Wendy Johnson: Chih Men’s Lotus Flower, Lotus Leaves

Koans are intimate knowledge, teaches Sensei Wendy Johnson, and to be effective they “must and only live in reality through direct experience.”  Here, Sensei Wendy shares with us her intimate knowledge and direct experience of the dharma through “Chih Men’s Lotus Flower, Lotus Leaves” koan. Wendy uses lotus flowers as a medium to explore the importance of poetry, mystery, and dynamic relationship. “What will it take to see a flower really [. . .] even if you think you know, in a way nobody sees a flower really. It takes time to really see a flower, like it takes time to have a friend.”  She speaks of her powerful experience seeing lotus flowers “surging out of the water” at a temple in Japan. Her stories remind us that koans are not puzzles to be solved but direct experiences that open us to live as a “lotus in a sea of fire”.