Mike, IMO
Form (things/phenomena) don't point to a truth. Truth is only experienced. Truth is Buddha Nature. Truth is absolute. A `relative' truth would be YOUR truth, or MY truth. That's no longer `form' but `content'. I call all content illusory because each of us create us ourselves (relatively). It might mean a lot to you (be true) but could be meaningless to me (not be true). I'm not concerned with teaching guides. Nothing I or anyone could teach you about experience of Buddha Nature would be of value anyway. You've got to experience yourself. That doesn't mean you have to then go on and fill-in all form with content for yourself, although you and I do indeed do that, I'm certain. That means you have to recognize the form as empty, and the content you've created as illusory. The only way I know how to do that is zazen. The self is illusory, and so is the distinction between `you' and `those' you love or hate. There are conditions but I MAKE THEM. They are illusory. The `I' that woke up this morning is an illusory `I'. The distinction that `Thailand' is a unique place separate from other places is illusory. I MAKE THOSE conditions with my human intellect. The is no `Law' except the one we make with our intellect. My point is none of these things/phenomena/truths/conditions are bad things, nor are they even necessarily detrimental to or obscure the manifestation of Buddha Nature. You can see through these if you do not become deceived and believe they have substance (content) and are not just what they are empty forms. When you start believing they are real (relatively) you are prone to form ATTACHMENTS that can that then can obscure Buddha Nature. That's the best I can do to explain my UNDERSTANING of the experience of Buddha Nature and of illusions. Bill! From: [email protected] <[email protected]>; To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; Subject: RE: [Zen] Cause-and-Effect Sent: Sat, Mar 30, 2013 7:47:56 AM Bill!, Of course, the labels we use to name things/phenomena are meaningless by themselves, but they point to a truth. A relative truth (such as 'self'), but a truth none-the-less. To just say everything is "illusory" means very little and does even less as a teaching guide. This is what Buddha was getting at. He never denied a self as just being illusory - I'm very much real and so are the people I love - but he recognised that it is a self created by conditions (if there are no conditions, then how come you didn't wake up as a Chinese man this morning? How did you come to live in Thailand?) and that these conditions influence our thoughts/actions leading to further conditions etc etc. A simple contemplation of your life thus far would quickly bear witness to this Law. Oh, I forgot! "your" and "life" are concepts, and therefore illusory, so.... what was your point again? ; ) Mike ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
