Well, the Old Man was teaching us, and he used those words as a hammer. He had
our attention. He was the teacher and we were the students, and he knew how to
guide us.
Sheng Yen also used to mention that it seemed to him that he had a lot of
college students and people with advanced degrees as students of his. He told
us that, through history, the Zen sect has always attracted intellectuals,
moreso than other schools of practice.
(Well, in Hinduism, it is Vedanta that is filled with thinkers).
But he made sure to mention, too, that intellectuals tend to have the most
trouble with Zen practice, mostly because they often cannot just learn
something and APPLY it, but because their tendency is to think about it (I
mean, like methods of practice, for example).
The idiot, on the other hand, may appear happy and giggling, but on the other
hand such a person may be unable to awaken. Awakening is important, it's not
just our state of happiness that counts. But many really smart people have
been unable to awaken, too, not because of a lack of potential, but often
because of a lack of opportunity.
"Causes and conditions" -- cooperating causes, ...teachers, friends, spouses,
strangers, bird calls, the sound of vegetables frying, being burned when
pouring tea... all these things can help us awaken if the time is ripe. And
conditions, ...our upbringing, background, education, personality, experience,
environment, our health, our age... all these can help too. Or not. It's a
crap-shoot (I mean, it seems dependent on "chance", sometimes).
There's no alternative but to practice, if you trust that practice can lead to
awakening, or if you are simply drawn to it by some inclination.
And by practicing, even if you do not awaken rapidly, at least you are becoming
very healthy, and doing some good gardening, house-cleaning, woodworking, etc.
I think, after a while, we forget any reasons for practicing, and we practice
because it has really become a part of our lives, and is becoming something of
an expression of our nature. After awakening, of course it is more an
expression of our nature than before (but we have to go on practicing because
we could otherwise quickly fall asleep again; maybe we practice differently
now, though).
Usually an "idiot" is not aware of practice, nor of what it can lead to, and is
unfortunately cheated by causes and conditions. It may not seem fair.
Maybe it's "karma" that's put the poor fellow in such a state, who knows.
Sheng Yen also used to say that, "We live this life in order to receive the
retribution for past lives."
I hope I don't do a dis-service by sharing these fond recollections of my old
teacher, because, who knows, he might teach differently now if he were still
living. I'll be careful.
--Joe
> Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote:
> Â many a time the "idiot" speaks..and all the..."know alls"... realise they
> know nothing..
[snip... to conserve bandwidth]
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