Madness or Innocence?

The thing about Zen is that it pushes contradictions to their ultimate limit, where one has to choose between madness and innocence. And Zen suggests that we may be driving toward one or the other on a cosmic scale. Driving toward them because, one way or another, as madmen or innocents, we are already there.

It might be good to open our eyes and see.

—Thomas Merton

To Be or to Seem to Be?

Strictly speaking, most of us don't have much experience of human being—
just a lot of human seeming.
—from the Book of Chazz

Who is our teacher?

Whatever teachings there are in Zen, they come out of one's own mind. We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way.

— D.T. Suzuki

Freedom?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

— from the preamble to the U.S. Declaration of Independence

OK. So we’re created equal. After our birth into this world, what then? Some of us choose to become wise, some fools. And what is wisdom? What is foolishness? How do these qualities manifest in terms of attitude and behavior? Who is the arbiter over such matters? Don’t we, the people, kind of need to agree? How do we come to agreement?

Now, Where Did I Put My Screwdriver?

Humans are “capable of inventing wonders and still capable of forgetting what we’ve done and blundering stupidly on...Our poor cognitive tool kits are always missing a screwdriver when we need it.”

— classicist James O’Donnell of Georgetown University

Interesting parallel between Jesus and the Buddha #3

If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.

— Jesus, Luke 6:29

If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick or a knife, you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words.

— Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), Majjhima Nikaya 21.6

Having been raised by and among fundamentalist Christians, I was steeped long in the oft-scalding waters of Christian tradition. I’ve pondered Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek”, deeply and often.

What the heck does it mean?

The Buddhist phrasing of the principle speaks to me in terms I can begin to understand. I can relate to it as an exercise in letting go one’s desires (in this case, the desire for ego defense and revenge). I can relate to developing self-awareness and self-discipline by letting go of attachments to arbitrary, limiting notions of personal dignity, identity, pride and possessions.

At this point I can’t imagine that I will ever be willing to master this principle, as did Jesus and Gautama Buddha. Some desires and notions I remain unwilling to abandon. For example, I am not willing to abandon my notions of what is enough money and what is not (though I’m satisfied with less now than I used to be). If someone threatened the health or life of a family member or friend, I would not hesitate to protect them by any means necessary. And I am not willing to martyr myself to serve as an example to benighted masses.

That said, I’ve experienced a tremendous sense of liberation by practicing the discipline of “turn the other cheek” with regard to common daily assaults on arbitrary notions of personal dignity, identity, pride and possessions. I will most certainly continue practicing. And if, over time, I develop a still deeper appreciation for the principle of “turn the other cheek,” so be it.

I am grateful for where I am with all of this. I will be grateful for any deeper understanding that may come.

Now and Forever

Forever is composed of nows.
— Emily Dickinson

Interesting parallel between Jesus and the Buddha #2

If my heart can become pure and simple like that of a child, I think there probably can be no greater happiness than this.
— Kitaro Nishida

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
— Jesus

Transcendent change of heart and mind: The Way of spirit is as clear and simple as it is difficult for those of us who burden ourselves with countervailing notions of identity, pride and will.

Believe in...Nothing?

It is necessary, absolutely necessary, to believe in nothing.That is, we have to believe in something which has no form and no color—something which exists before all forms and colors appear.

— Shunryu Suzuki

Before thinking there is no mind.
When thinking appears, mind appears.
When mind appears, dharma* appears.
When dharma appears, form appears.
And when form appears, then suffering appears:
Life and death,
Happiness and unhappiness,
Good and bad,
Like and dislike,
Coming and going.

Mind disappears, dharma disappears.
Dharma disappears, form disappears.
Form disappears, then
Life and death,
Good and bad,
Happy and unhappy,
Coming and going —
Everything
Disappears.

So don't make mind, okay?

— Seung Sahn

____________________________________
The thoughts above, expressed by two sentient beings speaking from what I like to call the Zen Zone, may seem cryptic.

In terms of intent, such expressions are similar to the parables told by Jesus in that they require contemplation and introspection. Such expressions may or may not seem to "speak" to you. Whenever Jesus spoke in parables, he did so knowing that only those who were "ready" might have a clue what he was saying. He would say "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The same thing goes for Buddhist expressions such as these. A Buddhist parallel to Jesus' statement regarding parables is this: "When the student is ready, the teacher appears."

Using a Hammer to Do the Work of a Saw

With all your science can you tell me how it is, and whence it is, that light comes into the soul?

— Henry David Thoreau

Scientific methodology is a marvelous tool that enables us to discover many marvelous, beautiful, useful things that help to prolong and enrich our temporal existence and experience. That said, doesn't it seem a bit silly to use this tool to the exclusion of all others? Is it sensible to expect a hammer to do the work of a saw?

Interesting parallel between Jesus and the Buddha

The kingdom of heaven is within you.
— Jesus

Look within, thou art the Buddha.
— The Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)

We humans tend to torture the words of prophets with semantics hoping to capture, kill and stuff meaning into doctrinal taxidermy that absolves us of personal responsibility for discovering the quiet resolutions of existential dilemmas by looking deep within ourselves.

Freedom, Failure and Fairness

It seems unfair that failure is essential to every aspect of freedom — economic freedom, political freedom, the freedom of existence itself. But freedom is not fair. Much can be made of the fact, I suppose. Personally, I'm immune to the complaint. I have a twelve-year-old daughter, Muffin. All I hear is "It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

I say to her "Honey, you're cute. That's not fair. You're smart. That's not fair. You were born in the United States of America. That's not fair. Darling, you had better get down on your knees and pray to God that things don't start getting fair for you."

— P.J. O'Rourke, from Don't Vote It Just Encourages the Bastards, chapter 4, pp. 47-48

New Year thoughts 2011

New Years morning, 8:15AM. A line I love, delivered inimitably by Curly of the Three Stooges comes to mind: “I’m trying to think, but nothin’ happens!”

Maybe that’s a good thing? I tend to build up New Years as if they should be somehow Momentous; a New Beginning, filled with Great Insights, New Vision, New Resolve, New Goals, etc. Maybe I’d do better to go exercise or play guitar for a while until these urges to Wax Profound pass.

Yeah. I’m gonna try that right now…

(huff-puff on Nordic Track for a half hour…)

Result: Perfect!!! My urge to Contemplate My Place In The Universe was lost in the activity.

Now: Attempt to achieve the same marvelous result with a dog walk, then guitar…