Zen Life

from JoeUser Forums
With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,



From our discussions, it would seem we think Zen is about philosophical issues, odd little paradoxes, and annoying ritual. Yes and no, as a Good Rabbi would say.



In truth, Zen is about training to make every aspect of your body one with every aspect of your environment so that they are all synchronous. In such a case, even things that appear out of step are actually in step.



So, what does such a life mean? It means practice-forgiveness, practice-acceptance, practice-realization.



When we live our practice we will make mistakes, we forgive ourselves; we will be challenged, we receive life as it is; and as we live in such a way, our life-practice is our realization.



Zengetsu, a Chinese master of the T'ang dynasty, wrote the following advice for his pupils:



Live with cause and leave results to the great law of the universe. Pass each day in peaceful contemplation.



Be well.
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1,627 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Have we met before ? Well, this is rather like an old Police album, Synchronicity. Pity that some things just wear out, like vynil. I guess for a time the whole idea of mysticism was intruiging to me, until the encounter with the real real, or the true truth. Practice is appealing, for awhile; until it all just becomes another job, and the best part is relaxing after it is finished. Where one mirror reflects the other with nothing inbetween.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hello aeryck,

There is a some danger in practice becoming a job. When this happens it means we are not practicing well. It means that we are practicing with a dualistic mind. I light the candle think I should be writing my mother or I do zazen thinking I'd rather be running. Practice is about non-dualistic life. So too, with mysticism. If we approach any practice as if it were transformative it will fail. The transformation is in the practice itself and in the end, we see that "mountains are just mountains and rivers are just rivers." Yet to see them as such, clrearly, we must practice clear mind practice.

Thank you for reading my blog.

a bow to you.
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Clear mind is a good start. I love mountains and rivers, and especially streams. Yet, these are only shadows of a history not our own when softer voices spoke, and kinder words were heard.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
It's not really prayer in the classical sense, more like a conversation with a very wise ancient friend who I normally call, Lord GOD. His shop is normally open before I wake, and when I am out flying in my spaceship. I dig his music, some two thousand year old sanskrit attributed to John the Divine.

  
Aeryck.