Like opening a big beautifully rapped Christmas present on Christmas morning only to find the box is empty, and greeting that emptiness without disappointment.
Our awareness and knowledge is precisely how we realize the opening of a can of soup. Becoming aware is always about opening the can of soup, it’s just that we believe it must be more complicated than that. This is our delusion.
I, and a great many others (I suspect) deludedly open cans of soup all the time; but I agree that the opening of a can of soup is nothing other than realisation... **in the instance when it makes things real and expresses the truth everywhere.**
What's the difference between just deludedly opening a can of soup and expressing the truth?
Is a can of soup aware and knowledgable? if not, then REALisation does not seem so real (assuming that a can of soup is real, that is). Is realisation just our own, cut off psychological event like the latter day, post-psychoanalysis books tell me?
I think our delusion has always been the same, we think we are somehow separate from everything else. We humans give our own measure of consciousness a special status and denounce the very consciousness that we evolved from.
The scientific era has made us more aware of our surroundings, but it has done little to curb our vanity. Even though we say we don’t believe in the Judeo-Christian creation myth, we still live by it. Now, we see ourselves as evolutionary flukes in an otherwise stupid universe. This place we find ourselves in is something other than ourselves; we killed God and replaced him by a machine that accidently configured our existence through random brainlessness. Poppycock!
To those who think this way, I say Wake up! Open your eyes, consciousness is everywhere! All actions are transactions, we see the Universe and the Universe sees us. The existence of starlight is what makes our consciousness possible, without stars there would be no cans of soup to realize. Knower and Known are inseparable, we are our own creation. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting… how else would the universe become aware?
Our delusion is talking ourselves out of this realization. Rationally we philosophize abstractions about our awareness while the obvious truth languishes before our very eyes.
Wake up! Wake up! The kettle is boiling! Consciousness begets consciousness. How else would this happen?
Stop talking; grab a bowl… Let's share soup to the sound of Hernáns pipes!
"Our delusion is talking ourselves out of this realization. Rationally we philosophize abstractions about our awareness while the obvious truth languishes before our very eyes."
Yes. On the other hand, the truth, and the practice of it, has a philosophy and a rationale: We are thinking beings after all regardless of whether our thinking alligns us to realise our thinking or be deluded by it.
Dogen Zenji was big on this.
Although some in the Zen world don't seem to like to hear it (and would prefer if we were braindead automatons maybe), and although the words of the Buddhist Ancestors are widely misunderstood due to insincere effort, when they are actualised as such, the words of Masters are the truth realised and direct realisations of the truth.
What a pity to whittle them away to our own deluded dust by splitting heaven and earth asunder.
Hi Koro, yesterday I was hearing a relative saying that "we are spiritual beings living in a material world" and I've found it quite unpleasant. Your last comment hit the nail on the head about that kind of thought.
Realization may be easier when one makes the soup from scratch. Combining, cooking and eating basic ingedients illustrates the impermanence of aggregates.
I would ask the oposite: How to actually realise the opening of a can (or eating or everything else) without awareness.
Hi Hernán,
Yes, a very valid question.
This reminds me that there is the old Buddhist saying that "the triple world is only the mind" (sort of like a yogacarin perspective: 'can of soup is mind-made'), Master Dogen seemed to criticise this as a subjective, idealistic understanding and pointed out the importance of asserting at the same time that "the mind is only the triple world" ('mind is can of soup- made').
In practice we can clarify if the world is 'mind made', if it is 'other made' or if it is made in the interaction of subject and object... but what of it when the world/body and mind is being dropped off?
Zen is that which surrounds us and that which will continue on in our absence - all things, but no thing. Just look out the window, catch a bird with your eye. Now there is Zen.
The Dojin Roku, translated into English as The Wayfarers Record, is a collection of thoughts, observations and shared teachings as presented by the Dojin, or Wayfarers, of the Boundless Mind Zen School. The purpose of this journal is to connect like minded individuals who understand their Zen practice to be a continuing journey beyond standardized Zen practices and independent of sectarian differences.
Zen is a flowing river whose boundaries you define. As with most rivers, zen has necessary seasons of drought and of flood during our lifetime.
ReplyDeleteZen is discovering that you were right about everything you thought was wrong, but wrong about everything you thought was right.
ReplyDeleteDepending on the day I have diferent answers.
ReplyDeletea. A chinese fart flavored with masaala.
b. The great buddhist swindle.
c. Sitting down to see that there is nothing to see.
Dear Attic Conqureing One,
ReplyDeleteI will gladly answer your question about Japanese pop culture if you will clear up a little conundrum for me in advance:
What is the central matter of life and death?
Regards,
Harry.
p.s. Home safe already, and many thanks to you and yours again!
Harry, glad you survived our atypical "Zendo" and safely made it home. In answer to your question,
ReplyDeleteLife is the central matter of life.
Death is the central matter of death.
Your turn.
What is Zen?
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Despite my worst efforts I just don't get it.
Maybe I could say it's to address the curse of certitude.
Regards,
Harry.
Zen is
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou claim no existence for yourself yet you do claim existence for Zen.
Right on one count!
Like opening a big beautifully rapped Christmas present on Christmas morning only to find the box is empty, and greeting that emptiness without disappointment.
