If you call this a shippei, you are adhering to the fact. If you do not call this a shippei, you are opposing the fact. You should not use words. You should not use no-words. Speak at once! Speak at once! Gateless Gate, case 43. In silence, there is sound. To know sound, there must … Continue reading Ugh!
Tag: zen
The center of perfect freedom
For a horse, it is freedom to gallop. For a snake, it is freedom to crawl, not gallop. But it is still freedom for a snake not to be able to gallop. Failure to gallop is an elegant performance for a snake. Take the example of a jet plane about to take off. A hundred … Continue reading The center of perfect freedom
As two from one in zero
The cycle continues. The cat mouse game carries us along as two. We are enlightened or deluded. We assume the game's rules are clear that upon enlightenment, the delusion will vanish, and we will be one. But that is a thought in a dualistic game with no winner and a never-ending cycle of suffering. We … Continue reading As two from one in zero
Tripped up by the chooser
Exposure to Koans is recent in my journey but has proven to be invaluable. Just a mere reflection of what on the surface appear to be unsolvable riddles, unearths my deep-rooted patterns of thinking. The chooser of me that I have identified with for most of my life is exposed again for what it is. … Continue reading Tripped up by the chooser
Pointers to the Formless: lost in thought
From the contemplative point of view, being lost in thoughts of any kind, pleasant or unpleasant, is analogous to being asleep and dreaming. It’s a mode of not knowing what is actually happening in the present moment. It is essentially a form of psychosis. Thoughts themselves are not a problem, but being identified with thought is. Taking oneself to be the thinker of one’s thoughts—that is, not recognizing the present thought to be a transitory appearance in consciousness—is a delusion that produces nearly every species of human conflict and unhappiness. It doesn’t matter if your mind is wandering over current problems in set theory or cancer research; if you are thinking without knowing you are thinking, you are confused about who and what you are. “Waking Up” Sam Harris
alancetotheheart 