Talk from OzZEN Zazenkai in Sawtell 2nd March 2025. Intimacy in Zen is discussed in terms of two aspects of 1. presence with all of life, and 2. emotional availability and vulnerability. A complete offering of ourselves, unmasked.
This brings forth the character of the Bodhisattva as: simple, joyful, and open to life’s possibilities.
We mention “Intimacy and Commitment” from Ordinary Mind Zen teacher Elihu Genmyo Smith’s book “Everything is the way”. We mention three koans: The Hands and Eyes of the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion (Blue Cliff Record Case 89), The National Teacher’s Monument (Blue Cliff Record Case 18), and Dizang’s “Not knowing is most intimate” (Book of Serenity Case 20).
I am using ChatGPT to kick off preparation for a guided meditation I’ll give in a few hours. I’ve used it before to kick off something that ends up being quite different. It is interesting to see what it comes up with, because it 1. opens up useful lines of thought, and 2. reveals what we might say when we are spinning on predictable ideas we’ve likely heard before from others. ChatGPT will, by dint of how it is created, feed back to us an average of what people would tend to say.
This is the prompt I gave chatGPT “create text for a 30 minute guided meditation based on the content of the vimalakirti sutra” and this is what it came up with:
Guided Meditation Inspired by the Vimalakirti Sutra
Introduction (5 minutes)
Welcome to this meditation session. Today, we will explore the themes of the Vimalakirti Sutra, a profound text in Mahayana Buddhism that highlights the essence of non-duality, the importance of compassion, and the realization of the inherent purity of all beings.
Find a comfortable position, either seated or lying down. Allow your body to settle, and gently close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose, feeling your chest and belly expand. Hold it for a moment, and then exhale slowly through your mouth, releasing any tension. Let’s take a few more deep breaths together, inhaling deeply… and exhaling fully.
As you breathe, allow yourself to arrive in this moment, letting go of any distractions from the past or worries about the future. With each breath, feel yourself becoming more present, more grounded.
Setting the Intention (5 minutes)
Now, let’s set an intention for our meditation. Reflect on the teachings of Vimalakirti, who embodied the principles of wisdom and compassion. Perhaps your intention could be to cultivate compassion for yourself and others, or to deepen your understanding of non-duality.
Silently repeat your intention to yourself, allowing its meaning to resonate in your heart. Feel the warmth of this intention as you breathe in… and breathe out.
Guided Visualization (10 minutes)
Imagine now a beautiful, serene landscape. You find yourself in a lush garden filled with vibrant flowers and trees. The air is fragrant and the sounds of nature surround you. This garden symbolizes the pure nature of all beings.
As you walk through this garden, notice the colors of the flowers—each one unique, yet all part of the same ecosystem. Reflect on how each being, like these flowers, has its own beauty and purpose, interconnected yet distinct.
You come upon a calm pond, its surface reflecting the sky above. Sit by this pond and observe the water. Notice how it reflects the world around it without judgment, simply showing what is. In this reflection, see your own essence—pure, unblemished, and at peace.
As you sit here, allow feelings of compassion to arise. Imagine sending out waves of compassion from your heart to all beings—your loved ones, acquaintances, and even those with whom you have conflicts. Visualize these waves gently touching each being, bringing healing and understanding.
Contemplation of Non-Duality (5 minutes)
Now, shift your focus inward. Reflect on the nature of self and other. Feel the interconnectedness of all life. As you breathe in, imagine you are breathing in the essence of the universe. As you breathe out, visualize sharing your own essence with the world.
Contemplate the idea that there is no true separation between you and others. Notice any thoughts or feelings that arise—acknowledge them without attachment. Just as the pond reflects the sky, allow your mind to reflect the truth of this unity.
Closing Reflection (5 minutes)
As we prepare to close our meditation, bring your attention back to your breath. With each inhale, feel a sense of gratitude for this moment, for the teachings of Vimalakirti, and for the wisdom within yourself. With each exhale, release any remaining tension, any thoughts of separation.
