so bill:,,,how come there is ying and yang?.... which one is the illusion?..merle
Mike, There are not two sides of the coin. There is only one. What you perceive as the 'other side' is a dualistic - an illusion. The illusion of 'being human' and believing that to be 'special' or 'unique' is no different from the illusion of self. Both these illusions (all illusions really) only server to create an illusory distinction from what you then perceive is 'everything else'. Duality is this two-sided coin you have created. Of course I suffer. I do so because I get sucked into (attach) to illusion the same as everyone else. Even after attaching to illusion and when the attachment fades enough I then do remember that this is all illusion; and yes it does ameliorate the immediate suffering and eventually dissolves it entirely. I would certainly comfort someone who is suffering. I would try to assure them that things will get better. BUT, even in their time of greatest sorrow if they asked me IN ALL EARNESTNESS (as is the litany in most koans) how to alleviate the suffering I would tell them the truth. Suffering is caused by attachment to illusions. I would actually not just tell them this but would suggest they sit (zazen) because just telling someone something is not really effective. They must experience it for themselves. I personally don't believe misleading someone is helpful to bring them to this experience. I sometimes feel you display a balanced, patronizing relativism that may serve to reinforce your illusion of compassion, but in practice falls woefully short. The koan HYAKUJO AND THE FOX was indeed about the percieved interplay between absolutism and relativism. The warning however was not just about absolutism, it included relativism also. ...Bill! .
