This episode, featuring Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner, explores the true nature of Zen practice through the lens of Ungan's Great Compassionate One koan (Case 54 of the Shōyōroku). The talk begins by challenging the notion that Zen is confined to meditation halls, explicitly linking spiritual practice to tangible action through One River Zen's community missions, Karuna Pantry and David's Clubhouse, in Ottawa, Illinois. Sensei Brunner asserts that real practice is about true being—showing up as your authentic self and letting go of the story of "I," echoing Dōgen's teaching: "To forget the self is to be actualized by the ten thousand things." The Koan and the Critical Difference The central teaching focuses on the exchange between Ungan and Dōgo concerning Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. Dōgo compares compassion to the spontaneous, unthinking act of reaching behind you at night to search for your pillow. The entire talk pivots on the subtle but profound difference between two phrases: "All over the body are hands and eyes" (Ungan's partial understanding, which implies compassion is something "I" do or apply as a tool). "Throughout the body are hands and eyes" (Dōgo's complete understanding, which means compassion is the unobstructed functioning of original nature—what life is when nothing, including the self-image, gets in the way). Conclusion: Your Koan The episode concludes by defining "supernatural" in Zen as the natural functioning of reality when we stop distorting it with the self-story. The teaching is a final invitation: to surrender and allow the hands and eyes of compassion to function freely through your life. The listener's ultimate koan is to ask: "How will you spend the very real currency you possess with your next breath—this currency that is your life?"
🎧 Awakening Streams Episode Notes
Title: ZEN KOAN: The 2 Secrets of True Compassion | Sensei Michael Brunner
Teacher: Sensei Sōen Michael Brunner, Sōtō Zen Buddhist Priest (Lineage: Dainin Katagiri Roshi through Rev. Dr. Sojun Diane Martin Roshi).
Community: One River Zen, Ottawa, Illinois.
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CORE TEACHING: Throughout the Body
This talk, given by Sensei Michael Brunner, challenges the idea that Zen practice is limited to the cushion. He connects the deepest spiritual teachings to the tangible work of One River Zen's community missions, Karuna Pantry and the soon-to-open David’s Clubhouse in Ottawa, Illinois.
Dōgen's Teaching: Sensei Brunner grounds the talk in Dōgen's famous quote: "To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by the ten thousand things." The practice is about being a true person, not a perfected image of a Buddhist.
The Koan of Spontaneity: We explore Shōyōroku, Case 54: Ungan’s Great Compassionate One. The Koan uses the image of Avalokiteśvara (Bodhisattva of Great Compassion) to ask how boundless compassion functions.
Dōgo’s Pointer: Dōgo likens it to "a man who reaches behind him at night to search for his pillow." This is spontaneous, intuitive action, free of thought or strategy.
The Critical Difference: The key is the subtle yet profound difference between two phrases:
Ungan's Partial View: "All over the body are hands and eyes." (Implies compassion is something "I" do or applyas a tool—80% there).
Dōgo's Complete View: "Throughout the body are hands and eyes." (Implies compassion is what this life is—the unobstructed functioning of original nature. It is not applied; it is simply how life operates when the self-story is not in the way).
The Final Invitation: The talk concludes with the understanding that "supernatural" functioning is simply reality without the distortion of the ego. The true Koan for the listener is: "How will you spend the very real currency you possess with your next breath—this currency that is your life?"
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Connect with Sensei Michael Brunner:
Website: brunnerzen.org
Organization: oneriverzen.org