Selling Water by the Banks of the River: The Great Play

Meetings are an opportunity to explore our actual present moment experiencing, to question our beliefs and ideas, and perhaps to discover the aliveness, openness and boundless immediacy of Here / Now. We may find that everything is happening by itself, that no one is running the show, that our thoughts, interests, intentions and actions appear here in the same way that the breath, the wind, the clouds, the trees, and the galaxies appear here – that the boundary between inside and outside cannot actually be found – that it is all one seamless happening. We may also discover that the turbulent, stormy, overcast weather is as integral to this happening as the calm, clear, sunny weather, and that none of it is really a problem.

Meetings have no agenda. They are not intended to provide answers. They are simply an opportunity to look and listen together and see what emerges.

One old Zen master, seeing the delightful absurdity of his job, famously described it as selling water by the banks of the river. Our True Nature has never been absent, even in moments of so-called delusion, nor is it gained anew during any so-called enlightenment or awakening. We already are what we are seeking. No wave is any wetter or any closer to the ocean than any other wave, and the waves are never really separate or independent entities. They are one continuous movement of the ocean.

Thoughts, stories and beliefs are also movements of the ocean. But when attention is absorbed in the virtual reality that thought creates, it seems that we are a separate wave that has lost touch with the ocean. The ocean seems far away – mysterious and unattainable.

In looking and listening together, we may discover that the apparent problem is totally imaginary, that nothing is really broken. We may find that the "me" who seems to be lost and in need of liberation is only a mirage. And we may wake up to the spaciousness, the aliveness and the freedom Here / Now, the freedom for everything to be just as it is.


Practical Stuff:

I am currently offering hour-long individual meetings on a sliding fee scale of $50 to $100 (USD). These meetings can be done by phone, skype (audio only), or in person in Ashland.

If you'd like to set up a meeting, email me for available times and full details. You'll find my email address on the "Contact" page of this website.

After the meeting, you can pay on-line with a credit card by using the "Donate" button on the "Home Page" of this website. Or, if you prefer, you can arrange to send a check or money order through the mail.

Meetings are not intended as a substitute for professional therapy, medical care, or legal advice. Please consult a licensed professional in these 
matters.

--Joan