Guest guest Posted February 5, 2000 Report Share Posted February 5, 2000 >KKT: You are always eloquent and fluent. >Reading your posts is a delightful pleasure. D: Thank you so much. Coming from one who posts with your wide scope of comprehension, I feel most happy to know we have connected here. >KKT: I offer you a story of a Vietnamese Zen >Master, Ngo An (1020-1088): > > >Once a monk asked: "What is the great Path?" >Ngo An said: "The great road." > >The monk continued: "I was asking about the great Path >and you answered me with the great road. I have no idea >when I can attain the great Path." >Ngo An said: "A kitten doesn't know how to catch mice yet." > >The monk continued: "Does a kitten have Buddha nature?" >Ngo An said: "No!" > >The monk continued: "Teacher, do you have Buddha nature?" >Ngo An said: "No!" > >The monk asked: "All sentient beings have Buddha nature, >why only you do not?" >Ngo An said: "Because I'm not a sentient being." > >The monk continued: "If you are not a sentient being, are you a Buddha then?" >Ngo An said: "I'm neither a Buddha nor a sentient being." D: Dear KKT, thank you for passing on this delightful and to-the-point story. >KKT: When he was about to pass away, Ngo An spoke a verse: > > The wondrous nature of Emptiness is inconceivable, > Yet it is not at all difficult to realize it with empty mind. > A jewel burned on the mountain, its color is constantly bright, > And a lotus blooms in the furnace, its moisture never dries up. D: Yes. Only empty mind can recognize emptiness. And only a mind that is originally and now empty can be empty. Trying to clear the mind will never be empty mind. Thank you also, KKT, for your recent posts on Dzogchen. I feel lucky to live in a time when Dzogchen teachings are being made available in the U.S., feel blessed to be touched by the resonant chanting and music of that tradition - that communicates so directly and clearly, and am so saddened by the travails for that culture in their homeland. Before you posted, I had understood Bon as pre-existing Buddhism in Tibet, and being involved with shamanism, incantations, secret knowledge, etc. I understood there to be a "merging" of Bon and Buddhism leading to Dzogchen. Your way of communicating about this opens up an awareness of Dzogchen pre-existing (perhaps) Bon and Buddhism, found in each tradition, and reflecting the "primordial wisdom" that is before and beyond time. This same "primordial wisdom" is evident in Qabala, which is of the Hebrew-Christian tradition, yet pre-dating that very tradition in its "timeless essence," might be said to be evident in advaita Vedanta as well. The "discovery" here is of a timeless truth that takes diverse apparent forms, yet remains beyond the scope of any of its temporal expressions. Thank you again for your most enlightening contributions here. Love, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2000 Report Share Posted February 5, 2000 Quoting Dan Berkow, PhD <berkowd: > "Dan Berkow, PhD" <berkowd > > Before you > posted, I had understood Bon as pre-existing Buddhism in > Tibet, and being involved with shamanism, incantations, secret knowledge, > etc. I understood there to be a "merging" of Bon and Buddhism > leading to Dzogchen. Your way of communicating about this opens up > an awareness of Dzogchen pre-existing (perhaps) Bon and Buddhism, > found in each tradition, and reflecting > the "primordial wisdom" that is before and beyond time. > This same "primordial wisdom" is evident in Qabala, which is of the > Hebrew-Christian tradition, yet pre-dating that very tradition in > its "timeless essence," might be said to be evident in advaita > Vedanta as well. The "discovery" here is of a timeless > truth that takes diverse apparent forms, > yet remains beyond the scope of any of its temporal expressions. > Thank you again for your most enlightening contributions here. > > Love, > Dan Hi Dan, Tenzin Wangyal, a Bonpo, is the head of the Ligmincha Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. He also has a retreat center called Serenity Ridge about 15 or 20 miles South of Charlottesville. This is a tradition whose main purpose is to enable the uncovering of the natural condition of the individual. They have a most informative web site at: http://www.ligmincha.org/ You may perhaps find this of interest. Victor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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