ED, Isn't this the shadow side of trying to grasp an (intellectual!) understanding of Zen tho?- the feeling that the answer lies just around the corner: 'if I just read one more book, ask one more question, sit a bit longer, try to be more mindful tomorrow etc. All the masters say desiring, or striving, for the truth takes us ever further away from it. Not desiring the truth, however, will consign us to be prisoners of our thoughts, desires and emotions. I can understand how 'desireless desire' can appear to sound like fuzzy thinking to most, or 'who are you just before the thought 'I am' arises, but after even just a small realisation such terms resonate deeply (yet they're so simple and obvious, too!). I remember reading a book about an English woman who became a Tibetan buddhist nun and went there to meditate in a cave for 3 years. When she was first exposed to Buddhism she wrote that she cried with frustration at not being able to understand the Zen literature she was exposed to. After her 3 years of solitary meditation, and many deep insights, she laughed with joy at how fun and obvious those previously obscure Zen koans and stories now were to her! I know you don't trust my own realisation(s) (and fair enough, too!), but quotes such as Steve supplied are so forehead slappingly() obvious!
Mike ________________________________ From: ED <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, 7 March, 2011 4:52:14 Subject: [Zen] Re: Two Potent Quotes Is a person who is not in a state of kensho-satori or has never experienced kensho-satori likely to experience the potency of these quotes? --ED --- In [email protected], "SteveW" <eugnostos2000@...> wrote: > > "It is what you see before you! Begin to think about it, and at once > you fall into error!" -Huang Po > > "Recognize what is in your sight, and what is hidden will be revealed!" > -Gospel of Thomas
