Thanks Steve, I'll keep my eye open for a copy of it ; ) Mike
________________________________ From: SteveW <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, 27 March, 2011 13:21:11 Subject: Re: [Zen] Why bother with Zazen? --- 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 > > > > . >
