“Those without virtue are to be pitied.” 

As Dogen Zenji reminds us, giving, kind speech, beneficial actions, and cooperation are the “Four Attractions of the Bodhisattva”. How often throughout your day do you lift these virtues up, even praise them? What would it look like in your life to embody the virtues of compassion, wisdom, service, and vow?

In this dharma talk, Koshin Sensei offers the second of four explorations on the four attractions. His focus in this talk is on Kind Speech. For Dogen, “Kind speech means that when we see a living being we first of all give rise to a mind of compassion and offer caring words.” Koshin invites us to practice kind speech, bringing forth a compassionate mind. Can we look in the mirror, first thing in the morning, and immediately practice this on the one we see? When we move through our day, can we see ourselves in others and feel tenderness for those we meet?  When we extend compassion to others, including ourselves, this is a way of truly being alive, of experiencing connection. Living beings are different, and certainly the same. Why do we create separation? Can our words serve to create connection? In our tenderness for all beings can we practice kind speech even to those who cause harm? To climb down into the messiness of life with others, becoming familiar with the messes within ourself, is how we experience our non-separation. Cultivating a compassionate mind and speaking with kindness is an act of interdependence. Instead of creating more separation and division, how do we practice bringing people closer together?

Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei is a Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year.

Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji –  Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.

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