Drumming and Singing Go Together

Sensei Kathie Fischer discusses the Song of the Jewel Mirror Awareness, emphasizing the importance of stillness and presence in Zen practice. She explores how complications and difficulties in practice are “auspicious” rather than obstacles to be overcome, highlighting particularly how the challenges of Oryoki (formal meal practice) during Sesshin can be opportunities for growth. She emphasizes that Zen practice is deeply personal and cannot be commodified, saying “Our own experience in life, in practice, in death is unique and cannot be compared.” The talk weaves together the themes of repetition, presence, and acceptance of both harmony and disharmony, with Fischer noting that “Even when we take a hair’s breadth step away and find ourselves out of harmony… as Dogen says, is suchness.” She concludes by emphasizing that stillness and practice are always available to us, not in some special place or time but right here in everyday life, whether in “stillness in the kitchen” or “stillness at the airport.” To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here.