The Zen of Nature, the Nature of Zen: a PechaKucha by Peter Harris from PechaKucha Waterville on Vimeo.

If you’re in search of more Zen in your life, let Peter show you the way. In this presentation, he introduces us to the world of Zen and its relationship with nature, and shows us how to practice it

Presented at Waterville PechaKucha Vol. 6, Thomas College, Jan. 20, 2012

Gateless Gate, Case 8 Mumonkan

Gettan Osho said, “Keichu, the first wheelmaker, made a cart whose wheels had a hundred spokes. Now, suppose you took a cart and removed both the wheels and the axle. What would you have? -from Two Zen Classics by Katsuki Sekida

Alternatives to this concluding question are: “What would he make clear about the cart?” (Koun Yamada).

Or “What will it Be?” (Zenkei Shimbayama)

Mumon’s Comment:
If anyone can directly master this topic, his eye will be like a shooting star, his spirit like a flash of lightning.

Mumon’s Verse:
When the spiritual wheels turn,
Even the master fails to follow them.
They travel in all directions, above and below,
North, south, east, and west.

The immediate benefit we gain from this koan is that we now know the name of the guy who invented the wheel, Keichu. Thanks to Keichu, and thanks to the guy, maybe also Keichu, who first coined the word “cart.” Now whenever we look at a certain kind of wheeled vehicle, we are able to identify it as a cart. We have a practical need to discriminate between carts and other stuff. We have a practical need to discriminate in general, and language is our skilful means of doing that. But in this clarifying act of naming, in this essential human activity, lies a hidden cost, a loss, we might say, of beginner’s mind. Many koans, in one way or another, aim at undoing this loss. In this case, the issue of what is in a name is front and center. Continue reading →