Joe, You avoid the koan! Unless the koan is engaged, progress is not possible...
Edgar On Apr 18, 2013, at 5:26 PM, Joe wrote: > Edgar, > > If you work as Dogen did, and as his current disciples work, then all's right > with the world. > > To be enlightened by all things is to have no models, no itinerary, and no > fixed ideas. Everything has fallen away. There is experience, is all. > > If you were proposing add-ons, Edgar, then of course you were deviant. If you > were not proposing add-ons, then perhaps we misunderstood your proposals to > add-on. > > Anyway, no need to go on further about it, because we are discussing Zen, and > Zen practice. > > And William brought up Kant, and Kant's "Thing in itself". Who knows what > Kant had in mind, I'll say, just to be expedient. I don't think it's what > we're talking about, and it could be at cross-purposes to the program of Zen > practice, which, as Dogen described, is about not- thinking, and > non-thinking, and other words to that effect, which is a real effect, made > available through devoted zazen, and then an openness to all things. It makes > available a transformation which has little or nothing to do with zazen, and > is not a training-effect, and which has everything to do with all things. > > But, we go in steps. Although ...Dogen, in his short life, served up the > whole shebang, because he taught from the perspective of enlightenment, not > from that of delusion, instigated and perpetuated by attachment. > > Dogen's way is pure and true, and that's why so many people cannot approach > it correctly, and usually get it wrong. A teacher of the proper temper is > almost always required to help any student in Dogen's way, or in any other > approach to Zen awakening through practice. > > I assume we've all had teachers, or are going to have teachers. > > Meanwhile, umpteen theories, miscues, and false-practices abound; Caution. > > Strong practice!, > > --Joe > > > Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote: > > > > Joe and William, > > > > Dogen's "Being enlightened BY ALL THINGS" is exactly what I've been > > explaining here for years to the continued scoffs of Joe and Bill. > > > > Being enlightened by all things MEANS seeing the Buddha Nature in the world > > of forms. It accepts and embraces the world of forms. It doesn't try to > > escape from the world of forms as Bill and Joe claim we have to do... > >
