SUZUKI ROSHI TRANSLATION
The mind of the Great Sage of India Is intimately transmitted from west to east.
MAEZUMI ROSHI TRANSLATION
The mind of the Great Sage of India was intimately conveyed from West to East.
SENSEI SŌEN MICHAEL BRUNNER COMMENTARY
When we first arrive at the practice, we bring with us a lifetime of memories and expectations. We question how things will unfold, whether we’ll be able to keep up, and then we evaluate each moment based on how well it aligns with our preconceived notions. We refer to this conjurer as "I," which forms the foundation of the small mind or the small self.This self emerges when we become so engrossed in the discursive mind and its narratives that we lose direct connection with our actual lived experience. It is the cause of our suffering; as we tightly cling to our judgments, our lives never meet these ideals. This limited perspective inhibits our ability to truly embrace and value what is.
However, if we sit quietly and patiently, we can gradually release our grasp on this narrative and allow the small self to dissolve. In Sanskrit, we call this prajñā—built from the prefix pra- (forth, primordial, or prior) and the root jñā (to know)—pointing to a primordial knowing that arises before conceptual thought. In English, we simply refer to it as wisdom.Simply stop grasping by labeling, naming, selecting, and choosing. Turn your attention inward, focusing on the self, and observe it gradually fading away.
There may be a fear that nothing will remain of us when this happens, but this fear couldn't be further from the truth. As we move away from the dwelling of the small self, we return to our true ancestral home and embrace our genuine nature.This is the Mind of the Great Sage of India, the Mind of the Buddha—an awakened mind that transcends the judgments and attachments imposed by our karmic conditioning. It cannot be comprehended through concepts or words; it must be directly experienced.
And yet, this mind is not ours alone. To say it is “transmitted from West to East” is to recognize that it has been entrusted,face-to-face, teacher to student, body to body, for more than two thousand years. It is not some private attainment but the very continuity of awakening itself, handed down so that each of us can encounter it here.
Furthermore, we shouldn't regard this as an exotic piece of esoteric knowledge from some distant Indian shore. This Big Mind encompasses everything without exception and permeates the boundless present moment, right where you are standing. To meet it is not only to turn inward, but to see it shining in the eyes of others, to bow, to chant, to sit upright together. These are not empty forms—they are the field where transmission takes root.
You merely need to let go and come as you are, in your true essence, and witness it unfolding right here, right now.
