It was early summer of the 12th year of training at the Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth. The final awakening period of the training season had just ended, and the community was cleaning up from a celebratory gratitude breakfast. As I was cleaning, Ananda told me that Soryu wished to speak to me in Seppo. I rushed to get paper and pen in case I needed to write something down and followed him through the always dimly lit hallway to the bright plant-filled room at the end of the hall where Soryu stood waiting.
We entered, Soryu and Ananda spoke briefly, and then Ananda left for us to speak alone. Soryu asked if I was interested in a particular track of training that is offered here. I said I didn’t know what that program was. Soryu said, “You see what it is right now. It’s that.” I said again, “I don’t really know what it is.” He said, “You know exactly what it is. It’s not complicated”. I said, “What would it mean to do that?” He said, “But you know”. I asked another question about it.
He said, “But you know. You know. That’s it. It’s like asking what is a table. This is a table. You say, but what is a table.” Using both arms to emphatically gesture to the table in the room, he said, “THIS is a table. This. This. This thing is a table. It’s like that. So you know. You already know. You get it.” I continued on in confusion a little while longer until Soryu dismissed me.