--- In [email protected], mike brown <uerusuboyo@...> wrote:
>
> Steve,
>
> The below account is the story of how I became involved in Zen, but is by no
> means the most 'important' (a hundred candles together illuminate the cave
> more
> than one, but the first candle separates us from the dark). I welcome your
> question because I also welcome your words on what I have to say. Please
> forgive
> the clumsiness of my words, although my excuse is that the spoken/written
> word
> can never convey the ineffability of my story.
>
>
> I came to Zen thru an event that happened to me about 10 years ago. At that
> time
> I was not involved in Zen, or indeed, any 'spiritual' practice whatsoever. In
> fact, I was an ardent socialist and materialist. One evening, while watching
> tv
> by myself, something clicked (literally, as in the sound) and all before me
> suddenly transformed. The objects in front of me were the same, but the
> labels
> and web of concepts we give things (cup, table, chair. 'me', time etc) just
> vanished. What remained were 'things' (forms), but in there natural state or
> 'suchness' before we label or conceptualise them. Although the sense of an
> 'I'
> to experience this had also 'dropped away', there was an
> overwhelming acknowledgement (and gratitude) of "This is it!" and "no mind",
> and
> that this 'state' was not only Real, but was also so completely
> obvious. What
> followed can only be described as a full blown kundalini experience,
> but after
> the fact I intuitively felt this was not as important as the initial
> 'experience' of clarity/awakening. I'm missing *alot* out here, but the next
> day
> I researched what had happened to me and the nearest thing to it (gleaned
> from
> other peoples' similar accounts) was the kensho/satori experience described
> in Zen literature. Of course, it could also be described as a run of the mill
> mystical experience and that's ok. I think what keeps such 'mystical'
> experiences from becoming just another memory (although a profoundly pleasant
> one) is if it transforms how we live in the world. And it did for me.
>
> Mike
Hi Mike. If you get the opportunity, watch an old Japanese movie entitled
Sanshiro Sugata, about the great Judo champion who fought challenge matches
against the top Jujutsu-ka of the time. You'd like it.
Steve
>
>
>
> .
>
------------------------------------
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