Guest guest Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 Sasaki Roshi at the Lama Foundation Shakyamuni said that human consciousness doesn't work perfectly; that is why humans hate or long for the objective world. If human beings do not train themselves to manifest as perfection itself, they cannot be free. As I told you, however, absolute being doesn't belong to the objective world. The absolute world embraces subject and object together. The human being, believing he belongs to the subjective side and standing in the small mind, observes absolute being as object. Actually the absolute being can not be an object. Shakyamuni said that absolute being has no color, no form, no voice and exists as nothingness or emptiness. Absolute being works as complete, perfect emptiness and embraces subject and object. If you want to see God or Buddha, you must manifest yourself as emptiness. At the moment you manifest your imperfect consciousness as nothingness, your imperfect consciousness becomes perfect and illuminated. The first step of Zen practice, therefore, is to manifest yourself as nothingness. The second step is to throw yourself completely into life and death, good and evil, beauty and ugliness. Shakyamuni said that if you want to be free, you must not prefer only good or dislike evil. Well, now, what about you? You are educated all your life to venerate God and reject evil. Zen education is totally different: it teaches you how to swallow God and devil all at once. You are able to give yourself completely and make your home in a beautiful woman or in lice or in a man with a twisted nose. That is Zen practice. Mumon gives Joshu Osho as an example of someone who can live inside of a snake, louse or ant and who can swallow God and the devil all at once. If you understand that Joshu Osho is free, that he can dwell in life and death, in God and the devil and swallow them both, then you can understand this teisho perfectly. Now my teisho begins. Joshu Osho was a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, about 1100 years ago. Once Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking. A Zen monk is different from a " Catholic monk. A Catholic monk devotes his entire life to God. Once you become a Catholic monk, you have to stay in the monastery and follow its rules all your life. A Catholic monastery creates a different, separate world. Zen students do not have much to do with that isolated world. In a Zen monastery you practice self-realization for a few years and then go back to the world and, after a while, come back again to the monastery. So Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking about Bussho (Buddha nature). Shakyamuni said that all sentient beings have Buddha nature. While Joshu Osho and the monk were talking, a puppy dog trotted up the Zen monk picked up the puppy and asked Joshu Osho, " Does this puppy have a Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. " Of course any cat or dog manifests Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. But Joshu said, " NO! " Of course " NO. " Everything manifests Buddha nature. Everything is illuminating as emptiness or nothingness. If you think you are beautiful or rich or special, then, poor thing, you cannot illuminate as emptiness. There isn't a more pitiable thing than a rich man or a beautiful woman. In Japan there is a proverb that a beautiful woman has an unhappy life. She is unhappy because she cannot manifest her true nature. So Joshu Osho stared at the monk and said, " NO! " This dog is manifesting as nothingness, as " NO! " Do you understand? I do not think the monk understood, just like you, because you are still looking for God and enlightenment as objects. God and enlightenment don't belong to the objective world. Enlightenment is shining on your fingertips and on the end of your nose. Please walk carefully and don't fall down on this mountain. l k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that it is not a question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all stress, cares, worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, everything. Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, joy, etc. The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to resolve the problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words ---- Realization Sunday, October 12, 2003 4:07:21 PM Realization humans wanting things wanting enlightenment Sasaki Roshi at the Lama Foundation Shakyamuni said that human consciousness doesn't work perfectly; that is why humans hate or long for the objective world. If human beings do not train themselves to manifest as perfection itself, they cannot be free. As I told you, however, absolute being doesn't belong to the objective world. The absolute world embraces subject and object together. The human being, believing he belongs to the subjective side and standing in the small mind, observes absolute being as object. Actually the absolute being can not be an object. Shakyamuni said that absolute being has no color, no form, no voice and exists as nothingness or emptiness. Absolute being works as complete, perfect emptiness and embraces subject and object. If you want to see God or Buddha, you must manifest yourself as emptiness. At the moment you manifest your imperfect consciousness as nothingness, your imperfect consciousness becomes perfect and illuminated. The first