Sitting on the koan, “Who am I?” day after day, infused into my daily life, just as mantra practice was at the core of my life for 12 years. I am meeting many challenges along the way, on the path to awakening. Ever determined to keep going, I shall not back away.

Today, sitting my morning hour of zazen, arising was the question, “Where is the Buddha?”. The Buddha was a man, whose birthday it is today, depending on your tradition, born in 563 BC. The Buddha sat, for so many years, posing these questions, seeking his own true nature. Today, I am doing the same. Buddha is not a man from the history books, Buddha is our own, inherent Buddha nature, our true nature, and whether aware or awakened or ignorant of this, it is still present.

So as you sit in meditation today, or go about your daily business, perhaps you should ask yourself this question, “Who am I?” or if it resonates with you, “Where is the Buddha?”

When the answer comes, it will be surely as amazing as the moment of your birth was.