Bill, This is solipsism, NOT ZEN!
Edgar On Mar 30, 2013, at 5:52 AM, Bill! wrote: > 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 > >
