Saying it concisely

A famous Suzuki Roshi quote:

“All of you are perfect just as you are and you could use a little improvement.”

One of my colleagues (Steve Haines) has this posted outside his door, and this quote summarizes the focus of my inquiry with my students this semester.

Pema Chödrön commented about this in an email this morning: “That’s how it is. You don’t start from the view of ‘I’m fundamentally messed up and I’m bad, therefore I have to get myself into shape.’ Rather, the basic situation is good, it’s sound and healthy and noble, and there’s work that we need to do, because we have ancient habits which we’ve been strengthening for a long time, and it’s going to take a while to unwind them.”

Upon reading Chödrön’s comments, I realize that this quote is a great starting point as I begin work with any student. “When you read each part to yourself, do you resist believing either statement? Do you struggle to think of yourself as perfect? Do you feel your ego start defending yourself when someone tells you that you need improvement? If you know the answers for yourself, great. Let’s start there as we figure out how you use your time and practice. If not, then perhaps you need the quiet time to investigate yourself just a little bit, probably best to have some answers to those questions before we even start to work.”