Thought is not required, for what?
>thought is not required.
Ian asked the right question. Is thought required for the process or for the end result? Is your computer monitor (screen and speakers) completely essential either? If I knew the organization of my computer well enough, I could eliminate the screen and speakers altogether and be able to type and print documents, defrag my hard drive, and pay my bills online all a priori, because the only thing that is really ever happening when a computer is used with or without the monitor is the opening and closing of electrical circuits in the body of the computer.
The reason we use computers is not because we feel the need to manipulate tiny circuits. That is what robots and animals do. Have you ever seen an assembly line machine with a screen next to it so the machine can read what to do next? No! The monitor presents a cognizable, workable analogy of the circuits' activity that is not a "true" representation of the only tangible thing going on, the switching circuits, but it is customized to our perception so that we can point-and-click icons and type and read words, none of which exist in tiny circuits.
We are humans. We use computers not just for organizing digital photos and pictures, but to look at the picture. We use computers not just for organizing digital music, but to listen to the music. We use computer monitors to experience, even though we are constantly unaware of the reality of every step in the process of using the computer (circuits switching). Our experience and goal is not the objective reality anyway, but just that experience itself. Maybe you have a cool looking screen saver. How cool do you think the programming code for that screensaver would look?
So thought is not required just as much as computer speakers and screen are not. I invite those on this list who believe that enlightenment is a thoughtless state in which all things which are human must be abandoned, to turn off your computer, unplug the speakers and screen, restart the computer, and see how much work you get done. What happens on the monitor is all we can have and can know.
Yes, the monitor is an inefficient middle-man, and yes, thoughts are not required to execute the process, but the process was meant to not only be executed but also experienced in a form relatable to the senses. What is the point in memorizing each step in opening a photograph on the computer so that it could be done without a screen on which to view it in the first place? That's exactly what you are doing as long as you chase the so-called "Wooden Plank Enlightenment" The key is not to be without a mind, but to be in control of it. The meditation of wooden-plank zen involves killing the wild bull because it can not be ridden, while another meditation involves actually training the bull to be ridden.
Remember; you are shooting at a moving target! Don?t aim directly at the target, but lead your shots instead!
Mr. VL
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