Hi David, welcome on board.
wai --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], David McEwen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Greetings All, > > I just joined ZenForum at one of your member's suggestions and would like > to introduce myself. My background is yoga and advaita with a liberal > sprinkling of Zen Buddhist readings. > > As my first offering to the group, here is an ancient analogy I came across > recently in my readings. The analogy centers around already possessing what > one is seeking. For Ramana Maharshi, the analogy was a lady and her > necklace. For Huang Po--the 9th century AD Chinese Zen master, it was a > warrior and his forehead pearl. > > Here then, are the two analogies and their significance as expounded by > these two masters of non-dualism. > > > ===========RAMANA MAHARSHI'S ANALOGY========== > > This excerpt taken from The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi edited by David > Godman, found at <http://www.hinduism.co.za/self-.htm>: > > > Sri Ramana Maharshi: You are already that. Time and space cannot affect the > Self. They are in you. So also all that you see around you is in you. There > is a story to illustrate this point. > > A lady had a precious necklace around her neck. Once in her excitement she > forgot it and thought that the necklace was lost. She became anxious and > looked for it in her home but could not find it. She asked her friends and > neighbours if they knew anything about the necklace. They did not. At last > a kind friend told her to feel the necklace round her neck. She found that > it had all along been round her neck and she was happy. When others asked > her later if she had found the necklace which was lost, she said, 'Yes, I > have found it.' She still felt that she had recovered a lost jewel. > > Now did she lose it at all? It was all along round her neck. But judge her > feelings. She was as happy as if she had recovered a lost jewel. Similarly > with us, we imagine that we will realise that Self some time, whereas we > are never anything but the Self. > > ===========End necklace analogy======= > > > > ===========HUANG PO'S ANALOGY========== > > This excerpt is taken from > <http://www.stephenmitchellbooks.com/anthologies/enlightenedMindExcerp t04.html> > > When most people hear that the Buddhas transmit the teaching of the one > mind, they suppose that there is something to be attained or realized apart > from mind, and they use mind to seek the teaching, not realizing that mind > and the object of their search are one. Mind can't be used to seek mind; if > it is, even after millions of eons have gone by, the search will still not > be over. > > Suppose that a warrior forgot he was already wearing his pearl on his > forehead, and sought for it somewhere else: he might search through the > whole world without finding it. But if someone simply pointed it out to > him, the warrior would immediately realize that the pearl had been there > all the time. In the same way, if you students of the Tao are mistaken > about your own mind, not recognizing that it is the Buddha, you will look > for it somewhere else, indulging in various practices and hoping to attain > something. But even after eons of diligent searching, you won't be able to > attain the Tao. > > These methods can't be compared to the elimination of conceptual thinking, > when you understand there is nothing that has absolute existence, nothing > to hold on to, nothing to depend on, nothing to dwell in, nothing > subjective or objective. When you prevent the rise of conceptual thinking, > you will be free men, and this just means you will realize that the Buddha > has always existed in your own mind. Eons of striving will turn out to be > wasted effort; just as, when the warrior found his pearl, he simply found > what had been hanging on his forehead all the time, and his discovery had > nothing to do with his efforts to find it elsewhere. Therefore the Buddha > said, "I didn't attain a single thing through Supreme Perfect > Enlightenment." It was because he was concerned that people wouldn't > believe this that he taught by less direct methods. This statement of his > isn't idle chatter; it expresses the highest truth. > > ===========End forehead pearl analogy============ > > gassho, > > David ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZenForum/ <*> 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/
