Reflecting on why more of his students aren’t experiencing breakthroughs in their practice, Nyogen Roshi indicts a lack of faith in the practice itself as the culprit. Specifically, he pinpoints a cynical reluctance to believe anything that we haven’t personally perceived as the hindrance to insight. “When you hear about some of the wonders that come with true, applied practice, you discount it, because it’s not your perception,” Roshi says. “That’s just a consequence of samsaric conditioning. The teaching is all about you, and you have to practice in order to wake up.”
