JMJM, Donald,
Well, you are "Absolutely" correct.
And that is unfortunately the weakness in speaking as you do.
The Absolute holds no sway when it is people in the relative plane who we are
talking with, and who we, as Bodhisattvas, hope to help.
"Originally enlightened" simply means "endowed will all Human faculties" (minus
the Vexations).
That goes with the territory, and is a tautology. We can just silently
presuppose it, once we know something of Buddhadharma. As we do.
People in the relative plane, who have not opened their Single Eye, know
nothing of this. You might as well be speaking CHINESE! Like my Shifu! But,
he had a great translator (several, at different times). And we all practiced
together, so we could realize our huge life as ONE ...together. There is no
other way.
...Unless you are merely ...an academic, err-r, "Scholar" (not one of the
Family).
This is serious: you wrote "originally" enlightened, and I pointed out that
this makes no practical difference over "already enlightened". I also pointed
out that the enlightenment of "people" is bogus, as you agree: it is
enlightened *Behavior* which is of importance in our world of inter-being.
There are no "people". ;-)
Are you sure you are practicing Ch'an? It does not sound very authentic to me.
Not at all! I think you incorporate more folk-religion than is healthy.
Changes are coming. Don't be surprised, there.
Have you ever met my Shifu, Master Sheng Yen? His life was dedicated to
improving the state of understanding and practice of Ch'an Dharma and practce
in China and Taiwan.
His goal was to uproot, well, the bullshit. Or at least to "compost" it. He
was honored by the President of Taiwan as "The Environmental Monk". But surely
you know these facts. Sheng Yen's way was to enable us to return to the Earth
of Golden Brocade (if not the Pure Land). That is his legacy. He succeeded.
His Dharma Drum University in Taiwan is training the next hundred generations
of Bodhisattvas.
With infinite respect for both our Origins in Practice,
and Nine Bows,
(with Buddha and our Teachers and Ancestors in mind),
and you too, Donald ShiXiong,
--Joe
> <chan.jmjm@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Joe,
>
> Thank you. I meant to write "originally enlightened", not "already
> enlightened"..
>
> Thank you for pointed it.
> JM
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