TREELEAF ZENDO PODCAST

TREELEAF ZENDO PODCAST

Treeleaf Zendo Podcast - Master Tong'an Changcha's Ten Talks of Unfathomable Depth (6)

Aug 8, 2026 · 38 min · 11 segments

We continue our series based on master Tong'an Changcha's 'Ten Talks of Unfathomable Depth', and this month we tackle two more of the talks, the sixth and seventh, called The Song of Returning Home…

We continue our series based on master Tong'an Changcha's 'Ten Talks of Unfathomable Depth', and this month we tackle two more of the talks, the sixth and seventh, called The Song of Returning Home and The Song of Not Returning Home. The short texts says: 6\. The Song of Returning Home Don’t be distracted by the King of Emptiness when you are still on the Way. You must drive your staff forward, moving on until you reach home. If you travel for a long time like clouds and water, don’t get attached to it. Even in the deep recesses of snowy mountains, don’t forget your mission. Ah! I regretted that in past days my face was like jade. And I lamented that at the time of my return my hair had turned white. Returning to my old home with dangling arms, there was no one who recognized me. Also, I had nothing to offer my parents. 7\. The Song of Not Returning Home Having the intention of going to the source, of returning to the origin, is already a mistake. Essentially, there is nowhere to settle down, no place to call one’s home. The ancient path through the pines is covered with deep snow. The long range of mountain peaks is furthermore blocked by clouds. When host and guest are tranquil and serene, everything is incongruous. When lord and vassal are united, there is wrong in the midst of right. How will you sing the song of returning home? In bright moonlight, the dead tree is blooming in front of the hall. The talk was given during the Treeleaf monthly Zazenkai, on August 7th, 2026. More information on treeleaf.org

We continue our series based on master Tong'an Changcha's 'Ten Talks of Unfathomable Depth', and this month we tackle two more of the talks, the sixth and seventh, called The Song of Returning Home…

Speakers: Jundo CohenHost

The Odyssey and Zen Teachings0:31 – 5:34

Jundo CohenHost

0:31

Well, we continue this time with, uh, two of the 10 unfathomable mysterious talks by the 10th century Sōtō master Tong'an Shanzhao.

Jundo CohenHost

0:47

Now, uh, i- if you've coming the first time, I remind folks that these talks are wonderful.

Jundo CohenHost

0:53

You don't have to go from the beginning.

Jundo CohenHost

0:55

You can, you can jump in anywhere, and, uh, each talk stands on its own.

Jundo CohenHost

1:00

But these two, uh, happen to go together, uh, quite well.

Jundo CohenHost

1:04

So I thought to do them together.

Jundo CohenHost

1:06

One is the Song of Returning Home, and the other is the Song of Not Returning Home.

Jundo CohenHost

1:15

And you'll see actually it's the same message.

Jundo CohenHost

1:18

It also happens that, um, these days, as you know in the theaters, there's the, uh, The Odyssey, which, uh, I found out if you think a talk from a thousand years ago was old, The Odyssey is from 1,800 years before that.

Jundo CohenHost

1:36

I think, uh, if I'm correct, The Odyssey was written before Buddha.

Jundo CohenHost

1:40

It was in the 8th century BC.

Jundo CohenHost

1:43

But what happens with these, uh, old teachings such as The Odyssey, such as, uh, what we're gonna read today is they should be relevant, they should be important for our heart and our life today.

Jundo CohenHost

1:56

That's my job is to take this 10th century talk and to show you that it is actually an excellent philosophy, an excellent teaching how to live your life today, okay? Even though the language is filled with symbolism, as is The Odyssey, okay? Even though the message is a little different from The Odyssey, human beings are human beings.

Jundo CohenHost

2:21

So human beings in Homer's time, or human beings in, uh, Shanzhao's time, or today, we're still human beings.

Jundo CohenHost

2:30

So many of the teachings from that time, they're timeless teachings.

Jundo CohenHost

2:34

They're timeless.

Jundo CohenHost

2:35

So I happened to look and I said, "Well, you know, sometimes people say there's a Greek influence on Buddhism," and there was, uh, on the Silk Road going back and forth, but is there any connection between, uh, Homer and the Od- ...

Jundo CohenHost

2:49

Do you know Homer? The Odyssey? Yeah? It's, uh, coming in the ...

Jundo CohenHost

2:55

Old Greek story.

Jundo CohenHost

2:56

It's now in the movie theaters.

Jundo CohenHost

2:58

It's coming to Japan in two months.

Jundo CohenHost

3:00

I haven't seen it.

Jundo CohenHost

3:01

I'm going from my memory from high school, by the way, and yesterday I checked on a webpage that said ...

Jundo CohenHost

3:07

I said, "Well, what is the central themes of The Odyssey?" So I found a webpage that says central themes of The Odyssey.

Jundo CohenHost

3:13

So that's what I'm going with.