“If I do not do it now, when else can I do it.” Only I can take care of the self from morning to night. Only I can receive life. And it’s this contact, second by second by second, which Dōgen Zenji is talking about as he describes the day of the tenzo. Take care of this. Take care of that, and that. Not just washing the rice but doing it carefully, grain by grain. Not just throwing the water out. Each bite we take of our food. Each word I say. Each word you say. Each encounter, each second. That’s it. Not chanting with your mind somewhere else; not half doing the dishes, not half doing
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