--- In [email protected], Mel <gunnar19632000@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Steve
> Â
> I'm struggling with keeping my practise pure. I take part in zazen practise
> and read/study ZEN MIND BEGINNERS MIND, and yet I make myself impure by....
> Â
> - having so much desire for junk food and other material things
> - not working hard enough on my OCD problem
> - wordlessly insisting on approval and acceptance from others
> - by contaminating the 'uncarved block' with more of other such impurities
> Â
> I can see where Suzuki-sensei is coming from, and IÂ therefore see that I
> have a lot to work on. One of the benefits of working on the above is an
> overall improvement in my life, especially the health factor. Yes, I have a
> lot to work on
> Â
> Thank you for teaching me
> Â
> Buddha be praised
> Mel
Hi Mel. Everybody is teaching everybody. Mel, in my opinion, one shouldn't
try to force anything. Part of the ego-delusion is the feeling that you, as a
separate, independant agent is doing everything and that everything depends
upon what you, as a separate, independant agent, do or do not do. Consider this
well-known Zen saying: "Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes and the
grass grows by itself." Now this does not mean that you shouldn't practice.
Just don't think that you, as a separate, independant agent are the one who is
doing it. As I have mentioned before, I practice the combined Pureland and Zen.
Zen is called by the Japanese 'Jiriki', or 'self-power'. Pureland is called
'Tariki', or 'other power'. But ultimately there is only One Power. We form a
feed-back loop with this 'Other Than Ego Power'. This Other Than Ego Power is
The One Mind of Enlightenment, and we and It are Not-Two. The Japanese say that
this is the interpenetration of Ki and Ho, Finite and Infinite.
>From our point of view as foolish sentient beings we are lost in a muddle of
>afflictions. From the point of view of the Infinite, everything is already
>perfect and the Primal Vow has already been fulfilled. From our fragmented
>point of view, we cannot intellectually understand this, but we can come to
>trust in it.
Once you have this trust, what the Japanese call Shinjin, then you can be more
at ease in your practice, knowing that you, as an ego, are not doing it. "It"
is doing it, and it knows what it is doing. And ultimately, everything has
already been accomplished. I bow to the Infinite Light! Namo Amitabha Buddhaya!
Namu Amida Butsu! Namo Amito Fo!
Steve
>
>
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------
Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are
reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
