Jim,
I chose not to give a direct response to your post below but I will now.
You asked, "Does anyone else see anything wrong with making a unthinking
tree or rock the height of achievement?"
The best response to that question is: Mu!
A longer, but decidedly less complete response follows below:
First I'll have to break down your question. Let me know if I make any
invalid assumptions or have misinterpreted you.
1. I assume what you mean by 'height (sic) of achievement' is
'manisfestation of Buddha Nature', or 'no mind', or what is referred to
in Japanese Zen Buddhism when that state is manifested while sitting
(zazen) as 'shikantaza' - which can loosely be translated as 'just
sitting'. This 'no mind' state can be manifested while engaging in
activites other than sitting (zazen), but for right now I'll just be
talking about the state of 'shikantaza'.
2. Buddhist teachings in general are specifically designed for
'sentient beings' <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentient_Beings> , and
it is stated that all sentient beings have Buddha Nature. I've never
read anything that suggested that 'non-sentient beings' or 'things' have
Buddha Nature, nor have I read that they don't, nor do I know of any
'beings' that could be described as 'non-sentient'.
3. 'Sentient beings' are divided into 5 category in Buddhist
literature: ...divinities, humans, animals, tormented spirits, and
denizens of hell...". For right now and to respond to your question I'm
only interested in 'humans' and 'animals'.
4. The term 'sentient' in English means: "responsive to or conscious
of sense impressions"
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentient> . Please note
'sentient' does not mean 'rational' or 'thinking' or what we might refer
to as 'intelligent' beings.
5. This leads me to believe that the ability to 'think, rationalize,
employ logic, etc...'' is not a requirement for Buddha Nature. Only the
ability to respond to or be conscious of sensory input is required. The
ability to 'think' while not a requirement, does not in-and-of-itself
prevent or exclude a being from having Buddha Nature.
6. The single purpose of zazen, koans, chanting, bowing, and all the
other Zen Buddhist teaching techniques is to stop your thinking. I often
refer to that as 'halting your discriminating mind'. The reason Zen
Buddhism teaches this technique is that while your discriminating
(rational, logical, thinking) mind is active it is very difficult to be
aware of Buddha Nature which is actually always present. It is usually
not until you can halt your discriminating mind (temporarily) that you
are able to be aware of/experience/glimpse Buddha Nature. In Japanese
Zen Buddhism this first glimpse is called 'kensho'. After kensho your
zen practice is to better integrate your awareness of Buddha Nature into
your daily life, and evenually be able to be aware of and manifest
Buddha Nature in all your daily activities - including thinking.
7. So now back to your question.
* As far as I know rocks are not sentient neither do they think, so
even thought they do not think they do not manifest Buddha Nature
because they are not sentient.
* As far as I know trees, on the other hand, are sentient even though
plants are not listed as one of the categories of sentient beings in
Buddhist cannons, and I'm not sure whether they 'think' or not.
* I could make a good argument that plants (trees) certainly could be
sentient since they do respond to such things as light and moisture. So
do plants have Buddha Nature? Mu! ;>) - I don't know.
* I would assume plants don't 'think', but that would depend on just
what you meant by 'thinking'. If you mean complex logic and rationality,
then maybe no. But if you could expand 'thinking' to mean 'responding
approriately to sensory input', then maybe yes - plants will adjust
their orientation to receive as much light as possible, and redirect
their root structures to gather as much water as possible, etc...
'Thinking'? Maybe, but if it is thinking it is the type of thinking that
I believe is done without occluding Buddha Nature - if they have that.
* So to answer your question the long way I would say: "I see nothing
wrong with believing or not believing that rocks and trees have Buddha
Nature.
...Bill!
--- In [email protected], "James W. Meritt" <JWMeritt@...>
wrote:
>
>
>
> Posted by: "Bill!" BillSmart@... billsmart
>
> Jim, I don't think anyone here is doing that...
>
> --- In [email protected], "James W. Meritt" JWMeritt@ wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone else see anything wrong with making a unthinking tree or
rock the
> height of achievement?
>
========================================================================\
========
>
>
> I think they are but do not know that they are. There are things which
continuously have no mind. Some call no mind Zen, others call them
"dead".
> IMHO: Not a desirous state.
>
>
> James W. Meritt
> CISSP, CISA, NSA IAM, PMP
>
