What's so important about daily practice?
It isn’t something that we want to do. But that’s what keeps you getting more porous all the time. A lot of people, though, even though their practice is going well, will read a book, and come in and say, “You know, Joko, in the three or four years that I’ve worked with you, everything in my life has transformed. I have a happy marriage now, I’m getting along at work, everything is totally different, and I feel much freer. But what about the real thing?” They mean, “When do I get enlightened?” And of course, they are walking the path of enlightenment - non-reactivity - but their understanding is partial. In time, if the work continues, they’ll see that the process itself is the real thing; it is the gateless gate.
The capacity for great satori - that’s not going to happen to the average person. The person who has a great opening is somebody who has been almost selfless for years, and maybe that last little chunk drops off. I mean, great satori doesn’t just fall out of the skies."
The capacity for great satori - that’s not going to happen to the average person. The person who has a great opening is somebody who has been almost selfless for years, and maybe that last little chunk drops off. I mean, great satori doesn’t just fall out of the skies."
