My understanding of Zen is small. My interest is large. I am master of
nothing. We prize the stories of satori, that instant moment of enlightenment, but there is much to be said for the ones who struggle and meditate for years to reach understanding.
There's no "way" that is right or wrong.
Meditation. Daily living. Practicality. Compassion. Awareness. Love. Prayer.
No destination. No goal.
Be.
The trick, which is really no trick, is to have that attutude and composure when Life is staring you in the metaphorical face, with a stack of due and overdue bills, mouths to feed, and family members for whom you must care.
Has no materialist ever suggested that Zen is the "reductio ad absurdum" of
Buddhism? If not, why not? - Wei Wu Wei "Fingers Pointing Toward the Moon"
Reality is all-encompassing: the absolute nature is one. Although we may
feel separate from the original uncreated reality - whether we call it 'God,'
'peak experience,' or 'enlightened mind' - through awareness we can contact
this essential part of ourselves. - Tarthang Tulku
When you give a shilling to a beggar - do you realize that you are giving
it to yourself? When you help a lame dog over a stile - do you realize that you
yourself are being helped? When you kick a man when he is down - do you realize
that you are kicking yourself? Give him another kick - if you deserve it! - Why
Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei
If you cannot find it where you are standing, where do you expect to wander in search of it?
Show me the face you had before you were born.
"Look! This world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your robe at the sound of the temple bell?" -- Ummon
The geese do not intend to cast their reflection. The water has no mind to receive it. -- from the Zenrin
When a certain monk was declared to be enlightened, his fellow monks gathered around and asked how he felt. He replied, "As miserable as ever."
To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine in every moment of your life. -- Chogyam Thungpa
In the womb, it is called a spirit; in the world, it is called a person. In the eyes it sees, in the ears it hears, in the nose it smells, in the mouth it talks, in the hands it grips, in the feet it walks. It appears everywhere, encompassing the universe, yet it is concentrated in a single atom. -- Ancient Zen
Enlightenment is not imagining figures of light but making the darkness conscious. -- Carl Jung
The Four Noble Truths
Suffering is universal and inevitable. (In life, there is suffering.)
"Life sucks."
The immediate cause of suffering is desire. (Suffering has a cause.)
"Life sucks because I want stuff. If I'm too attached to my desires, they control me."
There is a way to dispel ignorance and relieve suffering. (All things change.) "Life does not have to suck."
The path to relief of suffering. "The Eightfold Path."
The Eightfold Path
Right view. "Do I know (and see) what to do?"
Right intention. "Am I doing this for the right reasons?"
Right speech. "Am I saying this the right way?"
Right action. "Am I doing the right thing?"
Right livelihood. "Am I doing the right kind of work?"
Right effort. "Am I doing my best all the time?" "Are my efforts properly directed?"
Right mindfulness. "Am I thinking about this the right way?" "Am I aware?"
Right concentration. "Do I stay focused on good ideas?"
The Five Precepts
Abstain from taking life.
Abstain from taking that which is not given.
Abstain from misconduct done in lust.
Abstain from lying.
Abstain from all forms of intoxication.
The Void is not of the nature of a black abyss or a bottomless pit.
Rather is its nature 'vast and expansive like space itself'.
It is apprehended as 'serene, marvelous, all-pure, brilliant and
all-inclusive'.
Above all does it partake of the nature of light.
And it is not anything.
For Void is Mind Itself, and Mind Itself is Void.
- Ask the Awakened by Wei Wu Wei-
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- Quotes from Meister Eckhart, Fourteenth Century Christian Mystic
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- If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "Thank you," that would suffice.
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- In silence, a man can most readily preserve his integrity.
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- Only the hand that erases can write the true thing.
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Man never desires anything so earnestly
as God desires to bring a man to Himself, that he may know Him.
The shell must be cracked apart if what is in it is to come out, for if you want the kernel you must break the shell. And therefore, if you want to discover nature's nakedness, you must destroy its symbols, and the farther you get in, the nearer you come to its essence. When you come to the One who gathers all things up into itself, there you must stay.
God is always
ready, but we are very unready; God is near to us, but we are far from Him;
God
is within, but we are without; God is at home, but we are strangers...
* * * * * * *
Bearing in mind Lao Tzu's immortal beginning "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao/The names that can be named are not the eternal names," here are some suggested readings:
Kahlil Gibran
(Lebanon's answer to William Shakespeare!)
"The Lazy Man's Guide To Enlightenment"
Thaddeus Golas
(Mr. Golas wrote about the use of LSD, which I DON"T ENDORSE. I
do endorse his message of love. If you read his accompanying
notes, even he "rethought" some of his original concepts and ideas.)
"The Power of Myth"
Joseph Campbell
Herman Hesse
Please note: While some of these recommendations are not philosophy, per se, I've found them extremely helpful or challenging in my search for understanding. Links to amazon.com are not an endorsement.
I make use of their "Search Inside" ™ feature.
