Knock Down the Flagpole: Letting Go of Expectations and Awakening to Life

In this teisho, Sensei Michael Brunner draws on Case 22 from the Mumonkan, Kashyapa’s Knock Down the Flagpole, to explore the nature of awakening and the importance of letting go of our deeply held expectations and self-concepts. Through the dialogue between Ananda and Mahakashyapa, we’re invited to reflect on what it means to release the notion of who we think we are, to drop our ego, and to meet life as it truly is.

Sensei shares the deeper meaning behind Mahakashyapa’s instruction to “knock down the flagpole,” explaining that enlightenment isn't something to be achieved or worn like a garment—it’s about stepping into the gap between knowing and unknowing, and allowing ourselves to be fully present, free from the narratives we cling to.

Join Sensei as he reflects on the challenges of facing the unknown, the beauty of practicing from a place of curiosity and openness, and how we can bring the lessons of sesshin into our daily lives.

Key points:

• The story of Ananda, Mahakashyapa, and the Buddha’s robe
• The gap between call and response as pure awareness
• Letting go of ego and fixed ideas to truly live in the present moment
• Understanding positive samadhi and the practice of showing up for life
• Knocking down our internal flagpoles to embrace the reality of our existence

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