Dear List, I have been following the discussion between a couple of people on the list as to the nature of rafts, and as to the type of raft that could be carried as opposed to the heavy raft that must be put down when one reaches the other shore. It occurs to me that both sides have missed a vital point. We are not supposed to be small vehicle practioners, building a raft to get ourselves to the other shore. We mahayana practioners are supposed to be about piloting a greater vehicle. It is not our concern to merely get ourselves to the other shore. We should be about being ferrymen(and women).
We are not supposed to be about getting to the other shore first, and then waving and trying to get others attention. This has already been done. The way has been marked out, the ferry designed. We do not even ever need to step on the other shore and gawk about like a tourist(the analogy breaks down because that other shore is right here...but we can play with it a while). All we need to do is get in the already well designed ferry, and ride from the flag someone conviently placed on our shore over to the one they placed on the other. We can choose a red painted boat, a green painted boat, a yellow painted boat..or one of any other of the appealing colors already prepared for our arrival. We should choose one though, because having one foot in one ferry and one in another can lead to a dunk in the river. Once we make the crossing and observe how one moves a ferry, we can get a job on the crew. Then we can work our way up to captain, and then perhaps build a ferry of our own, with upgrades and the latest technology. Zen (nor any mahayana schood) is not about building and abondoning rafts, it is not about wasting anything, and it is not about building something extra that is not needed. We never need to step on the other shore, as a matter of fact, we have vowed not to till all others have been ferried over first. What has passed for Zen and Buddhism as a whole in much of the west is this sort of a hinayana practice. A "what is in it for me?" kind of practice. It is much easier to sell this kind of practice in a culture where everything has a price, and everything must be sold. We are like a blind explorer who wanders down the well paved roads he cannot see, and ends up in downtown Chicago. "I claim this land for Portugal"...the roads have already been paved..we do not need another path finder. There is nowhere near Chicago that has not already been explored in the last 2500 years. We look like the blind fool who is totally unaware when we plant a flag and say "I discovered this." The city has already been explored, the map made, the roads paved, and the land already claimed. "Have no designs on becoming a Buddha"......Eihei Dogen. Just get in the well designed boat that has been working well for 2500 years (our practice) and ride it till you learn to steer, then join the crew and work your way up to captain if you wish. It is just fine to be an engineer, or a cook who feeds the crew, or whatever other niche you can fit in on the crew. One need not be the captain to make a contribution to the effort. You need to train your successor before you abandon your present post however, or the ferry might cease to operate. There are many ferries built in the west of new design and with a low bidder contract on the materials. They might work to get you across. But before I pay for a ticket on one of those, I wished to check out the old tried and true ferry. I wanted to see the standard that had been set. I prefer the old boat. It serves me just fine for negotiating the way between the brightly colored flags some seem to have missed in their blind desire to blaze a new landing on an already well marked shore. It is after all, all I need to make the trip, over and over, day after day, month after month till there are no more passengers to ferry. There will be infinite kalpas to explore the other shore, when the job is done. In mahayana there is no abondoning a ferry till the ferry has no more use, not just to you, but to anyone else. There is no stepping onto the other shore till the job is done. Nothing to abandon right now ..there are still an infinite amount of beings to ferry across before we even get close to the time to consider abondoning anything at all. It is just our blind ego that would fool us into thinking that we need to find our own way, and that once we do we should drop it. It is just our ego that says the blue boat is the best boat because we are on it. Therefore all boats should be blue. Go ahead and have your discussion of rafts and the type of raft that can be carried or abandoned. Just do not pretend that this is some idea that would be supported by any Mahayana school. Nagrajuna was a Mahayana ancestor. He was a Zen ancestor as well. To bad that someone could spend 20 years studying his writings, and miss this essential point. I guess the finger was just too fat. Be Well Fudo ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. 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