ReplyDeleteWhy stop polishing the speckless mirror there?
ReplyDelete(Again, hoping to avoid the 'shitstick' and 'plum tree' answers... appropiate as they are at times)
What exactly is realisation?
Regards,
Harry.
Nice one.
ReplyDeleteAgain, depending on the day.
Realisation is finaly having a set of uilleann pipes :)
Realisation is awareness and knowledge, but not being realised I could be quite wrong with that.
Hi Hernán,
ReplyDeletemmmmmmmmm...piiiiiiiiipes :-)
If realisation is confined to awareness and knowledge, how might we realise the opening of a can of soup (for example)?
Regards,
Harry.
Our awareness and knowledge is precisely how we realize the opening of a can of soup. Becoming aware is always about opening the can of soup, it’s just that we believe it must be more complicated than that. This is our delusion.
ReplyDeleteOh, and having a set of uilleann pipes wouldn't hurt!
ReplyDeleteHi Koro Kaisan,
ReplyDeleteI, and a great many others (I suspect) deludedly open cans of soup all the time; but I agree that the opening of a can of soup is nothing other than realisation... **in the instance when it makes things real and expresses the truth everywhere.**
What's the difference between just deludedly opening a can of soup and expressing the truth?
Is a can of soup aware and knowledgable? if not, then REALisation does not seem so real (assuming that a can of soup is real, that is). Is realisation just our own, cut off psychological event like the latter day, post-psychoanalysis books tell me?
Regards,
Harry.
Hi Harry,
ReplyDeleteI think our delusion has always been the same, we think we are somehow separate from everything else. We humans give our own measure of consciousness a special status and denounce the very consciousness that we evolved from.
The scientific era has made us more aware of our surroundings, but it has done little to curb our vanity. Even though we say we don’t believe in the Judeo-Christian creation myth, we still live by it. Now, we see ourselves as evolutionary flukes in an otherwise stupid universe. This place we find ourselves in is something other than ourselves; we killed God and replaced him by a machine that accidently configured our existence through random brainlessness. Poppycock!
To those who think this way, I say Wake up! Open your eyes, consciousness is everywhere! All actions are transactions, we see the Universe and the Universe sees us. The existence of starlight is what makes our consciousness possible, without stars there would be no cans of soup to realize. Knower and Known are inseparable, we are our own creation. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting… how else would the universe become aware?
Our delusion is talking ourselves out of this realization. Rationally we philosophize abstractions about our awareness while the obvious truth languishes before our very eyes.
Wake up! Wake up! The kettle is boiling! Consciousness begets consciousness. How else would this happen?
Stop talking; grab a bowl… Let's share soup to the sound of Hernáns pipes!
Gassho!
Hi Koro Kaisan,
ReplyDelete"Our delusion is talking ourselves out of this realization. Rationally we philosophize abstractions about our awareness while the obvious truth languishes before our very eyes."
Yes. On the other hand, the truth, and the practice of it, has a philosophy and a rationale: We are thinking beings after all regardless of whether our thinking alligns us to realise our thinking or be deluded by it.
Dogen Zenji was big on this.
Although some in the Zen world don't seem to like to hear it (and would prefer if we were braindead automatons maybe), and although the words of the Buddhist Ancestors are widely misunderstood due to insincere effort, when they are actualised as such, the words of Masters are the truth realised and direct realisations of the truth.
What a pity to whittle them away to our own deluded dust by splitting heaven and earth asunder.
Regards,
Harry.
Hi Harry,
ReplyDeleteI would ask the oposite: How to actually realise the opening of a can (or eating or everything else) without awareness.
Is a can aware and knowledgeable? I don't know. I guess that Chao-chou would have answered Wu to that.
Hi Koro,
ReplyDeleteyesterday I was hearing a relative saying that "we are spiritual beings living in a material world" and I've found it quite unpleasant. Your last comment hit the nail on the head about that kind of thought.
Realization may be easier when one makes the soup from scratch. Combining, cooking and eating basic ingedients illustrates the impermanence of aggregates.
ReplyDeleteAnd it tastes nicer, too!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI would ask the oposite: How to actually realise the opening of a can (or eating or everything else) without awareness.
ReplyDeleteHi Hernán,
Yes, a very valid question.
This reminds me that there is the old Buddhist saying that "the triple world is only the mind" (sort of like a yogacarin perspective: 'can of soup is mind-made'), Master Dogen seemed to criticise this as a subjective, idealistic understanding and pointed out the importance of asserting at the same time that "the mind is only the triple world" ('mind is can of soup- made').
In practice we can clarify if the world is 'mind made', if it is 'other made' or if it is made in the interaction of subject and object... but what of it when the world/body and mind is being dropped off?
Regards,
Harry.
Zen is that which surrounds us and that which will continue on in our absence - all things, but no thing. Just look out the window, catch a bird with your eye. Now there is Zen.
ReplyDeleteHi Harry,
ReplyDeleteI don't know. What of it? Isn't that just sitting?
Hi Hernán,
ReplyDeleteMaster Bodhidharma also didn't know when he was asked. I'll be lazy tonight and just agree with both of you! :-)
Regards,
Harry.
My head is confused......but my heart has no boundaries.
ReplyDelete