EPISODE · Jun 26, 2025 · 12 MIN
The Taste of the Ordinary: Beyond Buddhas and Ancestors | Shōyōroku, Case 78
from Awakening Streams: The One River Zen Podcast · host Sensei Michael Brunner Ottawa
Title: The Taste of the Ordinary: Beyond Buddhas and AncestorsTeacher: Sensei Michael BrunnerKoan Source: Case 78 of the Shōyōroku (Book of Equanimity) – “Umon’s Farm Rice Cake”In this Dharma talk delivered during a Zen retreat, Sensei Michael Brunner reflects on the deeply ordinary yet radically transformative nature of awakening.A monk asks Master Umon, “What is the speech that transcends the Buddhas and goes beyond the ancestors?” Umon answers with stunning simplicity: “Farm rice cake.”What unfolds from that exchange is an invitation to stop chasing the extraordinary and instead awaken to the sacred already embedded in our everyday lives.Topics covered include:Why we struggle to see the value in the ordinaryThe spiritual danger of dividing life into sacred and profaneThe hidden costs of striving for “spiritual” experiencesDōgen’s teaching on painted rice cakes and realizationHow to bring the whole of your life—including your shadow—to the tableThe meaning of true inclusion and embodied awarenessYou’ll hear references to meal gathas, latrine flies, and rice cakes—all pointing back to one thing: there’s nothing outside the Dharma.🧘♀️ Join the community at: https://oneriverzen.org📩 Get weekly practice updates: [Join the Students of the Way mailing list]🎧 Subscribe and leave a review to support the spread of the Dharma.Quote from the episode:“You stop being the one who’s turning the Dharma, and you recognize the Dharma turning you.” 🪷 Awakening Streams: The One River Zen PodcastTeachings and reflections with Sensei Michael Brunner (Sōen) of One River Zen Center, 121 E Prospect St, Ottawa IL 61350.🌐 Learn more & join practice: https://www.oneriverzen.org🎧 Listen to more episodes: Awakening Streams Podcast🙏 Support the Sangha: https://www.oneriverzen.org/donate#SenseiMichaelBrunner #MichaelBrunnerOttawa #OneRiverZen #ZenKoan #ZenPodcast #OttawaIL #SotoZen
What this episode covers
In this episode, Sensei Michael Brunner explores Case 78 of the Shōyōroku—Umon’s enigmatic response to the question, “What is speech that transcends the Buddhas and goes beyond the ancestors?” The answer: farm rice cake. Through this simple yet profound pointer, we’re invited to drop our search for lofty experiences and instead turn toward the ordinary, the overlooked, the deeply human moments we often push aside. Sensei Michael reflects on the way we divide life into sacred and profane, clean and messy—and how Zen cuts through that duality to reveal the wholeness of everything. This is a teaching about inclusion, embodiment, and learning to bow to the life that is already unfolding. Nothing is left out—not your grief, your shadow, or your confusion. All of it belongs. And all of it is the Dharma. Listen now to explore: Umon’s uncompromising simplicity What a rice cake can teach us about awakening The hidden cost of chasing spiritual ideals How to live a life where nothing is exiled For more talks and resources, visit oneriverzen.org
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The Taste of the Ordinary: Beyond Buddhas and Ancestors | Shōyōroku, Case 78
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