Slowly begin to bring awareness back to your body. Wiggle your fingers and toes, gently stretching. When you’re ready, open your eyes.
Take a moment to notice how you feel—perhaps a sense of calm, connection, or clarity. Remember that the teachings of the Vimalakirti Sutra are always available to you, guiding you toward compassion and understanding.
Thank you for joining this meditation. May you carry this peace and compassion with you as you move through your day.
It’s not terrible, not at all. The structure is good, helpful. It contains helpful elements. It comes off as canned, because it is. It is created using data of what people have tended to say in guided meditations. Our goal in giving a guided meditation is to not be canned. Being present is, by definition, not being canned. A good guided meditation comes from a vividness and an awareness of what is appropriate and fitting. It is a product of what speaker themself brings to that meeting — of all their strengths and weaknesses — as well as a response to what will serve the listeners in that precise time and place. The import and potential of that moment and the opportunity it furnishes cannot be overstated. If we are caught up in what we think we think we ought to say to sound good then ChatGPT can give us that, no problem. It cannot give genuineness, aliveness and authenticity.
This guided meditation explores the connection between romantic love and loving kindness. Romantic love hints at the universal love we can experience and embody whether or not we are in love romantically with someone or not.
Both in love songs and romantic poetry we can get a taste of something that is beyond our individual selves, beyond existence in a certain place and time, beyond the usual way we experience life. Universal love can flavour our lives and be flavoured by the qualities of romantic love.
The qualities perfected by the Buddha are the paramitas: generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentration, wisdom. We see these qualities in the Pali Suttas on right speech, and helpful here are two suttas in the Middle Length Discourses, MN58 and MN41. The Buddha is the embodiment of the perfections and so when he speaks of, for example, right speech, he is describing himself.
Then we look at speech and silence in the koan collections. The trifecta of koans in the Blue Cliff Record, Cases 70, 71, and 72, all revolve around the koan: “How can words be spoken when your mouth is sealed shut?” And, finally, we venture onto Case 3 of Record of Empty Hall – “The World-Honored One Finally Pays Attention.”
Here we go from St Francis of Assisi’s Prayer for Peace, to the Zen Koan “I have already become like this”1. From there we accompany “Seven Wise Women in the Charnel Grounds”2 and then see what thirteenth century Zen priest Eihei Dōgen has to say about “Birth and Death” in his fascicle of that name.3
1 Susan Murphy’s take on Case 41 of Transmission of Light from her book Red Thread Zen
2 Case 9 from The Hidden Lamp collection edited by Florence Caplow and Susan Moon
3 “Birth and Death (Shōji)” translated by Arnold Kotler and Kazuaki Tanahashi from Moon in a Dew Drop edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi.
This Zen meditation guides you in and takes you tripping along, riding on the breath, through some old Zen stories. Where will you go?
The first is a re-telling of “A Parable” from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki. This story sets up a persuasive set of circumstances which leads someone (and that someone is us) to discover the completeness of the simple act of enjoying eating a strawberry.
Two koans are featured, both are from The Gateless Gate by Koun Yamada (adapted below).
Case 30 “Mind is Buddha”
Taibai asked Baso in all ernestness, “What is Buddha?” Baso answered, “The very mind is Buddha.”
VERSE
The blue sky, the bright day.
It is most detestable to hunt around;
If, furthermore, you ask, "What is Buddha?"
It is like shouting your innocence while holding the loot.
Case 36 “Meeting a Person Who Has Accomplished the Way”.
Goso said, “If you meet a person on the path who has accomplished the Way, do not greet them with words or silence. Tell me, how will you greet them?”
VERSE
Meeting on the path a person who has accomplished the Way,
Do not greet them with words or silence.
It is right in your face;
If you want to realise, realise on the spot.
wannabepoet : zen perspectives 