Thanks for the long thoughtful post, Fudo -- good to see you hit the ground running :)
A couple of questions, in part just or promote positive discussion on this struggling forum: 1) Fudos qutoe: In the Bendowa Dogen states "if perceptions and understanding are mixed in, then it is not the mark of verification." -- what is this saying? That ones 'attainnment' is fake / unverifiable if it is comprised of perceptions and understanding? If so, I don't get it... But maybe I'm reading the thing wrong. Little help? 2) Fudo writes: It is when we no longer try to drive our mind down one particular track that we can begin to see what it naturally is. We can begin to sense what we truly are. -- I am seeing how this works. In part it greatly reduces the 'burden' of maintaining a self-importance. Things that don't go my way, don't bother me as much, because I don't associate my 'self' with the previous wish/desire/misconception. I can say, "those poorly laid plans weren't mine, just some past fool named Rod -- now that I have to deal with the pieces, what will this Rod do/plan for?" Lets me get to work rather than lament ideas of loss... All that said, there is another temptation that has been arising and I think you might have actually recommended I pursue it if I recall, but I suspect because of its decadence its not a rewarding way to see things.I'd like your and others input on its effacy before I give further into it, or swear it off: My habit of repackaging things into self and other, makes me want to still point and say THAT is me. Naturally the stuff I point at is flattering, like I AM Life/ existence/ arising/ thinking/ observing/ love/ curiosity/ hope etc. This is attractive because I don't see death much in those things, and thus it sounds like a nice place to hang my hat (and also stroke my ego since I leave out the death/non-existence/stillness/fear/apathy/defeat). I know I shouldn't deliberately 'choose' where to hang my hat, and just let it work itself out, but I feel trapped between resisting the egotistic but decadent lure of being a personification of etneral Arising/Bodhisattva/Buddha/God/etc. and the alternative of trying to keep 'knowledge' of the impermanent nature of things in my wretching gut. Where is the alternative place? Hang my hat on death with equal fervor as life? Defeat with equal surety of hope? Rod Scholl ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Would you Help a Child in need? It is easier than you think. Click Here to meet a Child you can help. http://us.click.yahoo.com/0Z9NuA/I_qJAA/i1hLAA/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/
