In Soto Zen Buddhism, The word "teishô" designates a form of teaching that arises directly from the practice of zazen and the intimate understanding of the path. It's not a master class, not a structured conference, not even a speech designed to convince or argue. Es, rather, the living expression of Dharma as manifested at that moment through the teacher, a word that springs from original nature and seeks to resonate in the deep experience of those who listen. That's why, a teishô is not understood as content that must be memorized, but like a voice that is received from the stillness, like a fine rain that gradually soaks the earth of the heart. Although sometimes it may start from a classic text—a sutra, a poem, a kōan or a section of ancient teachings—, The purpose of teishô is not to analyze the lyrics or unravel its intellectual layers, but to activate its living dimension. The teacher comments on the chosen passage from her own practice., allowing the words to join the breath, to the silent rhythm of the zendo and the shared presence of the community. Teaching then becomes a bridge between tradition and the personal experience of each practicing person., opening a space where wisdom stops being an idea and becomes something real, tangible, that can be felt in the body and mind. Teishô also has a performative character. It not only communicates content: embodies the attitude of the road, his way of looking, your way of listening, his way of being in the world. Whoever offers a teishô shows how the practice permeates his life, how it manifests itself in his gestures, in its cadence, in the way he lets silence be as important as words. That's why, It is said that a good teishô is inseparable from the inner state of the person who gives it.. It is not improvised from discursive thought, but from the stability of zazen, from that point where the mind stops dividing and opens to what is always present.For those who listen, Teishô is an opportunity to cultivate deep listening. It's not about taking notes or retaining ideas., but to allow oneself to be passed through teaching without resistance. Understanding sometimes comes at the same moment, but often appears days or even months later, when spoken words re-emerge in daily practice, as if they had been germinating in silence. Teishô accompanies, transforms and guides, without the need to impose or convince, because its strength comes from direct contact with experience. In the Soto Zen Camino Medio Community, Teishô is an essential moment of shared life. Usually offered at retreats, practice meetings or study periods, when the community is in a state of meditation and sustained attention. Over there, Teishô helps link ancestral wisdom with the living questions of our time and our daily practice. Its purpose is to nourish, inspire and remember that the path is something that is embodied at every moment, not a knowledge that is accumulated. Listening to a teishô is, In fact, keep practicing zazen with open ears. To receive it is to allow original nature to respond from its own clarity.. And to offer it is to assume the responsibility of transmitting the Dharma with honesty and with an awake heart, knowing that each word can open a door that perhaps the hearing person had been looking for for a long time without knowing it.
