In the second week of the Ango practice period, Jomon Sensei reflects on verses from Affirming Faith in Mind—“The Great Way is without limit, beyond the easy and the hard.” Through multiple translations and the koan Ling Zhao’s Grass Tips, she explores how our preferences and narrow views create tension, while the Way itself remains relaxed, spacious, and clear. Drawing on vivid imagery of dewdrops, grass, and the natural world, Jomon encourages us to meet both difficulty and ease with open presence. This talk reminds us that in stillness and in motion, the teachings of the ancestors are shining everywhere—even in the most ordinary moments
This talk was given at the Plum Blossom Zendo in Vancouver, WA on October 14th 2025.

In this talk Jogen Sensei introduces Affirming Faith in Mind as a mirror for practice and a reminder that the Great Way is neither easy nor difficult. Moving through the themes of impermanence, longing, and the poignancy of being human, he invites practitioners to meet life directly on the ground of reality. Jogen speaks of sesshin as a sacred vessel for awakening, describing three ingredients of transcendent insight: the desire to go beyond, a vivid steady mind, and bowing to what is. With clarity and humor, he shows how sesshin reveals our suffering and our freedom—teaching us to yield completely to the immediacy of this fleeting life.
This is talk two of the 2025 Ancient Way Sesshin.

In this opening talk of 2025 Ancient Way Sesshin, Hogen Roshi introduces the Affirming Faith in Mind chant—an ancient poem pointing to non-dual awareness and the ease of the great way. He reminds us that our suffering begins when we believe our thoughts, and peace appears when we let them flow without grasping. Through humor, reflection, and simple body-based practices, Hogen shows how inclusivity, satisfaction, and faith in the “heart-mind” reveal a stability beyond our judgments and preferences. The talk weaves ancient teaching, modern psychology, and poetry into a living encouragement to trust this very moment.