The "Thing" Beneath the Patch Robe

Aug 27

4 min read

Updated: Aug 29

Series: Zen and the Jewish High Holidays (Part 2 of 3)

Liberating ourselves from the small self and gaining-mind is the ultimate expression of atonement (teshuvah). True transformation requires us to step outside of ourselves, beyond our individual isolation, and wake up to the web of life that binds us together.

Interdependence and Enlightenment

About 2,500 years ago, a prince named Siddhartha sat down by a tree and vowed to end suffering. Fighting his own demons for "40 days and 40 nights," like Moses himself atop Mount Sinai, this prince realized something:

Each and every thing in this entire universe is vulnerable and dependent on each other. All of God’s creation depends on the rest of God’s creation.

I depend on you; you depend on me. I return to you; you return to me. This is teshuvah! It is real if we allow ourselves to recognize it.

Descending the mountain demands that we touch the Earth and go beyond the small and gaining mind—loosening the grip of our mochin dekatnut and mushotoku.

There is a koan collection called The Transmission of Light. It records each and every enlightenment experience from the Buddha through 52 generations into 13th century Japan. This is how the very first enlightenment experience was recorded:

Shakyamuni Buddha saw the morning star and was enlightened, and he said, "I, and the great earth and beings, simultaneously achieve the Way." (Case 1)

The morning star is Everywhere! Everything matters! Everyone matters!

How can we do teshuvah if we do not realize this fact for ourselves? We must realize it for myself, the great Earth, and all beings.

It is not all about me; it is not about mine at all. This is the secret of God. There is more to Me than me. There is a lot more than me… like You. As Martin Buber teaches, God is where Me and You meet.

Making Amends

How do we make this real? During these ten days of reconciliation and repentance, we engage in the traditional practice of Cheshbon Hanefesh—an honest, raw accounting of the soul.

It is a time to look deeply into ourselves, understand the brilliance and brokenness of who we are, and try our best to simply make things right.

One thing that is profound about the Jewish tradition is that simply saying the words "I’m sorry" is not enough. Making things right requires making amends. Maimonides teaches the three stages or steps of teshuvah:

Regret
Confession
Leaving sin behind

To make things right with ourselves or others, we must be open to reflection and embrace our vulnerability and imperfection.

Everyday is a Day of Atonement

The essential practice of Cheshbon Hanefesh and the true meaning of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is captured beautifully in a classical case from the Blue Cliff Record (Case 91):

One day, Enkan called to his attendant, “Bring me the rhinoceros fan.” The attendant said, “The fan is broken.” Enkan said, “If the fan is already broken, bring me the rhinoceros.” The attendant gave no answer.

Learn from these ten days of repentance. We are all imperfect. We are all broken. We are all pains in the rear.

Yet, we acknowledge wrongdoing. We apologize and ask forgiveness. We do our best after doing damage to make amends, and we vow to not repeat this cycle over and over again.

"How May I Help You?"

Many many years ago, I went in for an interview with a Zen Master in the Korean Zen tradition. He asked me who I am.

I let him know that I was a graduate student, but he nodded no. I let him know that I was a Buddhist, but he nodded no. I told him that I was a therapist, and again, he nodded no.

He then said, "You ask me." So I did. I asked, "Who are you?"

He answered… "How may I help you?"

I never forgot that lesson. However Buddhist or Korean the Zen Master, there’s nothing more Jewish or Christian or Muslim than that.

The Patchwork of Intimacy

While Zen does not often speak of "love" specifically, a final case from The Transmission of Light reveals it as the absolute heart of the practice (Case 43):

The forty-second ancestor was priest Liang-shan. He studied with T'ung-an the Latter and served him. T'ung-an asked him, "What is the thing beneath the patch robe?" The master had no answer. T'ung-an said, "Studying the Buddha Way and still not reaching this realm is the most painful thing. Now, you ask me." The master asked, "What is the thing beneath the patch robe?" T'ung-an said, "Intimacy." The master was greatly awakened.

In the original Japanese, this "thing"—Mitsu—is the moment that is so dense and full where there is zero gap between anything or anyone.

When we feel helpless, are in pain, and do not know what to do, let us hear this truth: This thing, our very life, me and you, and God, is intimacy.