step of Zen practice, therefore, is to manifest yourself as nothingness. The second step is to throw yourself completely into life and death, good and evil, beauty and ugliness. Shakyamuni said that if you want to be free, you must not prefer only good or dislike evil. Well, now, what about you? You are educated all your life to venerate God and reject evil. Zen education is totally different: it teaches you how to swallow God and devil all at once. You are able to give yourself completely and make your home in a beautiful woman or in lice or in a man with a twisted nose. That is Zen practice. Mumon gives Joshu Osho as an example of someone who can live inside of a snake, louse or ant and who can swallow God and the devil all at once. If you understand that Joshu Osho is free, that he can dwell in life and death, in God and the devil and swallow them both, then you can understand this teisho perfectly. Now my teisho begins. Joshu Osho was a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, about 1100 years ago. Once Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking. A Zen monk is different from a "Catholic monk. A Catholic monk devotes his entire life to God. Once you become a Catholic monk, you have to stay in the monastery and follow its rules all your life. A Catholic monastery creates a different, separate world. Zen students do not have much to do with that isolated world. In a Zen monastery you practice self-realization for a few years and then go back to the world and, after a while, come back again to the monastery. So Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking about Bussho (Buddha nature). Shakyamuni said that all sentient beings have Buddha nature. While Joshu Osho and the monk were talking, a puppy dog trotted up the Zen monk picked up the puppy and asked Joshu Osho, "Does this puppy have a Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it." Of course any cat or dog manifests Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. But Joshu said, "NO!"Of course "NO." Everything manifests Buddha nature. Everything is illuminating as emptiness or nothingness. If you think you are beautiful or rich or special, then, poor thing, you cannot illuminate as emptiness. There isn't a more pitiable thing than a rich man or a beautiful woman. In Japan there is a proverb that a beautiful woman has an unhappy life. She is unhappy because she cannot manifest her true nature. So Joshu Osho stared at the monk and said, "NO!" This dog is manifesting as nothingness, as "NO!" Do you understand? I do not think the monk understood, just like you, because you are still looking for God and enlightenment as objects. God and enlightenment don't belong to the objective world. Enlightenment is shining on your fingertips and on the end of your nose. Please walk carefully and don't fall down on this mountain. l k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 Realization , " Carol Philo " <cphilo@k...> wrote: > The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that it is not a > question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. > The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all stress, cares, > worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, everything. > Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, joy, etc. > The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to resolve the > problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss > Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words You should try a twelve step programme. Used correctly it does exactly this. Tanya. > > ---- > > Realization > Sunday, October 12, 2003 4:07:21 PM > Realization > humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > Sasaki Roshi at the Lama Foundation > > Shakyamuni said that human consciousness doesn't > work perfectly; that is why humans hate or long for > the objective world. If human beings do not train > themselves to manifest as perfection itself, they cannot > be free. As I told you, however, absolute being > doesn't belong to the objective world. The absolute world > embraces subject and object together. The human being, > believing he belongs to the subjective side and standing in > the small mind, observes absolute being as object. > Actually the absolute being can not be an object. > Shakyamuni said that absolute being has no color, no form, > no voice and exists as nothingness or emptiness. > Absolute being works as complete, perfect emptiness and > embraces subject and object. If you want to see God or > Buddha, you must manifest yourself as emptiness. At the > moment you manifest your imperfect consciousness as > nothingness, your imperfect consciousness becomes perfect and > illuminated. > > The first step of Zen practice, therefore, is to > manifest yourself as nothingness. The second step is to > throw yourself completely into life and death, good and > evil, beauty and ugliness. Shakyamuni said that if > you want to be free, you must not prefer only good or > dislike evil. Well, now, what about you? You are > educated all your life to venerate God and reject evil. > Zen education is totally different: it teaches you how to > swallow God and devil all at once. You are able to > give yourself completely and make your home in a > beautiful woman or in lice or in a man with a twisted > nose. That is Zen practice. > > Mumon gives Joshu Osho as an