What is Being Authentic?

This talk is a wide-ranging exploration of seemingly disparate topics such as 'a life lived authentically," subjectivity vs. objectivity, truth, spiritual awakening, transcendence, and the postmodern condition. It starts with a statement by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, "When you become you, Zen becomes Zen. When you are you, you see things as they are, and you become one with your surroundings." It explores notions of small self vs. True Self, conceptual thought vs. pure awareness, contents of mind vs. field of mind. Finally, it proposes that it is the "bodily felt sense of a situation" that guides us in carrying a situation forward—step by step—in a way that is non-manufactured and non-arbitrary and that could be called "authentic." This non-arbitrariness is rooted in the interrelatedness (undivided activity) of all things and points a way out of the dreadful aspects of the postmodern condition.Welcome to Zen Mind!Please consider donating to our annual fundraiser.Love the dharma talks and want to hear more? Become a Premium Podcast subscriber. Dive deeper into the topics through Q&A sessions related to each of the talks. You can even ask questions of your own through the 'Ask Me Anything' platform and gain access to previously unpublished talks from intensives. Learn more here: https://zenmind.supercast.com/Zenki Roshi's book, THE PATH OF ALIVENESS is now available in both hardcopy and audiobook formats! We appreciate you leaving a rating on Amazon, and if you have time, a review is even better!Join us live for our Saturday Dharma talks, in person or online.See all events and join our mailing list at www.boulderzen.org. Email us at [email protected] or give us a call: (303) 442–3007.If you're enjoying these talks, please subscribe and leave us a rating or review!Zenki Christian Dillo Roshi is the the guiding teacher at the Boulder Zen Center in Colorado, USA. This podcast shares the regular dharma talks given at the center. Zenki Roshi approaches Zen practice as a craft of transformation, liberation, wisdom and compassionate action. His interest is to bring Buddhism alive within the Western cultural context, while staying committed to the traditional emphasis on embodiment.