During the retreat of our Zen community, The Bahay Dalangin Zen Community, last month the theme of not-knowing emerged from the talks of our teachers. This was highlighted by the koan taken up by Lydia Gaurano Sensei from The Book of Equanimity :

Not-knowing is most intimate.

Towards the end of the retreat, Sr. Sonia Punzalan Roshi gave a talk on love, based on a koan from The Transmission of Light :

The Forty-first Patriarch, Dôan Daishi the Latter, came to Dôan the Former, and asked, “An ancient master said, ‘What worldly people love, I do not love.’ I wonder what you, Master, love?” Dôan the Former said, “I have already attained being so.” With these words the master came to a great enlightenment.

To my mind, the retreat emphasized the…