In “Blades of Grass” Rev. Clairissa reflects on how we all may meet the unknown and unfamiliar as it arises, going beyond the mind of the opposites, helping ourselves as well as others, from the heart of generosity (also called “charity”) which all beings share.  She looks in particular at the chapter “Awakening to the Mind of the Bodhisattva” in the Shushōgi (What is Truly Meant by Training and Enlightenment). First in a series of four talks by Rev. Clairissa on the Four Wisdoms: charity, tenderness, benevolence, and sympathy.  From the Shushōgi: “Charity is the opposite of covetousness; we make offerings although we ourselves get nothing whatsoever. There is no need to be concerned about how small the gift may be so long as it brings True results for, even if it is only a single phrase or verse of teaching, it may be a seed to bring forth good fruit both now and hereafter. Similarly, the offering of only one coin or a blade of grass can cause the arising of good, for the teaching itself is the True Treasure…” The Shushōgi is the distillation of the essential teachings of Dōgen and the Sōtō Zen tradition, compiled in the late 1800s in Japan. The text in English can be found in the book Zen is Eternal Life by Rōshi P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett (Shasta Abbey Press, 1999).

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