I was also goin' to say...for they were indeed up-lifting words from JMJM. Thanks to the both of you in Buddha's grace Mel
--- On Sat, 23/7/11, Maria Lopez <[email protected]> wrote: From: Maria Lopez <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] Words.. To: [email protected] Received: Saturday, 23 July, 2011, 8:52 PM Words: "Too often, we hold them dearly, as golden rules, as absolute. Then we are blinded by them and fail to "see" the truth of every encounter, loose the wisdom of the moment to deliver our fulfillment, as well as disconnect from the calling of within, which is boundless compassion and true sense of life's purpose". A refreshing beautiful reminder giving sense to ones life. Thanks JMJM. --- On Wed, 20/7/11, Jue Miao Jing Ming - 覺妙精明 <[email protected]> wrote: From: Jue Miao Jing Ming - 覺妙精明 <[email protected]> Subject: [Zen] Words.. To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Date: Wednesday, 20 July, 2011, 16:03 Hi Mel, Well put. It is said, all written words, sutra/bible/koran, are for our convenience. Convenience for us to be awakened from within. They are like boats to ferry us across the other shore, the shore beyond our habits, additions, believes, logic, dogma, faith, etc. Once we landed, or had a peak through our own delusions, these boats, big or small, dumb or smart, are to be left behind, instead of being carried in our mind. So that we can continue on with our journey. Too often, we hold them dearly, as golden rules, as absolute. Then we are blinded by them and fail to "see" the truth of every encounter, loose the wisdom of the moment to deliver our fulfillment, as well as disconnect from the calling of within, which is boundless compassion and true sense of life's purpose. My teacher often reminds me, stay within your heart, sync with the life force and wisdom of each moment. Thus you could be unaffected by all forms at every moment, and "see" clearly the manifestation of cause and effect. 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 7/20/2011 1:53 AM, Mel wrote: This posting is going off the zen grid a bit, but I myself had no problems with the forbidden books as well as those things to do with any sexual connection between Mary Magdalene and Jesus during my try-out period of a few months with the Christian faith back then. The way I see it to this day, nothing really changes what Yahweh/Jesus says in his holy book...author Dale Brown, or not They(some scholars) say that Jesus and Mary Magdalene shacked up(set up house/love nest) together and had children afterwards, whose descendants are alive today. It has also been said in the past that Mary Magdalene was present somewhere in the picture of Jesus's PassOver with the disciples. As a Christian of the Quaker variety(or at least, I tried to be as so) from back then, I had no problem with such, because I could see that it was such an insignificant matter, and didn't really affect all things scriptural It's the same with the old man himself. Somebody can turn around and tell me today that the old fella wasn't really as holy as he claimed to be from under that special tree. Do I care? Must I even care? Of course not. The book Zen Mind Begginer's Mind is one I keep coming back to. Reading and absorbing it is not exactly getting it straight from the horse's mouth, but it's beneficial to me in my own private way. For all I know, this son of Queen Maha Maya could have been one of the most corrupt characters in humankind's history. Good...bad...which one was he? By now, do we really care as zen practitioners? Unlike some corrupt and self-proclaimed, ceremony-obssessed south-east Asian and Ceylonese Buddhists I've dealt with in the past I don't hold holiness to anyone in this world of ours. Zen is my chosen path, although I do not tag myself as Buddhist in any way, unless I'm pressed to declare some faith or another and I can see that explaining zen to the enquirer is going to cause not clarity in mind but added confusion to the enquirer Thanks for your time in Buddha's grace Mel