example of someone who can live inside > of a snake, louse or ant and who can swallow God and the > devil all at once. If you understand that Joshu Osho is > free, that he can dwell in life and death, in God and the > devil and swallow them both, then you can understand > this teisho perfectly. Now my teisho begins. > > Joshu Osho was a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, about > 1100 years ago. Once Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were > talking. A Zen monk is different from a " Catholic monk. A > Catholic monk devotes his entire life to God. Once you > become a Catholic monk, you have to stay in the > monastery and follow its rules all your life. A Catholic > monastery creates a different, separate world. Zen students > do not have much to do with that isolated world. In > a Zen monastery you practice self-realization for a > few years and then go back to the world and, after a > while, come back again to the monastery. > > So Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking about Bussho (Buddha > nature). Shakyamuni said that all sentient beings have > Buddha nature. While Joshu Osho and the monk were > talking, a puppy dog trotted up the Zen monk picked up the > puppy and asked Joshu Osho, " Does this puppy have a > Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. " Of course any cat or > dog manifests Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. But > Joshu said, " NO! " Of course " NO. " Everything manifests > Buddha nature. Everything is illuminating as emptiness > or nothingness. > > If you think you are beautiful or rich or special, then, poor thing, > you cannot illuminate as emptiness. There isn't a more pitiable thing > than a rich man or a beautiful woman. In Japan there is a proverb > that a beautiful woman has an unhappy life. She is unhappy because > she > cannot manifest her true nature. > > So Joshu Osho stared at the monk and said, " NO! " This dog is > manifesting as nothingness, as " NO! " Do you understand? I > do not think the monk understood, just like you, because you are > still looking for God and enlightenment as objects. God and > enlightenment don't belong to the objective world. Enlightenment is > shining on your fingertips and on the end of your nose. Please walk > carefully and don't fall down on this mountain. > > > l k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 A 12 step program for what, hon? ---- Realization Sunday, October 12, 2003 5:31:20 PM Realization Re: humans wanting things wanting enlightenment Realization , "Carol Philo" <cphilo@k...> wrote: > The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that it is not a > question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. > The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all stress, cares, > worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, everything. > Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, joy, etc. > The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to resolve the > problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss > Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words You should try a twelve step programme. Used correctly it does exactly this. Tanya. > > ---- > > Realization > Sunday, October 12, 2003 4:07:21 PM > Realization > humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > Sasaki Roshi at the Lama Foundation > > Shakyamuni said that human consciousness doesn't > work perfectly; that is why humans hate or long for > the objective world. If human beings do not train > themselves to manifest as perfection itself, they cannot > be free. As I told you, however, absolute being > doesn't belong to the objective world. The absolute world > embraces subject and object together. The human being, > believing he belongs to the subjective side and standing in > the small mind, observes absolute being as object. > Actually the absolute being can not be an object. > Shakyamuni said that absolute being has no color, no form, > no voice and exists as nothingness or emptiness. > Absolute being works as complete, perfect emptiness and > embraces subject and object. If you want to see God or > Buddha, you must manifest yourself as emptiness. At the > moment you manifest your imperfect consciousness as > nothingness, your imperfect consciousness becomes perfect and > illuminated. > > The first step of Zen practice, therefore, is to > manifest yourself as nothingness. The second step is to > throw yourself completely into life and death, good and > evil, beauty and ugliness. Shakyamuni said that if > you want to be free, you must not prefer only good or > dislike evil. Well, now, what about you? You are > educated all your life to venerate God and reject evil. > Zen education is totally different: it teaches you how to > swallow God and devil all at once. You are able to > give yourself completely and make your home in a > beautiful woman or in lice or in a man with a twisted > nose. That is Zen practice. > > Mumon gives Joshu Osho as an example of someone who can live inside > of a snake, louse or ant and who can swallow God and the > devil all at once. If you understand that Joshu Osho is > free, that he can dwell in life and death, in God and the > devil and swallow them both, then you can understand > this teisho perfectly. Now my teisho begins. > > Joshu Osho was a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, about > 1100 years ago. Once Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were > talking. A Zen monk is different from a "Catholic monk. A > Catholic monk devotes his entire life to God. Once you > become a Catholic monk, you have to stay in the > monastery and follow its rules all your life. A Catholic > monastery creates a different, separate world. Zen students > do not have much to do with that isolated world. In > a Zen monastery you practice self-realization for a > few years and then go back to the world and, after a > while, come back again to the monastery. > > So Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking about Bussho (Buddha > nature). Shakyamuni said that all sentient beings have > Buddha nature. While Joshu Osho and the monk were > talking, a puppy dog trotted up the Zen monk picked up the > puppy and asked Joshu Osho, "Does this puppy have a > Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it." Of course any cat or > dog manifests Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. But > Joshu said, "NO!"Of course "NO." Everything manifests > Buddha nature. Everything is illuminating as emptiness > or nothingness. > > If you think you are beautiful or rich or special, then, poor thing, > you cannot illuminate as emptiness. There isn't a more pitiable thing > than a rich man or a beautiful woman. In Japan there is a proverb > that a beautiful woman has an unhappy life. She is unhappy because > she > cannot manifest her true nature. > > So Joshu Osho stared at the monk and said, "NO!" This dog is > manifesting as nothingness, as "NO!" Do you understand? I > do not think the monk understood, just like you, because you are > still looking for God and enlightenment as objects. God and > enlightenment don't belong to the objective world. Enlightenment is > shining on your fingertips and on the end of your nose. Please walk > carefully and don't fall down on this mountain. > > > l k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 Realization , " Carol Philo " <cphilo@k...> wrote: > A 12 step program for what, hon? You can have a twelve step program for just about anything you like. How about this: 1. We admitted we were powerless over enlightenment, that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a power greater than our selves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that our. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to unenlightened beings and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Now you can quibble about details all you like but having taken these steps with an earnestness which comes from fear of death I can honestly say that there effect on me was very much as you have outlined below. Tanya. > > > ---- > > Realization > Sunday, October 12, 2003 5:31:20 PM > Realization > Re: humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > Realization , " Carol Philo " <cphilo@k...> wrote: > > The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that it > is not a > > question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. > > The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all stress, > cares, > > worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, > everything. > > Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, joy, etc. > > The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to resolve > the > > problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss > > Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words > > You should try a twelve step programme. Used correctly it does > exactly this. > > Tanya. > > > > > ---- > > > > Realization > > Sunday, October 12, 2003 4:07:21 PM > > Realization > > humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > > > Sasaki Roshi at the Lama Foundation > > > > Shakyamuni said that human consciousness doesn't > > work perfectly; that is why humans hate or long for > > the objective world. If human beings do not train > > themselves to manifest as perfection itself, they cannot > > be free. As I told you, however, absolute being > > doesn't belong to the objective world. The absolute world > > embraces subject and object together. The human being, > > believing he belongs to the subjective side and standing in > > the small mind, observes absolute being as object. > > Actually the absolute being can not be an object. > > Shakyamuni said that absolute being has no color, no form, > > no voice and exists as nothingness or emptiness. > > Absolute being works as complete, perfect emptiness and > > embraces subject and object. If you want to see God or > > Buddha, you must manifest yourself as emptiness. At the > > moment you manifest your imperfect consciousness as > > nothingness, your imperfect consciousness becomes perfect and > > illuminated. > > > > The first step of Zen practice, therefore, is to > > manifest yourself as nothingness. The second step is to > > throw yourself completely into life and death, good and > > evil, beauty and ugliness. Shakyamuni said that if > > you want to be free, you must not prefer only good or > > dislike evil. Well, now, what about you? You are > > educated all your life to venerate God and reject evil. > > Zen education is totally different: it teaches you how to > > swallow God and devil all at once. You are able to > > give yourself completely and make your home in a > > beautiful woman or in lice or in a man with a