Conversations about Teaching

The following is adapted from a series of conversations between Paul Park JDPSN and his student Edahn Small, a dharma teacher at Dharma Zen Center.

The Job of a Teacher

Edahn: What's the job of a teacher?

Paul: What do you think the job of a teacher is?

Edahn: No no! This interview can’t work like that!

Paul: Even though our title is “teacher,” our job isn't to teach. It's to show you the way. That’s why we’re referred to as “guiding teachers.” We also have to do what we say, not just say what we do.

Edahn: What does that mean practically? How do you guide someone along the way?

Paul: There's no set rule on how to meditate. You have to find what works for you—your practice. A teacher's job is to help a student find it and encourage them to stick to it. You have to know what to give them at the time without overloading them. Find things that they're going to click with. Some people need to practice with a mantra. Some people need to do hundreds of bows. Some people need to do more sitting. Some people need to stop reading books. Some people need to go on a silent retreat. You put it all together like a recipe. Whatever it takes at that moment. What’s important is consistency.

Teaching Meditation

Edahn: How do you explain don’t-know to beginners?

Paul: Don't worry about explaining it completely, explicitly. It's just something you use to point the way for them. They have to see it for themselves.

Edahn: A lot of people come in and they have a lot of ideas about don't-know. They think it's this state of this and that and even saying that is already complicating it.

Paul: It's already a big mistake.

Edahn: Would you say anything happens in meditation? Or nothing happens in meditation?

Paul: Everything disappears. It's not up here in your head. You're working on letting go of your ideas about what it is, over and over. As soon as you think that's what it is—that's not what it is. Putting it all down means anything that comes up—your emotions, your thinking, your opinion, your condition—anything that comes up, let it go.

Practice and Change

Edahn: How has your practice changed your life?

Paul: I'm able to let things go much faster. I don’t dwell on them for long. I don't dwell on the past that much. I don't really worry about the future that much. Less agitated, less angry.

Edahn: Speaking of change, how have you changed as a teacher?

Paul: At the beginning, I was strict and demanding. I didn't know what I was doing. I was nervous and didn't believe in myself. Over time, I realized the importance of balancing strictness with care and listening. I found that strictness only works for the moment, and that caring and listening are more effective in the long run. Now, I know when to be strict and when not to be. It's about finding the right balance.

To Teach or Not to Teach

Edahn: How do you know when a student is ready to teach?

Paul: By them. With their practice. How devoted they are to the Zen center. And their kong-an practice and if they're working on it. And they need to be motivated. It’s up to them, not me. I could encourage them a little bit, but that’s it.

Edahn: What's some advice for students thinking about becoming teachers?

Paul: Zen Master Seung Sahn always said you have to have a goal of wanting to become a Zen master. But teaching is not for everybody. And it seems to me, the more you're attached to it, the harder it's going to come. I didn't want to become a teacher. I just wanted to come visit once in a while and practice and come to the retreat and that was it.

Edahn: So we should all aspire to become Zen masters, but nobody should want it. Sounds contradictory.

Paul: I know, but it's Zen, it’s always contradictory. Either way, becoming a teacher doesn't make you any better than others. I don't see a Ji Do Poep Sa [a guiding teacher] as any better than a practitioner who practiced for a long time. Titles can bring out the worst in people sometimes. If you make “I am the teacher,” if you’re attached to the title, then you have a big problem. And if you look at how Zen Master Seung Sahn put the sangha together, the name for it is doban meaning “dharma friend.” We practice together. It's not “you're my student, you need to follow me,” but more like “I've done it for longer, so I'll show you.” But there's nothing for me to teach you. How can I teach you something that has no name, no form? You can see it only if you practice yourself.

The Future of Zen

Edahn: How does Zen adapt to modern times?

Paul: Zen adapts to different countries, places, and eras. We're doing Zoom interviews now. Times are different. The core practice is the same—find your true self and save all beings from suffering—but the era is different and it has different needs. You have to be able to adapt. Zen means adapting.

Teaching Zen to Beginners

Edahn: What advice would you give to a new Zen student?

Paul: Focus on consistency, meditation, and putting down attachments. Everyone's journey is different, so find what works for you and stick with it. The most important part of practice is to let go of I-my-me because it causes all the problems in the world. No I-my-me means no problems.

Edahn: How can we inspire students to trust their Buddha nature?

Paul: By showing them that they are already complete and encouraging them to wake up to their true nature. It's about helping them trust themselves and their don't-know mind. If you think, and if it's from knowledge, then everybody's Zen is completely different. But if you put down I-my-me and completely go back to don't-know mind, then all Zen is the same.