Realizing Genjokoan- the key to Dogen’s Shobogenzo by Shohaku Okumura

“In Zen teachings, “we are what we eat” has a deep meaning. When I hold a glass of water, for example, the water is there and I am here. But, wondrously enough, when I drink the water it becomes part of me. When I breathe, part of the air becomes part of me. We are what we eat, drink, breathe, hear, smell, taste, and see. There is no “me” that exists other than the things that make up my body and mind. We are intimately connected to things in our environment, so much so that they are actually part of us. We “are” all things that we experience; we are created by them. Without this relationship with all things, we could not exist even for one moment. In reality “I,” “you,” and all other beings do not exist at all; only relationships and interactions exist.”