Maintaining Balance between Opposites – Talk 2

Tim is now alternating talks in his Way of the Butterfly Series between the Sanctuary of Tao and the Minnesota Zen Center. Here's a link to the talk he gave at the Minnesota Zen Center on 10/26/25: https://youtu.be/dzA7bWLxZBs

Summary of the talk he gave for the Sanctuary of Tao on 11/16/25:

Tim Burkett, former guiding teacher of the Minnesota Zen Center, leads the second session in his series, The Way of the Butterfly. With decades of experience mentoring students and building the Zen Center, Tim emphasizes the intersection of Zen and Taoism and their shared philosophy of embracing life as it unfolds.

The session begins with a five-minute guided meditation focused on calming the mind and connecting with what Zhuangzi calls the “valley of the universe”—our own inner stillness. Tim encourages participants to let thoughts pass through like clouds or waves, observing without judgment.

He reflects on Zhuangzi’s famous butterfly dream, which questions the boundary between self and other, dream and reality, illustrating the Taoist view that our judgments create the distinction between good and bad. Tim highlights how daily negative judgments—traffic jams, broken appliances, minor frustrations—cause unnecessary suffering, while adopting a more flexible perspective can transform these experiences into opportunities for joy.

Through anecdotes of friends navigating life with Alzheimer’s in the family, he demonstrates the practice of seeing life’s events without clinging to grief or frustration, embracing the present moment as it is. Tim also shares his personal experience of recovering from Lyme disease, showing how mindfulness and meditation—even in challenging circumstances—can foster resilience and serenity.

A key teaching is resting on the “pivot of no-thingness,” the core of the self beyond fear, ego, and attachment. From this perspective, we can fully engage in life, whether sitting, walking, or even wobbling with age, embracing each experience without resistance. Tim illustrates this principle with examples ranging from a Zen toilet cleaner in Tokyo, who finds depth and purpose in daily labor, to his teacher Suzuki Roshi navigating the cultural upheaval of 1960s America.

Throughout, Tim draws on Taoist and Zen philosophy to show that life’s joys, challenges, and even our small, scared selves are part of the larger “valley of the universe.” By steeping ourselves in silence, meditation, and mindful awareness, we can connect with this limitless, loving essence, cultivating presence, acceptance, and freedom from unnecessary suffering.

 Verse:

Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a flitting and fluttering butterfly, happy with himself and distinctly at ease. He did not know that he was Zhuang Zhou. Suddenly, he woke up and there he was, distinctly, Zhuang Zhou. But he did not know whether he was Zhuang Zhou who had just dreamed he was a butterfly, or whether he was a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuang Zhou.

He delighted in the continual transformation of life.