when you hear the "sound of the moonlight wailing" and the "feeling of sun
flooding your heart"
or as the old saying goes "the sound of one hand clapping"
..you'll know
otherwise keep practising as joe always says.
practise practise and practise.
that is the best advice ever and it's so so so practical
merle...let's pay our respects to joe!
I need some practice advice. In my meditation, I have become aware of something
I will call "mental-integration-itself" although those words are only an
approximation. I will therefore report some background and details, below, to
see if I can get this across. What I need is advice on whether or not
mental-integration-itself is enough on the path that I should spend a lot of
time noticing it. Also, of course, if anyone sees a way I can improve on the
mental-integration-itself awareness I have so far, I would be grateful.
Both Dzogchen and Zen say that somehow, satori and samsara are the same. I have
tried for years to understand what that would feel like. Here are a several
examples from a vast number of comments:
Cleary, Thomas, trans. (2002) SECRETS OF THE BLUE CLIFF RECORD, ZEN COMMENTS BY
HAKUIN AND TENKEI, Boston& London: Shambhala
Page 76, "If potential does not leave a static position, it falls into a sea of
poison ...
"[Hakuin] The entirety of this introduction applies to the example. `Potential'
is what appears before being expressed in words; the `static position' is the
cave of satori...
"[Tenkei] If you realize an awakening but do not eliminate leaking of views,
you stick to the absolute stasis of transcendence in the realm of satori, which
is to `fall into a sea of poison' ... "
Rabjam, Longchen, Richard Barron, trans., Padma Translation Committee (2001)
THE PRECIOUS TREASURY OF THE BASIC SPACE OF PHENOMENA, Junction City" Padma
Publishing.
Page 7, "However things appear or sound, within the vast realm of basic space
they do not stray from the spontaneous equalness as dharmakaya, awakened mind...
Page 15, "On this infinite foundation, extending everywhere impartially, the
stronghold of awakened mind does not distinguish between samsara and nirvana..."
Norbu, Chogyal Namkhui, Adriano Clemente, and Andrew Lukianowicz (1999) THE
SUPREME SOURCE, THE KUNJED GYALPO, THE FUNDAMENTAL TANTRA OF DZOGCHEN SEMDE,
Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications
Page 150, "I am the essence of all phenomena; nothing exists that is not my
essence. The teachers of the three dimensions {I'm unclear about what
"dimensions" means here, Jim} are my essence. The Buddhas of the three times
are my essence. The four types of yogins are my essence. The three worlds, of
desire, of form, and without form, too, are my manifestations. The five great
elements are my essence. The six classes of beings are my essence. All the
habitats and the beings living therein are my essence. Nothing exists that is
not my essence because I am the universal root: there is nothing that is not
contained in me ..."
OK. Now when I am meditating while there is an image inside my head, I can see
all parts of the image simultaneously because something in me is integrating
the parts of the image in some way. If I try to see this
mental-integration-itself, the mental-integration-itself is like transparent
space yet active. I can barely detect this transparent and it doesn't look like
any of the shapes or colors of the image. In a way, this transparent
mental-integration-itself seems to be in front of the image. I then
de-emphasize the image so it slips partly from awareness, while becoming more
aware of the clear empty mental-integration-itself.
Intellectually, the mental-integration itself which I experience isn't any of
the shapes or colors, yet it connects all the shapes and colors together. So it
has a little bit of form, from the connecting, plus it is empty. Does the fact
that it looks like it fits Buddhist definitions mean that what I am
experiencing actually does fit those definitions? Therefore, would it be right
to continue to become aware of the mental-integration-itself with all kinds of
perceptions, experiences, and situations?
So that I what I need some advice on.
Jim
