Mike and Kris, This is consistent with what I say, that Mara (illusion or the world of forms) is the WAY THAT BUDDHA NATURE MANIFESTS IN OUR WORLD. Properly realized Mara is not something apart from Buddha Nature but a manifestation of Buddha Nature. Mara is only illusion when taken for the whole of reality rather than being realized as a manifestation of Buddha Nature itself.
Edgar On Sep 11, 2012, at 8:28 PM, mike brown wrote: > > 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 > > > >
