Bill: To me mindfulness is the equal as to say as zazen in motion. the form and the non form interact with each other. It appears as if there was self and selfs but then there is not. And yet there is a self and selfs dissolved by mindfulness. (To be in the safe I'd like to point it out this is 0nly Mayka personal experience). I do understand that you don't trust as much the word mindfulness because seeing all the multi-interpretations about it, it seems as this word was losing its reality and power. In fact hurt feel truly grateful of having received that teaching directly by TNH and for several times at the time he wasn't as crowded and away from the commercials. Not only I received the teaching but this is the one I have practised the most due to all those difficulties I have to keep the daily discipline of sitting down zazen. During sitting down zazen one deals with things that couldn't be possible while in motion. And in motion one deals with things that is not possible to do it while sitting down because the external objects of mind are not there. Eating a peach in mindfulness is not exactly the same as eating a peach absented of mindfulness. In the first case all senses are awake and aware, there is no separation between the peach and the one who is eating and yet there is an apparent separation. In the second case one could perfectly eat a peach in a very mechanic way and with a complete absence of awareness about the peach and ones body senses and physical responses to it. When I'm in a traffic light I don't think about the traffic light is green or red. There is no thought in seeing that. The traffic light is my bell reminder of mindfulness, of going back to Buddha Mind. So the tool of the breathing is used to bring the mind and body in togetherness so I stop right there where I am. Looking at the traffic light changing its colour, the traffic going up and down, the people in the street....it's a very lively moment with no thought of it as it's all a direct experience with the present moment. Try it!. And the same goes with phone. Try it too!. You'll be seeing what a difference it makes from when you pick up the phone at the first ring and when you do at the third ring providing you stopped right there where you were at the first ring. They're little bell awakening reminders that will save you hours of sitting down. The more reminders the easier to incorporate Buddha Mind into your daily activity. Cooking is another marvellous effective way by the practice of mindfulness or Buddha Nature applied on it. I believe that the same Dogen used the activity cooking in the same way as myself and Even wrote a book about it!. I was truly surprise when I discovered that some years ago. That verification incremented the confidence over this very, very simple practice. Mayka . --- On Fri, 2/9/11, Bill! <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Bill! <[email protected]> Subject: [Zen] Re: Mahayana To: [email protected] Date: Friday, 2 September, 2011, 10:33 Makya, I 'THINK' what I call Buddha Nature/Mind and what you call 'mindfulness' is the same thing. I hope so. I just think 'mindFULLness' is not a good description. I would feel more comfortable with 'Empty Mind' or 'Clear Mind'. 'MindFULLness' always makes me think of a mind that is full of thoughts, and that is definitely the opposite of what 'Buddha Mind' means to me. I don't sit every day either. There are some 'zeroes' for me too. The practices you are using sound okay to me. They are similar to what I do except I don't wait on the 3rd ring on purpose. When I hear the ring I pick up the phone and talk, or if I'm busy just let it ring. When I'm at a traffic signal I don't usually think that the light is red or green. I just stop or walk, whichever is approriate. I mean I do obey the signals, but I don't think about it. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], Maria Lopez <flordeloto@...> wrote: > > Bill; > Can you give a description and give an example of the way you incorporate > Buddha Mind in your daily active life?  Is it Buddha Mind applied in daily > activities the same as mindfulness?. This is to verify if are the same > thing or there is something different. >  > My practice is similar to yours with the difference that sitting down > or zazen sessions lack of your daily discipline and there are days still > of zero sitting down. I make up a bit with it with the applicationof > mindfulness in different activities during the day such as walking in the > park, giving food to the birds once a week after collecting hard bread for > them. Birds are very grateful for that specially in winter time. While > awakening in the morning, leaving my bed, going to the bath,  brushing my > teeth, shower and all the rest of toilette time including the one of > evacuating. I've  also train myself in the use reminders such as the ring > of phone. As soon as I hear the first ring  Instead of picking it up > immediately I stop and use my conscious breathing and pick up the phone at > the third ring. Other bell reminder are the traffic lights. As soon as I > see red it brings me back to my conscious breathing till it changes to green...etc. > >  > Mayka > > > --- On Thu, 1/9/11, Bill! <BillSmart@...> wrote: > > > From: Bill! <BillSmart@...> > Subject: [Zen] Re: Mahayana > To: [email protected] > Date: Thursday, 1 September, 2011, 2:42 > > >  > > > > JMJM, > > I do consider zen my practice. > > I acknowledge that most people classify it as a subset/sect of Mahayana > Buddhism, but I do not consider zen a subset of or co-dependent on Buddhism. > In fact I consider zen the core Buddhism was built around - like a > cultural-specific presetation layer. > > I can't speak for those that consider themselves Mahayana Buddhists, but my > practice consists of shikantaza (clear-mind meditation) which is usually > associated with zazen (seated meditation) but can be practiced any where at > any time under any conditions. I sometimes refer to that state of clear-mind > (or no-mind) as 'Buddha Mind'. My personal practice is to incorporate Buddha > Mind more and more into my daily life. > > The core teaching of my zen practice is 'Just THIS!. > > ...Bill! > > --- In [email protected], Jue Miao Jing Ming - > 覺妙精明 <chan.jmjm@> wrote: > > > > Dear Forum, > > > > Do you consider "Zen/zen/your practice" a Mahayana practice? If so, how > > does Mahayana actually practice? What is its core teaching? > > > > Thank you in advance, 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 > > >