twisted > > nose. That is Zen practice. > > > > Mumon gives Joshu Osho as an example of someone who can live inside > > of a snake, louse or ant and who can swallow God and the > > devil all at once. If you understand that Joshu Osho is > > free, that he can dwell in life and death, in God and the > > devil and swallow them both, then you can understand > > this teisho perfectly. Now my teisho begins. > > > > Joshu Osho was a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, about > > 1100 years ago. Once Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were > > talking. A Zen monk is different from a " Catholic monk. A > > Catholic monk devotes his entire life to God. Once you > > become a Catholic monk, you have to stay in the > > monastery and follow its rules all your life. A Catholic > > monastery creates a different, separate world. Zen students > > do not have much to do with that isolated world. In > > a Zen monastery you practice self-realization for a > > few years and then go back to the world and, after a > > while, come back again to the monastery. > > > > So Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking about Bussho (Buddha > > nature). Shakyamuni said that all sentient beings have > > Buddha nature. While Joshu Osho and the monk were > > talking, a puppy dog trotted up the Zen monk picked up the > > puppy and asked Joshu Osho, " Does this puppy have a > > Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. " Of course any cat or > > dog manifests Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. But > > Joshu said, " NO! " Of course " NO. " Everything manifests > > Buddha nature. Everything is illuminating as emptiness > > or nothingness. > > > > If you think you are beautiful or rich or special, then, poor thing, > > you cannot illuminate as emptiness. There isn't a more pitiable > thing > > than a rich man or a beautiful woman. In Japan there is a proverb > > that a beautiful woman has an unhappy life. She is unhappy because > > she > > cannot manifest her true nature. > > > > So Joshu Osho stared at the monk and said, " NO! " This dog is > > manifesting as nothingness, as " NO! " Do you understand? I > > do not think the monk understood, just like you, because you are > > still looking for God and enlightenment as objects. God and > > enlightenment don't belong to the objective world. Enlightenment is > > shining on your fingertips and on the end of your nose. Please walk > > carefully and don't fall down on this mountain. > > > > > > l k > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 This is a story I got from my father.Three blind men approach an elephant. All can feel the immensity of theelephant, and are driven to get closer, to know and understand the elephant.The first man reaches out and grasps the elephant’s tail, the second manreaches up and touches the side of the elephant, and the third man gets ahold of the elephant’s front leg.“Ah, the elephant is like a thick rope,” cries the first man. “No, No. Likean immense wall.” says the second man, running his hands over the side ofthe elephant. “You are both wrong.” Says the third, his arms clasped aroundthe leg. “The elephant is like a tree.”They all fell to arguing, each knowing what he had experienced. All werecorrect, within what they had experienced, but none saw the whole truth,because God/Nirvana/The Infinite is too immense to be understood by one man.Each religion knows the truth of the experiences of its founder, but ittakes more study and effort to find out more of the truth. And the entiretruth may be too immense for man to grasp. Too cool. Tanya and I have a hold of different parts of the elephant, but we both agree that they are part of the elephant :} Gelf ---- Realization Monday, October 13, 2003 4:03:38 AM Realization Re: humans wanting things wanting enlightenment Realization , "Carol Philo" <cphilo@k...> wrote: > A 12 step program for what, hon? You can have a twelve step program for just about anything you like. How about this: 1. We admitted we were powerless over enlightenment, that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a power greater than our selves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that our. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to unenlightened beings and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Now you can quibble about details all you like but having taken these steps with an earnestness which comes from fear of death I can honestly say that there effect on me was very much as you have outlined below. Tanya. > > > ---- > > Realization > Sunday, October 12, 2003 5:31:20 PM > Realization > Re: humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > Realization , "Carol Philo" <cphilo@k...