Thank you Mel. Indeed.... If I may support....
There are two sayings among our practitioners. The first one is a bit
harsh.. "How could you be Buddha, if you could not even be a good human?"
The second one is from the sutra, "Fulfilling our secular responsibility
is the prerequisite to spiritual enlightenment."
If we can not "see" the wisdom in every encounter/incident/phenomena in
lives around us, then we are living in separation from the truth. If
we don't accept ALL as is -- still picking and choosing -- then we still
are living in a dream constructed by our dualistic mind.
The objective of Sitting Chan is to be enlightened to the truth of the
universe, not into some exotic realm unrelated to the purpose of our lives.
Yes, true enlightenment does uncover the super power within us. But it
is merely for undertaking more karma more efficiently for all sentient
beings.
None of any of these is for our personal gain. In fact, there is
nothing to gain and a lot to loose. :-)
JM
Learn the Basics of Chan Meditation...
http://www.chan-meditation.org
Chan in everyday life...
http://www.chanliving.org
To be enlightened in this life...
http://www.heartchan.org
To save our world...
http://www.universal-oneness.org
On 7/13/2011 3:17 AM, Mel wrote:
Hello Anthony, BII, and all
That's quite ok if you find some kind inspiration or kick from what
you refer to as the illogical or irrational side of zen/Zen.
Personally, I don't promote, or support such ideas. To me, they're
just extras I don't really need myself
Somebody made quite a serious mistake with me today, and the fact that
it was someone I trusted made the whole experience feel like a big
kick in the gut. Nevertheless, one of my first reactions was...keep
posture and head straight, chin in, and breath. It wasn't easy due to
all sorts of dualistic notions going through my head, but I did it.
Writing on paper or typing things up on cyber-space concerning any of
my daily dramas are often therapeutic, although this is most
dualistic. The better thing to do is head up, spine straight, and
breath. Not easy, but quite possible
The above is one kind of example I mean when I keep refering to zen
and its connection with daily life. To hear stories such as....
..'A sat in zazen posture. B asked A what he was doing, and A said,"I
want to be Buddha". B started polishing a tile. A asked B what he was
doing, and B said,"I'm trying to make a jewel", and A responded,"How
can you make a jewel with that tile?", and B responded,"How do you
become Buddha by zazen?"........
....is not really my cup of tea. Each and everyday that goes by gives
me more than enough 'koan' to fill my need to be near Buddha
in Buddha's grace, Mel
,_._,___
