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Unromancing No

Published in The Book of Mu (Wisdom Publications, 2011)
"The romance of realizing a first koan like Zhaozhou's No is a powerful and beautiful one. It offers us the possibility of experiencing what we know must be true: There is a vast and wondrous dimension to life, whose revelation will put doubts to rest and support a deep and abiding happiness for ourselves and others. ... As compelling as this romance is, it misses something actually richer, stranger, and ultimately more beautiful than the search for happily ever after. Far from saving us from our own lives, No leads us right into the heart of life. "