Gesshin Claire Greenwood

“Because Dogen emphasized the unity of practice and enlightenment, she explained this means that we continue to practice even after we have attained realization, and even if we never attain realization. Practice and enlightenment are connected in the same way as the body and the mind, in the same way as our foot is connected to our leg: one leads and the other follows. “Washing the bowl” is stepping the front foot forward, continuing without hope or expectation of understanding, and then understanding follows, like our legs when we walk. “When humans are hungry, we don’t need to be told to eat,” Aoyama Roshi said. “But to nourish our heart and mind we need to practice. And we need to continue practicing forever to satisfy this hunger. But we have to do it without expectation of enlightenment.” (Bow First, Ask Questions Later)