Although everything is part of our practice, we still have to make an effort to rein in our ADD, ordinary consciousness. Until we do this, it’s difficult to connect with our fundamental nature. Here are some words of gold by Daehaeng Kun Sunim about this. Although the idea seems simple, it contains deapths that are unimaginable. In this same Dharma talk, she pleaded with listeners, “Please, please don’t mistake intellectual understanding for the ability to do this.” Like developing good handwriting, we need to keep trying to apply the following until it becomes second nature.
A tree has its root, and is alive because of that root. Our every movement happens because of our root. So no matter what you confront, if you focus everything on one place, your fundamental mind, this becomes true samadhi, precepts, and wisdom. This is what’s called the “fragrance of precepts, samadhi, and wisdom.”
Take care of everything in this way. Sunims practice by entrusting everything to their fundamental mind. Then they don’t end up causing problems for themselves, for their teacher, the temple, or their fellow practitioners. Of course, laypeople as well need to practice like this.
However, when problems occur, many people just react to those, and run around looking for solutions in the material realm. Unless we first entrust things to our foundation, nothing will go right. Accidents will happen, big disagreements will arise, you’ll meet people determined to hinder you, and leading a normal life becomes impossible. Do you think you can solve all of these through your intellect and sweat? When you’re able to truly return and entrust everything you encounter to this foundation, such that what you input changes and manifests back into the world, then your life will become very relaxed and so many problems will cease to be.
A few days ago, The Zennist included the following quote by Szu-hsin Wu-shin. It’s definitely worth repeating:
While still alive, be therefore assiduous in practicing Dhyana (contemplation). The practice consists in abandonments. ‘The abandonment of what?’ you may ask. Abandon your four elements (bhuta), abandon your five aggregates (skandha), abandon all the workings of your relative consciousness (karma-vijnana), which you have been cherishing since eternity; retire within your inner being and see into the reason of it. As your self-reflections grows deeper and deeper, the moment will surely come upon you when the spiritual flower will suddenly burst into bloom, illuminating the entire universe. The experience is incommunicable, though you yourselves know perfectly well what it is (Szu-hsin Wu-shin of Huang-lung [1044–1115]).
Quotes by Daehaeng Kun Sunim copyright 2010 The Hanmaum Seonwon Foundation
Wake Up and Laugh! 
The tree depends upon its root, and also on its trunk, branches and leaves, and also on the insects, bacteria, birds and other beings that depend upon it. Woven together, no problems appear; separate, problems everywhere!
Thank you for this wonderful message, Sunim!
Hey Barry!
And what’s really interesting is that when the root is healthy, everything else takes care of itself automatically.
More and more these days, I feel the deepening of the roots and am getting better at knowing when the leaves, branches, and fruit are being well-nourished. Of course there are days when I’m Addled, Demented, & Distracted too. 🙂
wonderful teachings, Sunim. Thank you!
Teacher Chong Go,
I feel like you wrote this for me, but, I will let go of that delusion.
You taught me that my first thought is probably not to be trusted, and that is certainly true when my pre-sleep nourishment is sugar, which it has been at times of self affliction (in wanting a little treat), but sometimes I wonder if that first thought is not the truth, but that I just don’t have the strength to accept its wisdom, because it seems to tell me what I hve been involved in and whith whom I have been involvrd is wrong; with the wrong people, etc; nt bringing forth my Buddha nature, byt my samsara. Why? Because I want to cling to them.
Anyway, I am slowly, once again, returning to to my inherant nature, wiser, stronger, and yet disappointed, so more disallusoned and jaded, for what I faced was uncompassionate, but then again, this too is probably an illusion, or is it?
Peace,
Mando