The unbridled spirit, when tempered by unwavering discipline, relinquishes its wildness, yielding to a newfound serenity and purpose, its aimless meandering replaced by a clear and focused path.

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Fearing that it may fall into a steep and perilous path,

You hold it tight with whip and bridle and with the strength of both legs firmly hold your ground.

Once past this critical moment, the ox comes following you.

In Zen master-disciple traditions, it was (and remains) a common practice for the Master to occasionally pose a question to an enlightened disciple (or initiate), mainly to gauge whether the original insight into his own inherent divine presence or Buddha nature has yet to be firmly inscribed on the canvas of reality - mapped to effortlessly unfold day by day. Any knee-jerk reaction that arises, instantly revealing even the slightest tendency towards reactivity - no matter how miniscule - is unequivocally seen as definitive evidence that this realization is still inchoate - work in progress.

Caught up in the perpetual interlude of breath in and breath out (this too shall pass), we risk taking sides with a fleeting identification that seizes our allegiance even for but a microscopic span - barely lasting a millisecond or so. And just when we seemingly enjoy a sliver of equanimity in thought and manner - one's tendency towards fixation (entrapment) may return full force; the oceanic awareness, hitherto vibrating at its purest potential becomes immediately entrapped within sleep mode. One’s spiritual awareness (if any), whether considerable or lacking may render them captive to the strongest amongst a legion of unseen but relentless taskmasters - the ego or else some derivative of it, driven solely by an unquenchable thirst for dominance and attention at pretty much any expense. Among other toxic habits, it loves proclaiming its own invincibility under various pompous identities—be they materialistic or even pseudo-spiritual pretences which may be characterized by hubris, manipulation, insolent self-aggrandizement supported unjustifiably by grand tales and self-idolization born out of a false, misguided belief in individual uniqueness along with a deplorable absence of empathy to serve as counterweight.

From Rinzai’s point of view therefore, our innermost spiritual calling and the one we follow consciously represent two entirely different orders of perception / functions. His commentary reminds us, that Zen followers are expected, demanded, to view it this way. ”From our practice, the ego tries to function, for it has innumerable roles, but if you keep looking away or, rather, beyond the objects with seeing and thinking, you should be able to recognize originally that those our roles never existed. But in true everyday activities, where your real you is in control; rather than always being in practice, some may feel, like - “There is something here, but it is all but non-existent so this non-existent has to use our self for expression. At all points, what do we expect?” There is no ‘any point - neither as existence nor non-existence from now until there isn’t another moment.” (Source).

Roshi says, essentially speaking (if it will do any good to simplify everything) “Stop fixating on this and that; do simple zazen.” With even such straightforwardness some Zen scholars take one aside immediately after sitting to ask why sitting can be useful. “But while he - a person - is sitting doing zazen, he is usually preoccupied in the back of his mind with so many and all sorts of things!” Indeed so they might!

With unshakeable resolve, anyone intent on walking the spiritual path - which many would refer to as a transcendent, enlightened 'awakening', let’s say - must also transcend the pernicious illusion encapsulated vividly within the phrase; 'there is light at the end of the tunnel,' or sometimes elaborated on: 'at the end of various practice pathologies'; the very understanding or contemplation of such phony (canned) ‘realization’, that the self as thinker is not really existent is, for us seekers of spiritual salvation, but the first baby step: essential yet woefully insufficient for the authentic enlightenment they are all after!

This is because illumination as opposed to merely experiencing a heightened state; unbroken cognitive content characterizes authentic transcendence which is not limited to sensory perceptions of anything luminous but instead requires us ‘to actually see past all-seen world, beyond both the observer & observed together - through to their transcendent ultimate nature - by actualising our untarnished original condition - right now!’ The very notion that there once existed some kind of divider -not real although seemingly existent nonetheless that may always prevent an observer from simply merging with 'seen world' - is utterly phony or (we could argue) equally as fallacious as the illusion created via what we could also say, 'false perception'.

Another significant aspect is the often overlooked (by all but very accomplished spiritual agents anyway) belief, so ubiquitous that there often appears to be insufficient pause for second thought before simply assuming it as indisputably true - however problematic, self-evident or ‘common’; - of the existence of a finite self with a fixed and stable (‘real’) nature separate from Life itself, somehow waiting at the entrance. Many if not most spiritual aspirants of whatever denomination or school may become fixated on 'that light’ as the very apex: the spiritual Grail or ultimate objective of the sacred and reverently respected (and also ardently guarded) spiritual pursuit. When you stop and listen carefully, one can easily come to hear rosy rhetoric reminiscent of: ‘I became the Christ’, I reached Nirvana’, ‘I found ultimate Self and merged’... and so on forever!

However, no matter to what heights the spirit has otherwise unfolded into realms inaccessible and unthinkable to any conditioned brain not already on the Path - they are sure to return full circle back into the prison called 'The thinking mind' - an endless loop that requires our immediate attendance and disapproval so it goes dormant forever - and ceaseless investigation otherwise.

My main conviction in terms of spiritual aspirations is very clear - and to this, many great Masters would most likely nod in stern assent: I believe that someone with a solid foundation and strong self-discipline will stay the course, sticking with their mentor's guidance and keeping up their daily mindfulness routine, no matter what.