From Boundaries to Boundless

This is a transcript of an Early Morning Light talk given at One River Zen. Why get them second-hand? Join us for meditation from 6:30 to 7:15 AM CST, Monday through Friday, and hear these talks in real time. Start your day immersed in wisdom and community as we sit together and explore the path of practice.

In the dwelling place of the conceptual mind—what we often call the discursive mind, where we tend to place our conscious attention—we unintentionally invest everything in the world of ideas. And in that place, one creation reigns supreme: this idea of “I.” The “I” is able to subjugate any other idea through grasping, lying, stealing, and manipulating. But as soon as there’s “I,” there’s also “other.”

If you take a look at this world of ideas, this place we consider so substantial, it starts to break down—even within its own realm. A simple question like, “Where do I stop and you begin?” becomes nearly impossible to answer. Why? Because those boundaries, too, are made up. They’re just ideas. And with them comes this notion of scarcity.

But if you want to move beyond these ideas and catch a glimpse of your true nature and the boundless resources that are always present, just take a moment this morning to set aside your troubles. Set aside all the things you’re worried about. Then, bring to mind a place where you witness suffering outside the conceptual abode of “I.” Think of someone who’s in need of help, someone who’s suffering. See how you’re moved to interact with them.

Reach out. Make a difference for someone else. In that action, you’ll discover where the true abode of self is—boundless and expansive. And in helping someone else, you’ll find the liberation of your own self. That’s a remarkable kensho, a way of opening to your true nature.

So try that as this week begins—shift your attention from the bounded notions of “I” to the boundless and witness your own true nature!