Mark Foote

Sometimes when I walk out of a movie, I feel myself to be whoever was the hero or heroine of that movie. A kind of transference, I guess. I think that transference is easier to find when someone looks like me and has a body like mine. That is to say, that I relate not only to the story in the film, but also to the way the star carries themselves, the fact that their bones hang together and move in a manner similar to mine. There are many people of African, Asian, and indigenous descent whose bones don't exactly hang together and move in the same way mine do, me being of European descent. My belief is that a lot of racial prejudice begins there, and that the only way to really act without such prejudice is to realize action by the inconceivable, as it were: There’s a third line about actualization in Dogen's “Genjo Koan”: Although actualized immediately, the inconceivable may not be apparent. (“Genjo Koan [Actualizing the Fundamental Point]”, tr. Tanahashi) Kobun Chino Otogawa gave a practical example of that third line, even though he wasn’t talking about “Genjo Koan” at the time: You know, sometimes zazen gets up and walks around. (Lecture at S. F. Zen Center, 1980’s) Activity of the body solely by virtue of the free location of consciousness can sometimes get up and walk around, without any thought to do so. Action like that resembles action that takes place through hypnotic suggestion, but unlike action by hypnotic suggestion, action by virtue of the free location of consciousness can turn out to be timely after the fact. When action turns out to accord with future events in an uncanny way, the source of that action may well be described as “the inconceivable”. I have found that zazen is more likely to “get up and walk around” when the free location of consciousness is accompanied by an extension of friendliness and compassion, an extension beyond the boundaries of the senses. Gautama the Buddha described such an extension: [One] dwells, having suffused the first quarter [of the world] with friendliness, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; just so above, below, across; [one] dwells having suffused the whole world everywhere, in every way, with a mind of friendliness that is far-reaching, wide-spread, immeasurable, without enmity, without malevolence. [One] dwells having suffused the first quarter with a mind of compassion… with a mind of sympathetic joy… with a mind of equanimity that is far-reaching, wide-spread, immeasurable, without enmity, without malevolence. (MN 7, Pali Text Society Vol I p 48) Gautama said that “the excellence of the heart’s release” through the extension of the mind of compassion was the first of the further concentrations, a concentration he called “the infinity of ether” (Pali Text Society SN Vol V p 100-102). The Oxford English Dictionary offers some quotes about “ether”: They [sc. the Brahmins] thought the stars moved, and the planets they called fishes, because they moved in the ether, as fishes do in water. Vince, Complete System. Astronomy vol. II. 253 (1799) Plato considered that the stars, chiefly formed of fire, move through the ether, a particularly pure form of air. Popular Astronomy vol. 24 364 (1916) (https://www.oed.com/dictionary/ether_n, as of 6/19/2024) When the free location of consciousness is accompanied by an extension of the mind of compassion, there can be a feeling that the necessity of breath is connected to things that lie outside the boundaries of the senses. That, to me, is an experience of “the infinity of ether”. Dogen didn’t offer an explanation of his third line, but he did provide a case study from the literature of Zen: Mayu, Zen Master Baoche, was fanning himself. A monk approached and said, “Master, the nature of wind is permanent and there is no place it does not reach. Why then do you fan yourself?” “Although you understand that the nature of the wind is permanent,” Mayu replied, “you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere.” “What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere?” asked the monk again. Mayu just kept fanning himself… (“Genjo Koan [Actualizing the Fundamental Point]”, tr. Tanahashi) The wind that reaches everywhere was actualized immediately in Mayu’s fanning. (The Inconceivable Nature of the Wind) The failure to easily identify with persons of other races whose bodies move differently than mine can likewise be a failure on my part to identify readily with gay men who carry themselves as women, who have learned/adopted a posture and carriage more readily associated (by most of us) with women than with men. I bring all this up, because I think it speaks to the reason that prejudice still persists in the modern world. Compassion is key, yet the compassion required is the compassion extended beyond the boundaries of sense, that results in action out of the free location of consciousness by the inconceivable.

