Teachings of a whole lifetime

At first I thought response meant “verbal answer” (like in “answering to a question”). Them I checked in a dictionary and realised it means a “reaction” rather. Like a suitable reaction, or the appropriate course of action to take under different circumstances.

–response to treatment – “reacção ao tratamento”;
–we were hoping for a bigger response –“ estávamos à espera de maior adesão”;
–her love met with no response – “o amor dela não era correspondido”.

Therefore the appropriate response is to act appropriately, or “in accordance with”. And this varies accordingly to events and circumstances. As the masters of yore taught us, something that should be anchored in the “here and now”. This instant, this fleeting moment that’s the essence of zazen.

Later on I thought (but perhaps there’s too much thinking going into this already) the question in
—“Yet there remains the question: What is the ‘appropriate response’?"—
must be “rhetorical”. It’s not a question which looks for an answer, but simply wants to make a point. It also works as a sort of koan.

So I was “answering” instead of respond. Trying to give appropriate verbal answers (intellectual reasoning) instead of an appropriate response. (I guess in koan practice the response is mainly given by an act or gesture of some sort rather than by words – but to say the truth I’m more familiarized with the Soto-school).

A monk asked Yun Men: "What are the teachings of a whole lifetime?"

Nelson Mandela.
let’s be with him.