The Great Way is calm and large-hearted; for it nothing is easy, nothing is hard; small views are irresolute. The more in haste the tardier we go.
— Sosan Ganchi Zenji, On Believing in Mind
Election speeches are filled with both big and small ideas-big ideas about the higher good and small ideas imbued with fear and xenophobia.
If returning to the Great Way in the midst of political turmoil via one Emptiness seems abstract or too Zen, then Sosan helps with a generous expansion of his message.
The Great Way is calm and large hearted he says. Where can we find this in the midst of political discourse or daily life? We simply need to listen for it.
This is why sitting is so important. Zazen helps us listen to the rhetoric and feel the underlying truth.
This is because in Zen there are no big ideas, no small ideas, no hard work, no easy work, no quick solutions, no slow solutions.
All we need to know is that small views are irresolute. In other words small ideas never get resolved! So, in our day to day life, if we are struggling, it is safe to assume that small, dualistic views have grasped us.
In a certain sense, we don’t need to know anything more about the Way. Sosan has expressed its essence already here and in previous passages presented in these emails:
- The Great Way is perfect like unto vast space
- The Great Way rests in one Emptiness.
- The Great Way is calm and large hearted.
What more do we need to know?
Can we feel the Large Heart of the Great Way arise within us during Zazen?
Can we perceive its reflection in everything we feel, taste, smell, hear, see, and think?