Bill!, No, no, don't elevate me, or my awakening. Mine was average, as all of ours must be. ;-)
I've gone over the same ground several times, too: Multiple awakenings are also possible, standard, the norm, and common, and documented. ;-) First go-'round lasted 8 weeks, before the mind ever moved again. It was a challenging time, when I was first working in Science, and had to really produce. I found it easy!, but very different. And I even took a second job. I found it hard to say "No", when I knew I could help. It wore down, eventually: I was doing too much. This is good! As Bodhisattvas, we are not ones to jump over the wall and stay out there, but we come back into the "prison-yard", and feel at home as never before, while we bring happiness to the inmates, and guards. Bill!, I only disagree about the different schools of practice having different effects upon awakening. At awakening, all is forgiven! ;-) --Joe PS Thanks, welcoming me me back. First, it was the birthday; then, birding over the Fourth of July, et. seq., at Madeira Canyon that kept me away. Then, it was the receipt of my first Android device (a tablet); I "had" to immediately begin to write apps (or begin to learn how to do so). I've been *embroiled* ever since. But also reading lots of good Buddhist material, and some unpublished manuscripts -- or at least one -- on the Android, as an e-reader. It (She...) will even read *to* me. As if I were not spoiled already. But I'm liking this MS. Truly. > "Bill!" <BillSmart@...> wrote: > > Joe, > > First of all welcome back! > > My experience is not the same as you describe below. Although the initial > awakening (satori) was immediate and complete, delusions and attachments > slowly crept back in and I still have them to some degree to this day. Zen > practice (mainly zazen) helps me to 'clean my bowls' and keeps them > relatively unsullied, but they are not completely spotless - yet. > > Your awakening must have been more complete than mine. > > ...Bill! > > --- In [email protected], "Joe" <desert_woodworker@> wrote: > > > > Bill!, > > > > No, I don't think so. > > > > Awakening is awakening. > > > > Upon arrival, it matters not how one arrived. One is simply not attached, > > not able to attach, and simply simplified, and one with all our original > > Human inheritance (full compliment of faculties). > > > > There is no residue of how one practiced previously. > > > > Granted, the practices, and the emphases of the two schools appear to > > differ, beforehand. > > > > But Awakening is just the same for everyone. How can we be sure?: Well, > > there is only one nature. When that nature is completely embodied, joined, > > inhabited, then, no figments from the past have any liveliness. All is > > dead but the present, just THIS. > > > > This is my experience, with several teachers, working the two different > > ways (streams) that are currently popular (Obaku Zen is rare). > > > > How long awakening lasts, after any given instance, is also not a matter of > > which School one practices in, but depends instead on one's overall > > preparation, one's overall practice, and one's state of health. > > Additionally, on one's state of practice immediately after awakening (one > > must continue, and change practice in substantive ways, following one's > > entering the door of Ch'an, say). > > > > In Zen practice, one is a Yogi. The better the Yogi, the more sweeping the > > awakening, and the longer it will continue. > > > > Awakening is awakening. It depends on the "Yogi", not on the school of > > practice. That is my claim. Rinzai, Soto, phooey. They are vehicles. > > They are not the nature. Thus, awakening is uniform. > > > > But, different Yogis will have lesser or greater awakenings, depending on > > state of health, general overall preparation and practice, etc. > > > > There is only one nature. Zen schools have nothing to do with that. > > > > Soto or Rinzai are immaterial to it. > > > > Hail! > > > > --Joe ------------------------------------ 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/
