YEAR OF ZEN: AUTUMN: DAY 62

Bodhidharma - Yoshitoshi

Q: Buddhism is not about understanding Buddhism, but understanding yourself. How do you take this up directly and deeply?

A: There is no fellow traveler that I can ever fully know, understand, or control the actions of except for myself. This is a simple truth but so many of the problems in life come from forgetting that wisdom and holding assumptions and expectations for others that they cannot meet. Mastery of self (or something close to it) leads to much better and deeper relationships with others, at least in my experience.