This reminds me of something that heard some years ago: "This statement is false" B
Find what makes your heart sing…and do it! ________________________________ From: Kristopher Grey <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, October 7, 2012 11:46:47 AM Subject: [Zen] Fwd: [Nonduality Salon] attainment being unrelated to practice, why practice? Q and A FWIW... -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [Nonduality Salon] attainment being unrelated to practice, why practice? Q and A Date: Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:39:51 -0000 From: terencepmurphy <[email protected]> Reply-To: [email protected] To: [email protected] from masao abe's 'zen and western thought' - this passage reminds me of bruce's remark regarding the utility of practice for the realization of what is already our essential nature: quote Sr. Parachini - You keep saying that Buddhism emphasizes that you are *already* inseparable from Self-Awakening, which in my understanding is the experience of Nothingness. If that is true, and if I understand correctly, I do not understand why people are practicing *zazen*. If we are already experiencing this as part of our original being, what is the purpose of *zazen*? Prof. abe - I had another question in the coffee break which is related to your question: 'The Buddha attained enlightenment at a certain point in his life, so before that was he not unenlightened?' *Zazen* is often thought of in this way, as a process leading towards enlightenment. Through practice we approach the goal of enlightenment. This understanding is quite natural, but thinking along these lines, will we ever be able to reach enlightenment? We may come closer and closer to the end but will never reach it. For the goal is a projection from the side of ourselves as being on the way. We are in the unenlightened state and enlightenment becomes a projection from this state of unenlightenment. Thus, there will be an essential gap between the so-called delusion and the so-called enlightenment, between practice and attainment, a gap which can never be bridged. The more we try to reach out towards enlightenment as a projection, the clearer we see that there is a gap. And finally we come to realize the delusory nature of this approach as such. Not only our present state of unenlightenment, but also the 'enlightenment' which is projected by us as a distant goal are delusions. With the realization of these delusions, the whole approach must collapse, and then you may realize that enlightenment is not over there. It is present *right here under your feet* and can be realized at any point of the process. In a sense we must say that we are in the process of practice, without which enlightenment is impossible, but this does not mean that we are simply on the way towards enlightenment; if this were the case, then we would always be on the way without attaining enlightenment. When we realize the limitations of this very approach, we realize that we are not simply on the way towards enlightenment, but have *originally* been *in* enlightenment. There is a dynamic unity of being on the way and having reached the goal. *Zazen* has no purpose. True *zazen* in itself is true enlightenment. end quote aloha, terry
