Ride the Workhorse Till the Tail Falls Off “How to Become a Workhorse” is an introduction to the practice of Zen in Japan. In Zen, “The Workhorse is not the highest attainment, but a special state or condition of mind that brings about real progress and enables the aspirant to transcend the ordinary. He (or she) ‘sits’ on the vehicle (that is, rides on it) in an enlightened way.” [Dogen (1200-1253 CE) Zen Founder] Aware that this is only one facet of Zen practice, we must explore the word “zazen,” which indicates just “sitting,” but also includes sitting meditation and meditation in action, including walking meditation. For workhorse training, we learn to take up our lotus position, bow at the correct times, sit without trying to become something else or getting anywhere, being just present as this moment unfolds. Zen masters and teachers often compare “Zen practice” to riding a horse. The master and Zen student must trust each other so that they can allow themselves to be carried, trusting that when the horse stops and becomes a workhorse, he is there to stay. What keeps Zen students from being horse thieves? They have no desire to own the horse, nor a desire to be the owner. They understand the basic truth that the only thing that they really need from the horse is the horse. And the horse needs the student who has no wish to own the horse, but understands that the horse is a workhorse who needs to be ridden and led. There are lessons in both sides of the horse and the training is not limited to the moment when they are in the arena, but continues on in the rest of life. It can be a lifetime of being a workhorse, a lesson that never ends. Like a good horse, the Zen student will not hold back from doing the things for which the horse was trained and will not stop before the lessons are complete. And just like all good workhorses, they may be taken for granted and treated like a piece of property, but that’s the last mistake they will make! It’s like making something out of something that wasn’t. It’s a Zen parable that’s a lesson on life, and what we sometimes see in Zen people is, instead of becoming workhorses, they become victims of life and have lessons to teach us. It’s not very Zen, but we see it too often when people who should be “workhorses” end up victimizing themselves. In the Zen lesson the horse has no control in the matters of daily life, it’s just doing what the student asks it to do, being a good workhorse. But horses can be very smart; they learn from mistakes just like people, and so they do not repeat them. Neither does the Zen student learn from his mistakes. In Zen this could be called non-duality because the horse and the student are One in the same way that the owner and the horse are One, and only the horse knows its true nature. The horse has no reason to learn anything other than what its teacher knows. And if the trainer or the teacher doesn’t have a reason to train the horse, it’s not very likely that the horse will learn. So the “horse” really is “just being what it is.” And to the Zen student who doesn’t think they have anything to learn, or that they can learn from the horse, it’s important to understand that we can learn a lot from the horse. But without a teacher we could never begin to learn. Like the “Zen Workhorse,” we too must learn to be “just being what we are” and live our lives without “reason” or any attachment to anything in life. Zen tells us that in order to live like this we must first learn that when our sense of Self is in place, we live like the Zen Workhorse, becoming the Zen animal that knows its role. How to become one of these is a life-long path, just like the Zen Workhorse, and in this way we are a Zen workhorse. The moment we learn to let go of our sense of Self and live by the understanding that we are just like the Zen Workhorse, we become Zen’s ultimate workhorse! The Zen Workhorse and Workhorse in Life, Are, Like All Good Workhorses, Ridden By Others, Including the Master. What Makes Zen a Workhorse? Zen works as a workhorse when the student’s thoughts, actions, and words show that they live for their work, and are not focused on personal gain. When a Zen student lives in this manner, he or she has learned the basic truths that they should live a Zen life in and of themselves. They have experienced the full cycle of the workhorse and can live their lives as being like this in all things, realizing their personal fulfillment. Zen means “beginning,” which means they have begun to know this life as the “endless beginning” of the Zen Way. And they will no longer have any reason to say that Zen is not true in their life. It is always the case that the life of the Zen student is always in the midst of changing. In this way, if the student wants to continue the practice, he or she can. But if the student wants to leave, then he or she can also. There are no rules other than living in accordance with the basic understanding of not following the ideas of “I am” and “I am not.” Such a student cannot be controlled by thoughts that begin with “I” or “mine,” as thoughts like these only separate people from each other. Rather than being separated, as Zen and Buddha taught, the Zen student is one who is always a “part of everything.” The Zen student realizes that everything is constantly changing, so that to speak of separation is like an oxymoron. Everything and everyone are a part of everything. And so Zen practice can be likened to seeing the world for what it is. The student has to have the ability to know when things are right, not just when they are perfect. This ability is born of Zen insight, which can see the truth in everything. In Zen, “to ride” is to “give rise to enlightenment,” the state in which there is no difference between rider and vehicle. The rider has to be one who can let go and trust their “mount” because the vehicle and its rider are One in the same way that a mountain and its mountain lion are One, a good example of Zen “beginning, middle, and end.” The Zen Workhorse and its Rider, Always, Are, Riding Onto The Same Path. How is the Zen Workhorse Being Ridden? The Zen Workhorse has to be ridden by the Zen student who never gives up on the Path, because in Zen we all live only once and must die only once. For if we have lived and learned the way of the workhorse, we must know that we have to live and learn this Way again. And so, if a Zen student thinks that they are “done,” or have learned everything Zen has to teach, they can, as they say, “just let go.” In this way, the Zen student becomes unimportant and has to start over from the beginning. In this way, each Zen student will ride along this Path as one who is a Zen Workhorse. In all this time that you have sat here, the teacher will sometimes be there in front of you, and sometimes you will be all alone. When you look back you can see a certain order in this, and it is true in all things in life. But you should not get too attached to this order. Zen tells us that we must be on the side of the student and not that of the teacher. This is because the Zen student must always be learning. If there is no teacher or no Zen master, then the Zen student must be in front of the Zen student. And because we are all One, the Zen student is the teacher. It’s not so much that you are being taught by anyone as that you need someone to be teaching you. If you find yourself out of breath, it’s your Teacher or Zen Master that you need to have on your side. You just might be on the wrong track or doing something that doesn’t make sense in terms of a Zen “beginning, middle, and end,” like having to start all over in your Zen. It’s true that you are just as important as any Zen teacher because in Zen you are the teacher. But Zen tells us that we can only know how to live this way if we sit with the teacher. That’s why we want to be the teacher! The Zen student is just like the Zen horse who has no ability to teach anyone but a student. This is the basic truth of