Come Close, Do Nothing
Image: Alisa Anton via Unsplash
By Myoshin Diane Benjamin
One of the most helpful teachings I ever heard was “Come close, do nothing.” This reminder from Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi echoes a famous statement from Dongshan, one of our Chinese ancestors; when a student brought a question to him, he simply said, “I am always close to this.” (From Case 98 in the Book of Serenity.)
Our usual way of being is to distance ourselves from difficult situations, people, and emotions. We sometimes even distance ourselves from the enjoyable aspects of life, perhaps believing that we don’t deserve to be happy. This teaching are asking us to come close to all experiences – pleasant, unpleasant, neutral – and see what happens next when we don’t turn away.
Katagiri Roshi says about the case, “This is the closeness that makes your life alive, the closeness of emptiness.” (Or, we could say, “interbeing.”) Meditation and other mindfulness practices are how we train ourselves to be able to come close.
There is a second beautiful story in the commentary on this koan where a Zen master named Sushan Ren asks Dongshan, “Please teach me a word which doesn’t yet exist.” Dongshan says, “No. No one would agree.” Sushan says, “Then can it be approached or not?” Dongshan says, “Can you approach it right now?” Sushan said, “If not, still there’s no way to avoid it.” Dongshan agreed with him.
And I agree, too. Whether or not we can approach THIS in any given moment, there’s still no way to avoid it. But yes or no, the question still remains: “Can you approach it right now?”
On Saturday morning, February 2, I will be leading a workshop on “coming close” through a form of meditation called the Realization Process. We will explore a series of guided meditations that help us connect more deeply with the internal space in our bodies while also cultivating deep contact with others and with our environment. I hope you can join me!
Myoshin Diane Benjamin (she/her) is a lay dharma teacher, a path that reflects her deep interest and engagement in the ways that Buddhist practice both permeates everyday work and family life, and supports engagement in social change. Myoshin began practicing Buddhism in 1996 and received dharma transmission in 2022 from Sosan Flynn. She taught for over a decade in the children’s program at Clouds in Water, and has practiced at Hokyoji and Ryumonji monasteries and attended numerous retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh and his community. She has worked for many years in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, and is also a musician. Additionally, she is fully certified to teach the Realization Process.