Joe, IMO...
If you use the word 'sense' to mean 'experience' than there is only one 'sense' and that is Buddha Nature. Our discriminating mind does divide up our experiences into five categories. Thinking is not a sense because it is not an experience. It does give the illusion of experience, but it's not experience. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], "Joe" <desert_woodworker@...> wrote: > > Bob, > > Thanks for posting the "notes" to the Group site as a .doc file. Well done > and generous teaching and encouragement. Gee, I wish I could sit with your > group. > > I'll note that, in general, in Zen practice as I've encountered it as taught > and as practiced, we do not close the eyes. > > There are two reason for this. > > One is that we do not screen-out ANYTHING in our practice, as I've found it. > All six senses are allowed to operate without screening. The "mind" is > usually considered one of the six senses, so we do not suppress or screen out > thoughts either: instead, we put all attention on the method of practice. If > thoughts arise, we just do not follow them: that is not "screening", but it > is just doing ONE thing at a time: remaining concentrated upon the method of > practice in the time when we set ourself to practice. > > The second reason is that Zen practice is about opening to wisdom, through > awakening. Closed eyes can lead to drowsiness and ... to sleep. > > Well, nothing new in these comments. And they are just that, > comments. > > I like your noting the usefulness of the point of contact of the hands. I > find in general that a closed mudra comes more naturally in our way of > sitting, and does more good than an open mudra, a dispersing mudra, or no > mudra. Hmm-m, I meant to write about this here last week, but the death of a > very close sangha friend intervened and put me off doing much of anything: > "Jim", a fellow who practiced his zazen with us always in a wheelchair. I'll > get back to writing sometime. > > Thanks again posting! > > --Joe > > > "bobthomas564" <bobthomas564@> wrote: > > > I also put statements and questions I prepare to them after the group. I > > have attached a couple - (oops! attachments not so easy will try another > > time). > ------------------------------------ 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/
