--- carlos <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> One can not see life just trough a colored glass no
> matter how
> special it looks, the job of the master has to be
> put aside when one
> talks to others that do not have aspirations to be
> master, since
> awakening is not just for masters but for everyone
> ,it does not even
> has to be a Buddhist to obtain it.
> All those masters from the past had an ego too.
> Is this list only for monks?
> Metta
> Carlos
We're again back to square one. Buddhism does not
comply with the cafeteria model. You cannot just waltz
in and start picking and choosing ("I'll take a little
bit of Four Noble Truths here, maybe a dash of 8-fold
path there, throw in some sutra chanting for good
measure," etc.)
Buddhist practice demands the whole person. It is an
all-or-nothing proposition. Either you're in up to
your eyeballs, or you're completely shunned. There is
no Middle Way there.
In Buddhism, a Master is not someone who knows more
than you do. Buddhist Master is a person who can show
you how not to waste time.
Buddist practitioners can be essentially wrong in two
ways:
1. Wrong thinking (as in going on a fishing expedition
in the middle of the ocean without taking any fishing
equipment)
2. Wrongheaded thinking (as in going on a fishing
expedition and taking all the necessary fishing
equipment, but wasting one's time trying to fish in a
Sahara desert)
A Buddhist Master can bring to your attention the fact
that you are trying to catch a fish in the Sahara
desert. It ain't going to happen, no matter how
skilled a fisherman you might be. It is very clear to
the Master, but may not be clear to you.
So, to begin with, every aspiring Buddhist
practitioner must first make it clear whether they do
have the appropriate equipment (i.e. whether they have
all the necessary fishing rods and bait etc), before
embarking on the expedition.
Once that is clear, they need to ascertain whether
they are heading in the wrong direction. For that, one
needs to get in touch with a Master. The Master can
always tell you when you're attempting to fish in
Sahara. Your duty is to listen attentively and to act
upon the guiding words.
You don't have to be a master yourself in order to
catch a fish. But you do need to qualify to be taught.
It won't just fall into your lap.
Alex
=====
No karma was produced during the composition of this letter
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
All your favorites on one personal page � Try My Yahoo!
http://my.yahoo.com
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/
