• Entertaining thoughts of "is" or "is not." (There I was categorizing everyone and everything. She is holy. He is not. He is a good monk. He is not a good monk.)
  
  
• Thinking Zhaozhou said "no" because in reality there is just nothing. (A reference to a famous Zen koan about whether a dog has Buddha nature. Does one?)
  
  
• Resorting to principles or theories. (I most definitely had theories and priciples on the brain, all going at full throttle.)
  
  
• Trying to resolve the hwadu (koan) as an object of intellectual inquiry. (Cringe. Intellectual inquiry is my life. And then some.)
  
  
• When the master raises his eyebrows or blinks his eyes taking such things as indicators regarding the meaning of dharma. (There I was, watching Sunim's every move. We were both goners.)
  
  
• Regarding the skillful use of words as a means to express the truth.
  
  
• Regarding a state of cacuity and ease for realization of the truth. (I would have gladly vntertained a state of cacuity and ease given the chance. It beat survival mode.)
  
  
• Taking the place where you become aware of sense objects to be the mind. (A blunt reminder that I was putting my energy into the wrong stuff.)
  
  
• Relying upon words quoted from teachings (I already knew that didn't work, having tried. Maybe someday knowledge will be the same as wisdom. Sigh.)
  
  
• Remaining in a deluded state waiting for enlightenment to happen. (Ditto on this one. Having waited for more than fourty years, it was clear that being an active player in the whole mess was the only way out of my misery.)

- unattributed lessons and their commentary from First You Shave Your Head by (P'arang) Geri Larkin; copyright 2001, CelestialArts