> wrote: > > The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that it > is not a > > question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. > > The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all stress, > cares, > > worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, > everything. > > Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, joy, etc. > > The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to resolve > the > > problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss > > Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words > > You should try a twelve step programme. Used correctly it does > exactly this. > > Tanya. > > > > > ---- > > > > Realization > > Sunday, October 12, 2003 4:07:21 PM > > Realization > > humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > > > Sasaki Roshi at the Lama Foundation > > > > Shakyamuni said that human consciousness doesn't > > work perfectly; that is why humans hate or long for > > the objective world. If human beings do not train > > themselves to manifest as perfection itself, they cannot > > be free. As I told you, however, absolute being > > doesn't belong to the objective world. The absolute world > > embraces subject and object together. The human being, > > believing he belongs to the subjective side and standing in > > the small mind, observes absolute being as object. > > Actually the absolute being can not be an object. > > Shakyamuni said that absolute being has no color, no form, > > no voice and exists as nothingness or emptiness. > > Absolute being works as complete, perfect emptiness and > > embraces subject and object. If you want to see God or > > Buddha, you must manifest yourself as emptiness. At the > > moment you manifest your imperfect consciousness as > > nothingness, your imperfect consciousness becomes perfect and > > illuminated. > > > > The first step of Zen practice, therefore, is to > > manifest yourself as nothingness. The second step is to > > throw yourself completely into life and death, good and > > evil, beauty and ugliness. Shakyamuni said that if > > you want to be free, you must not prefer only good or > > dislike evil. Well, now, what about you? You are > > educated all your life to venerate God and reject evil. > > Zen education is totally different: it teaches you how to > > swallow God and devil all at once. You are able to > > give yourself completely and make your home in a > > beautiful woman or in lice or in a man with a twisted > > nose. That is Zen practice. > > > > Mumon gives Joshu Osho as an example of someone who can live inside > > of a snake, louse or ant and who can swallow God and the > > devil all at once. If you understand that Joshu Osho is > > free, that he can dwell in life and death, in God and the > > devil and swallow them both, then you can understand > > this teisho perfectly. Now my teisho begins. > > > > Joshu Osho was a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, about > > 1100 years ago. Once Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were > > talking. A Zen monk is different from a "Catholic monk. A > > Catholic monk devotes his entire life to God. Once you > > become a Catholic monk, you have to stay in the > > monastery and follow its rules all your life. A Catholic > > monastery creates a different, separate world. Zen students > > do not have much to do with that isolated world. In > > a Zen monastery you practice self-realization for a > > few years and then go back to the world and, after a > > while, come back again to the monastery. > > > > So Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking about Bussho (Buddha > > nature). Shakyamuni said that all sentient beings have > > Buddha nature. While Joshu Osho and the monk were > > talking, a puppy dog trotted up the Zen monk picked up the > > puppy and asked Joshu Osho, "Does this puppy have a > > Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it." Of course any cat or > > dog manifests Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. But > > Joshu said, "NO!"Of course "NO." Everything manifests > > Buddha nature. Everything is illuminating as emptiness > > or nothingness. > > > > If you think you are beautiful or rich or special, then, poor thing, > > you cannot illuminate as emptiness. There isn't a more pitiable > thing > > than a rich man or a beautiful woman. In Japan there is a proverb > > that a beautiful woman has an unhappy life. She is unhappy because > > she > > cannot manifest her true nature. > > > > So Joshu Osho stared at the monk and said, "NO!" This dog is > > manifesting as nothingness, as "NO!" Do you understand? I > > do not think the monk understood, just like you, because you are > > still looking for God and enlightenment as objects. God and > > enlightenment don't belong to the objective world. Enlightenment is > > shining on your fingertips and on the end of your nose. Please walk > > carefully and don't fall down on this mountain. > > > > > > l k > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 > > The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that it is not a question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all stress, cares,worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, everything.Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, joy, etc.The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to resolve the problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words You should try a twelve step programme. Used correctly it does > exactly this. > > Tanya. devi: hi tanya..about that 12 step program,,,i don't know much about it, i remember reading them once, the steps, but didn't absorb most what i read.. i'm sure its a very nice program but i'm wondering....the 12 step program points to a *higher power* but does the program teach you that that higher power isn't something thats separate from you and that in fact you and the higher power are the same? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 Realization , " Carol Philo " <cphilo@k...