quote from master takeda mokurai for reflection

February 20, 2013

"They say that if you practice Zen, you will be calm. Some misunderstand these words because they are attached to the literal sense of the word 'calm.' They think they will be completely unaffected even when struck by a thunderbolt. But this is not true. The subtle meaning of Zen lies in spontaneous response. If thunder peals, we peal, too; if an earthquake comes to shake us, we ourselves shake with it. It is childish to say that those who practice Zen will never care nor fuss about anything." -from Zen no Katsatsu