--- Peter Carroll, Liber Null A post on my own website, Take the Backward Step: Nisargadatta said: You are not your body, but you are the consciousness in the body, because of which you have the awareness of “I am”. It is without words, just pure beingness. Meditation means you have to hold consciousness by itself. The consciousness should give attention to itself. (Gaitonde, Mohan [2017]. Self – Love: The Original Dream [Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s Direct Pointers to Reality]. Mumbai: Zen Publications) “The consciousness should give attention to itself”—in thirteenth-century Japan, Eihei Dogen wrote: Therefore, …take the backward step of turning the light and shining it back. (“Fukan zazengi” Tenpuku version; tr. Carl Bielefeldt, “Dogen’s Manuals of Zen Meditation”, p 176) That’s a poetic way to say “the consciousness should give attention to itself”. ... In his “Genjo Koan”, Dogen wrote: When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point. (“Genjo Koan [Actualizing the Fundamental Point]”, tr. Robert Aitken and Kazuaki Tanahashi) Given a presence of mind that can “hold consciousness by itself”, activity in the body begins to coordinate by virtue of the sense of place associated with consciousness. A relationship between the free location of consciousness and activity in the body comes forward, and as that relationship comes forward, “practice occurs”. Through such practice, the placement of consciousness is manifested in the activity of the body. Dogen continued: When you find your way at this moment, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point… (ibid) “When you find your way at this moment”, activity takes place solely by virtue of the free location of consciousness. A relationship between the freedom of consciousness and the automatic activity of the body comes forward, and as that relationship comes forward, practice occurs. Through such practice, the placement of consciousness is manifested as the activity of the body. You could say that's all about "giving the Kia more freedom and flexibility". Regarding "it is a fragment of the great life force of the universe": There’s a third line about actualization in “Genjo Koan”: Although actualized immediately, the inconceivable may not be apparent. (ibid) ... Dogen didn’t offer an explanation of his third line, but he did provide a case study from the literature of Zen: Mayu, Zen Master Baoche, was fanning himself. A monk approached and said, “Master, the nature of wind is permanent and there is no place it does not reach. Why then do you fan yourself?” “Although you understand that the nature of the wind is permanent,” Mayu replied, “you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere.” “What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere?” asked the monk again. Mayu just kept fanning himself… (ibid) The wind that reaches everywhere was actualized immediately in Mayu’s fanning. (The Inconceivable Nature of the Wind)

Apologies, Daniel! Your questions reminded me of the questions in "What Was It You Wanted", I don't know why:

ziran song unfolds a haboob of the mid-brain dust-cloud darkened sky

Something I'm writing now about "one-pointedness of mind"--Bhikkyu Thanissaro is the American abbot of a Theravadin monastery in the San Diego area, if I understand correctly: “One-pointedness of mind” has been taken by different people in the Buddhist community to mean different things. The modern Theravadin teacher Thanissaro Bhikkyu, for example, has disputed that the term could actually refer to the mind as a singular point, and instead posits that the reference is to a singular object of attention: A Pali sutta, MN 44, defines concentration as cittass’ek’aggatā, which is often translated as “one-pointedness of mind”: cittassa = “of the mind” or “of the heart,” eka = one, agga = point, -tā = -ness. MN 117 defines noble right concentration as any one-pointedness of mind supported by the first seven factors of the noble path, from right view through right mindfulness. MN 43 states further that one-pointedness is a factor of the first jhāna, the beginning level of right concentration. From these passages, it has been argued that if one’s awareness in concentration or jhāna is truly one-pointed, it should be no larger than a point, which means that it would be incapable of thinking, of hearing sounds, or even of being aware of the physical body. However, this interpretation imposes too narrow a meaning on the word ek’aggatā, one that is foreign to the linguistic usage of the Pali Canon. … (Thanissaro concludes: ) Show your lack of contempt for your meditation object by giving it your full attention and mastering concentration… Gather the mind around its one object. (https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/CrossIndexed/Uncollected/MiscEssays/OnePointed160822.pdf; parenthetical added) In my experience, “one-pointedness” has more to do with the singularity of the sense of self than with single-minded attention to a meditation object. A teacher in modern India, Nisargadatta, described the self as “the consciousness in the body”: You are not your body, but you are the consciousness in the body, because of which you have the awareness of “I am”. It is without words, just pure beingness. (Gaitonde, Mohan [2017]. Self – Love: The Original Dream [Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s Direct Pointers to Reality]) For most people, the consciousness associated with “I am” is at a single location in the body at any given moment. Nisargadatta went on to say: Meditation means you have to hold consciousness by itself. The consciousness should give attention to itself. (ibid) Gautama spoke of making the surrender of conscious activity the object of thought, in order to hold on to the singularity of consciousness: … making self-surrender the object of thought, (a person) lays hold of concentration, lays hold of one-pointedness. (Gautama the Buddha; SN 48.10, Pali Text Society vol. V p 174) Thanissaro wrote 'cittassa = “of the mind” or “of the heart”'. I would guess that's the same as 'my heart, my mother, my heart, my mother, ka in my body ...'. Extrapolating further, "ab" or "one-pointedness of mind", the heart-mind, is being offered to the serpent, to a symbol I would say of the energy of the ligaments in the sacrum and spine. I would say that the energy of the ligaments and of one-pointed consciousness, both symbolized by the ankh, is being offered to Nefertari's movement of breath, in the illustration of Nefertari and Isis:

The kingdom is within

I think we've all heard the advice about allowing the chi to flow from the tailbone to the crown of the head. Some Zen teachers, including Shunryu Suzuki, have also advised keeping the chin tucked in--Suzuki said there would be no strength to the practice without it, or some such! I'm thinking these two pieces of advice might account for the object rising from the crown of the serpent's head, and the beard from its chin. Ok, far-fetched. Just noticing that the beard in the illustration above appears to be touching the rim of the vessel being offered by the figure on the right. Research. The serpent is Nehebkau, associated with the afterlife. The bird is the Bennu bird, a symbol of rebirth. The beetle is Khepri, symbol of the rising sun, creation, the renewal of life. The figure in-between the bird and the snake is evidently Maat, symbol of justice and order. So birth and death, with justice in-between. The papyrus unfolds in order, so first death, then with justice in-between, rebirth--and a beetle with spells for the new life. Having some trouble finding the source of this image, although a very similar depiction can be found on the extreme right end of the papyrus of Meshareduisekeb, singer of Amun (here). The description of that papyrus is: The papyrus belongs to a woman who bears the title of “singer of Amun”, held by high-ranking women, who accompanied rites for the deity in the temple with music and song. The scenes, which cover most of the papyrus surface, start with the representation of the deceased in front of the snake deity Nehebkaw, guardian of the entrance to the Underworld, and a member of the court of Osiris. A series of scenes follows, which evoke in abbreviated form various important spells of the Book of the Dead: the heart scarab bearing its particular magic formula (spell 30), or the four rudders of the sky (spell 148). At the end of the papyrus is a peculiar representation. A cow emerges from a mountain, that is Hator as Mistress of the Necropolis and patron goddess of the afterlife. She is followed by a deity emerging from the same mountain – which in thus a representation of the West – carrying the rising sun in her arms. The sun emanates beneficial rays on the ba of the deceased woman. So we are seeing the beginning scene of the papyrus. Apech, where did you get the illustration you posted from? I could not find a museum source, using Google lens. At any rate, I am fascinated by the vessel that is being touched by the beard of the snake god. Wonder what is being offered.

My understanding of the teachings of Gautama the Shakyan is that the first four concentrations end in automatic activity of the body in inhalation and exhalation solely by virtue of the location of consciousness. The five further concentrations end with the cessation of habit and volition in the activity of the mind in feeling and perceiving, presumably feeling and perceiving solely by virtue of the experience of consciousness without habit or volition. The first three of the further states Gautama declared as "the excellence of the heart's release" through the extension of the minds of compassion, of sympathetic joy, and of equanimity, respectively,. The extensions were each the extension of "the mind of" beyond the boundaries of sense in all directions, and without limit. Some objective, particular instruction, although Gautama declared that some were freed through the further concentrations and "intuitive wisdom", while others were freed through "intuitive wisdom" alone.

My gut reaction is that they will contact you. My only experience has been in dreams, usually just before waking on a night when I got enough rest. Meant the world to me, to realize a good feeling with someone I had lost, in those dreams. Still does, when on the rare occasion they occur. If you want contact, live right, and get enough sleep. Have faith.