> wrote: > This is a story I got from my father. > > Three blind men approach an elephant. All can feel the immensity of the elephant, and are driven to get closer, to know and understand the elephant.The first man reaches out and grasps the elephant's tail, the second manreaches up and touches the side of the elephant, and the third man gets ahold of the elephant's front leg. > " Ah, the elephant is like a thick rope, " cries the first man. " No, No. Like an immense wall. " says the second man, running his hands over the side ofthe elephant. " You are both wrong. " Says the third, his arms clasped around the leg. " The elephant is like a tree. " >They all fell to arguing, each knowing what he had experienced. All were correct, within what they had experienced, but none saw the whole truth, because God/Nirvana/The Infinite is too immense to be understood by one man.Each religion knows the truth of the experiences of its founder, but it takes more study and effort to find out more of the truth. And the entire truth may be too immense for man to grasp. devi: that story been around for a long time, it a very useful analogy.(or is it a metaphor) i heard there were 5 blind men...it's intersting to me that you or you dad intrepreted it that way...my intrepretation never pointed to the thought that the Infinite is to immense to be known...i always thought then when the blind men got their sight back they would all know the whole elepant... > > Too cool. Tanya and I have a hold of different parts of the elephant, but we > both agree that they are part of the elephant :} > Gelf > > ---- > > Realization > Monday, October 13, 2003 4:03:38 AM > Realization > Re: humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > Realization , " Carol Philo " <cphilo@k...> wrote: > > A 12 step program for what, hon? > > You can have a twelve step program for just about anything you like. > > How about this: > 1. We admitted we were powerless over enlightenment, that our lives > had become unmanageable. > 2. Came to believe that a power greater than our selves could restore > us to sanity. > 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of > God as we understood Him. > 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. > 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact > nature of our wrongs. > 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of > character. > 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. > 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to > make amends to them all. > 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when > to do so would injure them or others. > 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong > promptly admitted it. > 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious > contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of > His will for us and the power to carry that our. > 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we > tried to carry this message to unenlightened beings and to practice > these principles in all our affairs. > > Now you can quibble about details all you like but having taken these > steps with an earnestness which comes from fear of death I can > honestly say that there effect on me was very much as you have > outlined below. > Tanya. > > > > > > ---- > > > > Realization > > Sunday, October 12, 2003 5:31:20 PM > > Realization > > Re: humans wanting things wanting > enlightenment > > > > Realization , " Carol Philo " <cphilo@k...> > wrote: > > > The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that > it > > is not a > > > question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. > > > The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all > stress, > > cares, > > > worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, > > everything. > > > Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, joy, etc. > > > The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to resolve > > the > > > problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss > > > Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words > > > > You should try a twelve step programme. Used correctly it does > > exactly this. > > > > Tanya. > > > > > > > > ---- > > > > > > Realization > > > Sunday, October 12, 2003 4:07:21 PM > > > Realization > > > humans wanting things wanting enlightenment > > > > > > Sasaki Roshi at the Lama Foundation > > > > > > Shakyamuni said that human consciousness doesn't > > > work perfectly; that is why humans hate or long for > > > the objective world. If human beings do not train > > > themselves to manifest as perfection itself, they cannot > > > be free. As I told you, however, absolute being > > > doesn't belong to the objective world. The absolute world > > > embraces subject and object together. The human being, > > > believing he belongs to the subjective side and standing in > > > the small mind, observes absolute being as object. > > > Actually the absolute being can not be an object. > > > Shakyamuni said that absolute being has no color, no form, > > > no voice and exists as nothingness or emptiness. > > > Absolute being works as complete, perfect emptiness and > > > embraces subject and object. If you want to see God or > > > Buddha, you must manifest yourself as emptiness. At the > > > moment you manifest your imperfect consciousness as > > > nothingness, your imperfect consciousness becomes perfect and > > > illuminated. > > > > > > The first step of Zen practice, therefore, is to > > > manifest yourself as nothingness. The second step is to > > > throw yourself completely into life and death, good and > > > evil, beauty and ugliness. Shakyamuni said that if > > > you want to be free, you must not prefer only good or > > > dislike evil. Well, now, what about you? You are > > > educated all your life to venerate God and reject evil. > > > Zen education is totally different: it teaches you how to > > > swallow God and devil all at once. You are able to > > > give yourself completely and make your home in a > > > beautiful woman or in lice or in a man with a twisted > > > nose. That is Zen practice. > > > > > > Mumon gives Joshu Osho as an example of someone who can live > inside > > > of a snake, louse or ant and who can swallow God and the > > > devil all at once. If you understand that Joshu Osho is > > > free, that he can dwell in life and death, in God and the > > > devil and swallow them both, then you can understand > > > this teisho perfectly. Now my teisho begins. > > > > > > Joshu Osho was a Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, about > > > 1100 years ago. Once Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were > > > talking. A Zen monk is different from a " Catholic monk. A > > > Catholic monk devotes his entire life to God. Once you > > > become a Catholic monk, you have to stay in the > > > monastery and follow its rules all your life. A Catholic > > > monastery creates a different, separate world. Zen students > > > do not have much to do with that isolated world. In > > > a Zen monastery you practice self-realization for a > > > few years and then go back to the world and, after a > > > while, come back again to the monastery. > > > > > > So Joshu Osho and a Zen monk were talking about Bussho (Buddha > > > nature). Shakyamuni said that all sentient beings have > > > Buddha nature. While Joshu Osho and the monk were > > > talking, a puppy dog trotted up the Zen monk picked up the > > > puppy and asked Joshu Osho, " Does this puppy have a > > > Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. " Of course any cat or > > > dog manifests Buddha nature, Shakyamuni said it. But > > > Joshu said, " NO! " Of course " NO. " Everything manifests > > > Buddha nature. Everything is illuminating as emptiness > > > or nothingness. > > > > > > If you think you are beautiful or rich or special, then, poor > thing, > > > you cannot illuminate as emptiness. There isn't a more pitiable > > thing > > > than a rich man or a beautiful woman. In Japan there is a proverb > > > that a beautiful woman has an unhappy life. She is unhappy because > > > she > > > cannot manifest her true nature. > > > > > > So Joshu Osho stared at the monk and said, " NO! " This dog is > > > manifesting as nothingness, as " NO! " Do you understand? I > > > do not think the monk understood, just like you, because you are > > > still looking for God and enlightenment as objects. God and > > > enlightenment don't belong to the objective world. Enlightenment > is > > > shining on your fingertips and on the end of your nose. Please > walk > > > carefully and don't fall down on this mountain. > > > > > > > > > l k > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2003 Report Share Posted October 13, 2003 Realization , " devianandi " <devi@p...> wrote: > > > > The way I see it, <only being partially enlightened >, is that > it is not a question of adding or seeking ANYTHING. > The trick is to empty yourself, pour out and/or resolve all stress, > cares,worries, anticipations, all comparisons, wants, love, hate, > everything.Once you are empty, you will fill with light, knowledge, > joy, etc.The world will intrude on this bliss, and you will need to > resolve the problem, and then empty again and return to the bliss > Gelf, trying to form words for something that has no words > > > > You should try a twelve step programme. Used correctly it does > > exactly this. > > > > Tanya. > > devi: hi tanya..about that 12 step program,,,i don't know much about > it, i remember reading them once, the steps, but didn't absorb most > what i read.. > i'm sure its a very nice program but i'm wondering....the 12 step > program points to a *higher power* but does the program teach you > that that higher power isn't something thats separate from you and > that in fact you and the higher power are the same? > > The twelve step program does not in any way tell anyone what they have to believe regarding a higher power. All that is necessary is for a person to be willing to believe in the possibility that there may be something more powerful than themsleves and that this can help them. For many people their 'higher power' is the meetings and the people in the meetings. Some people believe in a traditional, religious way, etc. The point is to be all inclusive. The steps deal with sorting out the personality traits and behaviour patterns which get in the way of people finding their spiritual path - in the case of alcoholics they're mostly full of fear, self pity, guilt, remorse, resentment, selfishness, dishonesty etc. The steps have changed me beyond recognition. My spiritual path is unique to me and very different from that of other people in my fellowships. Tanya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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