The Gateless Gate
The Great Way has no gate,
A thousand roads enter it.
When one passes through this gateless gate,
He freely walks between heaven and earth.
– Wu Men Hui-k’ai
I love Zen koans. They have a way of inviting the gears in my brain to come to a screeching halt.
Gateless gate? How nonsensical!
But allowing myself to consider what the heck a gateless gate might be, or what the metaphor might represent in my life can free me from constricted ways of being and thinking. From a creative point of view, koans help prime my mind for questioning old assumptions, sweeping me into realms of possibility.
Photo Credits: Zen Garden, by Susan J. Preston. Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe, NM ©2016, all rights reserved
Technical: iPhone 6+
Technical: iPhone 6+
More images and musings…
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