Forever is composed of nows.
— Emily Dickinson
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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.
— 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.
Friday, January 7, 2011
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."
— 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."
Thursday, January 6, 2011
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?
— 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?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
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.
— 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.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
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
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
Saturday, January 1, 2011
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…
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…