full

2022-01-25 H86 Ummon's "Everyone has their own light"

In this teisho Roshi takes up a koan from The Blue Cliff Record: "Everyone has their own light" (Hekiganroku # 86). Here is the case: Ummon said, "Everybody has their own light. Though when you try to see it, you cannot, everything is darkness. What is everybody's light?" Later he answered himself saying, "The temple storeroom, the tower gateway". He also said, "A precious thing isn't as good as nothing".

Ummon presents our human predicament: We each have our own light but when we try to see it everything is dark. What is this light, and what is the darkness? How do we find our way?

Source(s): The Golden Age of Zen by John C.H Wu

Automated transcript

https://otter.ai/u/Yn0cUA1CVjt87V_SsUdY4NFU9MU

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

About the Podcast

Show artwork for AZC Weekly talks
AZC Weekly talks
In this podcast you can find almost all the talks given at the Auckland Zen Centre, back to 2016. Most talks are by Roshi Amala Wrightson, but there are also talks from Sensei Richard von Sturmer and senior students too.

Listen for free

About your host

Profile picture for Roshi Amala Wrightson

Roshi Amala Wrightson

Roshi Amala Wrightson is the full-time teacher at the Auckland Zen Centre. Amala-roshi began her Zen training at the Rochester Zen Center in 1989, shortly after completing an M.A. in Italian at Auckland University, and was ordained as a priest there in 1999. In late 2003, upon completion of formal koan training under Roshi Kjolhede, Amala-roshi returned to resettle in New Zealand. She and her husband, Sensei Richard von Sturmer, co-founded the Auckland Zen Centre in 2004. The Centre offers regular sittings, talks, zen meditation workshops, retreats (sesshin) and opportunities to engage in compassionate action. All Roshi's talks are shared in our "AZC Weekly Talks" podcast.