From Reb Anderson’s Chapter on “Do not kill” in “Being Upright”: Life does not change into death. death does not change into life. life is just life; death is just death Life and death are not before and after In reality, death vividly and peacefully coexists with the fullest expression of life the ancient buddhas … Continue reading Talk for Carl Myosen’s memorial
Tag: total dynamic functioning
Entrusting yourself to the Waves.
One of my favorite Ryokan poems: To find the dharma Drift east and west, Come and go, Entrusting yourself to the waves. Entrustment — to put into the care of and protecting someone or something. That is from the dictionary. Is there, in Buddhism, someone or something to entrust yourself with? Well, certainly it is not … Continue reading Entrusting yourself to the Waves.
No-Birth, No-death
From “Touching the Earth, Intimate Conversations with the Buddha” by Thich Nhat Hanh, pages 25 and 26: “Lord Buddha, I shall listen to your advice and look deeply into impermanence, interdependence, emptiness and interbeing, in order to arrive at the deep realization that all that exists has the nature of no birth/ no death no … Continue reading No-Birth, No-death
Doing nothing but being the way things are.
I have been contemplating what “doing nothing” means. “Doing nothing” certainly goes against my achievement drive, or my idea of bettering myself, or my idea of attaining enlightenment. I know that “doing nothing” doesn’t mean simply “doing nothing” like a couch potato lost in the dream of TV. But “doing nothing” has something to do … Continue reading Doing nothing but being the way things are.
As long as demons exist in the world
“As long as demons exist in the world, they have their own reason to exist. The reason is completely beyond our human speculation, but demons exist in Buddha’s world. So we have to find the realm of buddhas within the realm of demons. In other words, in the realm of pain and suffering, we have to find … Continue reading As long as demons exist in the world
Setting the self out in array
From Uji or Being-Time by Dogen, a fascicle in the Shobogenzo: We set the self out in array and make that the whole world. We must see all the various things of the whole world as so many times. — Waddell and Abe Translation The way the self arrays itself is the form of … Continue reading Setting the self out in array
The absolute in the relative and the relative in the absolute
How do we understand non-duality or oneness without destroying the uniqueness of particular things? How do we understand non-duality or oneness without holding on and solidifying particular things? In the Yin-yang symbol, there is a dot of black in the white side, and a dot of white in the black side. From Harmony of Difference … Continue reading The absolute in the relative and the relative in the absolute
What do we trust in?
“What do we trust in?” is a pinnacle spiritual question. In order to surrender, or let go of control by our so-called mind and “I”, we have to trust in something. What is it that we surrender to? I’ve noticed in my teaching life, that when I ask people about trust, often I hit on … Continue reading What do we trust in?
Worry and Fear
Worry and fear can alter our perceptions until we lose all sense of reality, twisting neutral situations into nightmares. Because most worry focuses on the future, if we can learn to stay in the present, living one day or one moment at a time, we take positive steps towards warding off the effects of fear. … Continue reading Worry and Fear