This Tuesday at our service we have our monthly "Open Discussion Dharma Talk." This is were anyone can ask anything about anything and the game is afoot! In this forum we express experience and then move on. We are cautious sometime as we may not have a question although we feel we should, or we may have a question but don't feel it is worthy. It can be daunting to be free. Being open is detaching or we might say even humbling.

Yun Men imparted some words saying, "Everyone has light, when you look at it , you don't see it and its dark and dim. What is everybody's light?" He himself answered on everybody's behalf, "The kitchen pantry and the main gate." He also said, "a good thing is not as good as nothing. (Blue Cliff Record Case #6)."

Yun Men is saying if everything is "Fine", as in the basic response to "Hi, how are you?" Then we are stuck/attached to the status quo. Here is a condition where we no longer are open and responsive but chained to expectation of what we should say and what the other will say and we play at communication neither wanting open engagement.

Zen is open to each unique each moment as the end all and be all-what Katagiri-roshi calls the essence and the action. We open the Dharma gate knowing it is right here/now and experience the essence of our finding and then take the next step (action) experiencing something new or almost so (similar).

So one last question...why did Yun Men say, "a good thing is not as good as nothing?" So I ask, "why are we good for nothing?"