Kris, >What you seek to attend to, is none other than that attending. Abiding as >whatever presents.
I agree. This is just another way of saying that consciousness arises with whatever presents from moment to moment (conditioned). But it's how we react, or not, to these moments that is the crux of whether we suffer... or not. >There is no Buddha without Mara. Again, I agree. I think there's a very shallow belief in Buddhism, including zen, that when someone becomes 'enlightened' they will experience a life free of attachments, desires and craving. If conditions are right, we can experience moments of liberation, but we live in a contingent world and so always need to pay attention to each and every moment. >All teachings of Buddha are carried and delivered by Mara. Nice. >The Middle Way cannot be entered without Mara's invitation. Be mindful you >don't reject it. Well, you know what they say about keeping your friends close to you, but your enemies closer ; ) Mike ________________________________ From: Kristopher Grey <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, 10 September 2012, 2:55 Subject: Re: [Zen] Re: THE BASIC TEACHING OF BUDDHA On 9/9/2012 3:34 PM, mike brown wrote: >Kris, > >>The nature of this realized, cessation is effortless. > >We're contingent beings in a contingent world. We're born, we grow sick, we grow old, we die. In a contingent world we don't know what's just around the corner ready to befall us. In order to "realise" suffering fully we need to pay mindful attention to what impacts on us - not to just the external stimuli, but also to how we react to them inwardly. While all this is so, these are not separate. 'No independent origination". Contingent. What you seek to attend to, is none other than that attending. Abiding as whatever presents. Abiding is not optional. Delusions of not abiding take great effort to maintain (Abiding is not optional. Delusions of not abiding take great effort to maintain [Abiding is not optional. Delusions of not abiding take great effort to maintain.].)... If you realize at least 1/3 of that last bit - your mindfulness is sufficient. ;) Even after Buddha's defeat of Mara, he was still 'visited' by Mara from time to time. life happens moment to moment and no over-riding state of mind/knowledge/understanding/Enlightenment will eradicate the potential to suffer at any time. All we can do is constantly practice mindfulness until our mind isn't so restless and we can be more aware of those first stirrings of the mind to be so reactive. > There is no Buddha without Mara. Neither victor nor vanquished was born to fight nor dies in the struggle. To conquer delusion is see it was never otherwise. Samsara is Nirvana. No other realization/no realization of other. All teachings of Buddha are carried and delivered by Mara. The Middle Way cannot be entered without Mara's invitation. Be mindful you don't reject it. KG
