Who am I, Paragraph 11

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Paragraph 11

 

Since every other thought can occur only after the rise of the `I'-

thought and since the mind is just a bundle of thoughts, it is only

through the inquiry `Who am I?' that the mind subsides. Moreover,

the integral `I'-thought, implicit in such inquiry, having destroyed

all other thoughts, gets finally destroyed or consumed, just as the

stick used for stirring the burning funeral pyre gets consumed.

 

COMMENTS

 

Here Ramana is again as direct as he can be. Inquire into the `I'-

thought and the mind will become quiet. Finally even this inquiry

consumes itself, and there is nothing else but Self.

 

Ch'an and Zen have a "hua t'ou." like a koan (kong-an in Korean Zen,

kung-an in Ch'an), but a "pointing" The literal meaning of Hua-T'ou

in Chinese Chan is `word head or sentence head'. It is the state of

mind before the mind is disturbed by thought. This seems like a form

of inquiry. A famous hua t'ou is, "What was your face before you

were born?"

 

>From http://www.kwanumzen.com/primarypoint/v16n2-1998-summer-DSSN-

HuaTouAndChineseFood.html

This piece is drawn from a conversation at lunch in Hong Kong between

Zen Master Seung Sahn, another famous monk, and some students.

Monk: Dae Soen Sa Nim, what is the difference between hua t'ou and

kong-an?

ZMSS: The hua t'ou is like a pointing finger. The finger itself is

not important. Direction is most important. The hua t'ou has no

meaning. Its just a finger pointing. Most important is direction. Hua

t'ou means your direction. A question like "Who is speaking?" has two

points, subject and object. If you have two things then opposites

have already appeared. Don't make opposites. "Who is

speaking?" ...then thinking, thinking, thinking appears. Hua t'ou

means cut off all thinking. "What is Buddha? Dry shit on a stick."

This has no thinking; it's a direct pointing! Kong-an also means cut

off all thinking. Just do it.

 

Where is Amitabul now?

If you keep this question, all thinking disappears.

You return to the place of no thinking

Then your mind light is shining bright.

 

******

 

We are Not two,

Richard