11. Thursday, April 12, 1973
Teisho

KOBUN: All teisho I received was one-sided, teacher's side. Sometimes very difficult text and the teacher didn't care whether the student understand it or not. Some students sleep, some students wide awake and listen.

STUDENT: What is that word, teisho?

KOBUN: T a sho. Teisho is like when I pick up one koan story and speak my own opinion about it, through my practice and through study about it. To speak about that koan itself is not teisho. Teisho is to make koan alive by talk and let student ask, feel it – whether the student has different understanding about koan.... Sho is song, singing. It's not other's voice but the person who is speaking. Tei is usually like... demonstration of cooking. A recipe is like koan. When you speak about it, that is like teisho. Actually when you cook everyone make a different way. In my first experience I heard many teishos from many different masters on a particular subject, like one chapter of Shobogenzo.

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