Sorry, Cobie, that my post got away from me before I was half finished. As you can see, I'm going for an entirely different interpretation... (though--ya' know, if might come down to the same thing, coming from the same place).

whoops

Fascinating to me that the staff associated with the medical profession is not the caduceus, but the Rod of Asclepius. Checking Wikipedia, turns out there's a very good reason for that association: The most famous temple of Asclepius was at Epidaurus in north-eastern Peloponnese.[3] Another famous healing temple (or asclepeion) was located on the island of Kos, where Hippocrates, the legendary "father of medicine", may have begun his career. Other asclepieia were situated in Trikala, Gortys (Arcadia), and Pergamum in Asia. In honour of Asclepius, a particular type of non-venomous rat snake was often used in healing rituals, and these snakes – the Aesculapian snakes – crawled around freely on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept. These snakes were introduced at the founding of each new temple of Asclepius throughout the classical world. From about 300 BCE onwards, the cult of Asclepius grew very popular and pilgrims flocked to his healing temples (Asclepieia) to be cured of their ills. Ritual purification would be followed by offerings or sacrifices to the god (according to means), and the supplicant would then spend the night in the holiest part of the sanctuary – the abaton (or adyton). Any dreams or visions would be reported to a priest who would prescribe the appropriate therapy by a process of interpretation.[4] Some healing temples also used sacred dogs to lick the wounds of sick petitioners. (Wikipedia, "Rod of Asclepius") What I wrote in 2013, when you first introduced me to this image, Apech (lightly edited): The presence of the god (Set, both sides) is an indication that support is realized not through the direction of any conscious activity, but solely through the experience of the location of awareness and the ability to feel in the necessity of breath. The hieroglyphs on the top of the pillar are in praise of the king of Egypt, but they also depict an orb like the sun, which is perhaps the Egyptian “akh” or consciousness freed of any fixture to location. The toes of the god rest against either side of something shaped like the sacrum of the body; close-ups show that not only is the footrest of the god the shape of the sacrum, but it is also segmented in five parts like the sacrum. The nerves which exit between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the first vertebrae of the sacrum allow an ability to feel in the lower legs and along the soles of the feet, right to the surface of the skin. Feeling for the placement and orientation of the legs and feet is absorbed into the sense of location in the occurrence of awareness... (From the Temples in Egypt) About Set: In Ancient Greek, the god's name is given as Sēth (Σήθ). Set had a positive role where he accompanies Ra on his barque to repel Apep (Apophis), the serpent of Chaos. (Wikipedia, "Set (deity)") The knot is where the placement and orientation of the legs and feet can enter into the activity that aligns the sacrum with the vertebrae of the spine. The role of the stretch of ligaments in controlling the reciprocal muscular activity of that alignment will be realized in part through the alternating stretch of the two sets of ilio-lumbar ligaments, roughly corresponding in the illustration to the reeds that rise on either side to make contact just below the knot, and the reeds that are a part of the knot: Not sure what your last illustration is intended to represent. Hmmm. The smaller figure rests on a leg of the bird and the tail of snake, just as the ball of Set's feet rests on the sacrum. The ankh coming off the knees, echoes the role of the knees in the illustration involving Isis and Nephthys. Two turns in the neck of the bird, and in the tail of the snake--alignment at T12-L1 and atlas-axis? Wings on the snake as well as the bird, the free location of consciousness? Any clues on the significance of the jug, Apech?

God unravelling just beyond the city lights just behind the eyes

As I'm sure you know, Thrice Daily, martial arts instruction is all about the instructor. Certainly, my advice to someone who is deciding which art to pursue would be judo. Second on the list might be Tai Chi, particularly Cheng Man-Ch'ing's lineage. Tai Chi because there's less pretense of the form being useful in confrontation, while at the same time imparting amazing lessons in cross-body coordination and bent-knee discipline. I suppose the reason your daughter is interested in kung-fu is precisely because she wants to be able to respond with force if necessary. Well, if the instructor is good, that will be discouraged. If not, waste of time and money. Really good instructors, who emphasize relaxation and openness, are rare. I hope your daughter finds one. If a good martial arts instructor is not available, then she should learn to free-style rock 'n roll, and take it to the clubs where people dance in close proximity (so to speak). Probably not what her dad wants to hear!

Not fond of Bankei. Nevertheless--my explanation of what he's driving at: There can… come a moment when the movement of breath necessitates the placement of attention at a certain location in the body, or at a series of locations, with the ability to remain awake as the location of attention shifts retained through the exercise of presence. When the free location of consciousness is accompanied by an extension of the mind of compassion, there can be a feeling that the necessity of breath is connected to things that lie outside the boundaries of the senses. "You see and hear all things, no matter what they are"--things beyond the range of the senses can sometimes end up manifested in activity: Although actualized immediately, the inconceivable may not be apparent. (“Genjo Koan [Actualizing the Fundamental Point]”, tr. Tanahashi)