Obedience to Reality – A Path to True Freedom

We often dwell in a very small space, one bounded by fear and the tightly woven expectations that define who we think we are. Within this space, we tread the same paths over and over again, often so deeply grooved that we can’t see beyond them. These patterns, rooted in our ideas of self and fueled by our need to control outcomes, trap us in repetitive cycles.

Consider how often we act in the same ways, clinging to the hope that this time the result will be different. Yet, as Einstein famously observed, insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a new outcome. These habits—these karmic satellites—revolve around us with predictable regularity, held in place by the gravity of our ego and expectations.

There’s a story about this in the Sanshekishu. It’s the fourth case, called “Obedience,” and it features Master Bankei:

The master Bankei’s talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras nor indulged in scholastic dissertations. Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners.

His large audiences angered a priest of the Nichiren sect because the adherents had left to hear about Zen. The self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple determined to debate with Bankei.

“Hey, Zen teacher,” he called out. “Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a man like myself does not respect you. Can you make me obey you?”

“Come up beside me and I will show you,” said Bankei. Proudly, the priest pushed his way through the crowd to the teacher.

Bankei smiled. “Come over to my left side.”

The priest obeyed.

“No,” said Bankei, “we may talk better if you are on the right side. Step over here.”

The priest proudly stepped over to the right.

“You see,” observed Bankei, “you are obeying me, and I think you are a very gentle person. Now sit down and listen.”

At first glance, this case seems simple—a clever moment where Bankei outwits a prideful priest. But it holds a profound teaching about the nature of ego, karma, and the heart of practice.

The Nichiren priest’s challenge was driven by pride and a refusal to be “moved.” He approached Bankei with the goal of proving his independence and superiority. Yet Bankei didn’t meet this with resistance or confrontation. Instead, he disarmed the priest by sidestepping ego entirely, using a few simple requests to gently reveal the priest’s hidden compliance.

This is not about submission to authority. Bankei’s teaching invites us to see that obedience in the Zen sense is not about giving up autonomy but about letting go of the constructs of self and aligning with the flow of the moment.

True freedom lies in obedience—not to a person, but to reality itself. To obey reality means to surrender our rigid ideas of how things should be and to align ourselves with how they are. When we let go of resistance and meet life as it unfolds, we discover that the present moment carries everything we need.

Ego resists this. Ego clings to its judgments, labels, and expectations, insisting that it knows how things should go. But this resistance only perpetuates suffering. When we insist on forcing our will onto reality, we find ourselves met with the same resistance in return.

Bankei’s teaching bypasses intellectual debate and speaks heart to heart. It invites us to step outside the grooves we’ve worn so deeply and respond to each moment with openness and clarity.

Life is not something to control; it is something to join. When we let go of our expectations and loosen the grip of ego, we become free to participate in the dance of life. Each step becomes fresh, and each moment reveals itself as an opportunity to respond with compassion and wisdom.

This is not easy. We often resist letting go, afraid that without our expectations to guide us, life will spiral into chaos. But when we set the ego down, even for a moment, we discover the boundless essence of who we really are. Things fall into place—not through our effort to force them, but through the natural flow of life itself.

Take a moment today to notice where you resist reality. When does pride step in? When does ego assert itself? Instead of reacting, try stepping to the left or the right. Challenge the bull of ego gently, and you’ll find that obedience to reality isn’t a loss—it’s liberation.

Appreciate where you are, not as a stepping stone to where you want to be, but as a place to fully live, right here and now. Join the dance of life, unbound and free, and discover the joy of simply being present!