Norman Fischer: Sesshin: Bowing (Spring Practice Period 2022)

Roshi Norman Fischer explores three big questions in this talk on the practice of bowing: What does it mean to be a teacher? What does it mean to be a student? And what does it mean to bow? Norman provides a characteristically insightful reading of Dogen and his fascicle “Bowing to the Attain the Marrow,” which, Norman points out, was written primarily in order to correct male monks for not giving due respect to female teachers. Bowing is, according to Dogen, the essential act of Zen practice. A bow is fundamentally an act of trust, and the cultivation of a trusting heart, Norman posits, is not only the purpose of Zen practice, but what the world needs now more than ever. If you’re interested in the age-old question of what one should look for in a teacher, this is an excellent talk to listen to. And if you’re thinking about getting involved in Zen or Buddhism generally (or even if you already are involved) but aren’t sure about the whole bowing thing, this episode is for you. To access the resources page for this program, please sign up by clicking here. For Program/Series description and to access the entire series, please click on the link below: Upaya Podcast Series: SPRING PRACTICE PERIOD 2022: Making Visible the Invisible – An Exploration of Zen Liturgy