Mark Foote

Not so. Here's a passage from the Digha Nikaya, for example: Then the Exalted One addressed the brethren, and said:--It may be, brethren, that there may be doubt or misgiving in the mind of some brother as to the Buddha, or the doctrine, or the path, or the method." (DN II 154, Pali Text Society DN Vol II p172 The "Exalted One" being Gautama. The translator there is either T W or C A F Rhys Davids, so one of the first translations of the Pali Text Society, but I think it's unlikely that another translation applies. However, Gautama is not referencing himself there. When he does, in the same lecture: ... But, Ananda, the Tathagata knows for certain... (Ibid, ii 156 p 173) In the "Chapter on In-Breathing and Out-Breathing" in SN V, Gautama says: Formerly, monks, before I myself was enlightened with the perfect wisdom, and was yet a Bodhisattva... (SN V 316, Pali Text Society SN V p 280) Hmmm, ok, in the "Kindred Sayings on Stream-Winning", we have: ... the Ariyan disciple is possessed of unwavering loyalty to the Buddha, thus: (He has faith that) He it is the Exalted One, Arahant, a fully Enlightened One, perfect in Knowledge and practice, a Happy One, world-knower, unsurpassed charioteer of men to be tamed, teacher of devas and mankind, a Buddha, an Exalted One. (SN V 343?, Pali Text Society SN V p 297) "The Exalted One" is used throughout Samyutta Nikaya to refer to Gautama, but although I think it's clear that Gautama is saying he has all these qualities, he's not referring to himself as "the Buddha". It's an interesting point.

The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddaka Nikaya, a division of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. (Wikipedia, "Dhammapada") Khuddaka Nikaya, (Pali: “Short Collection”) diverse group of separate Buddhist texts constituting the fifth and last section of the Pali Sutta Pitaka (“Basket of Discourse”). Although it contains some very early works, it as a collection is later than the other four Nikayas and much more varied in form and content. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Khuddaka-Nikaya, emphasis added) The Ksudraka Agama (Skt. Kṣudraka Āgama; English: "Minor Collection") is one of the Buddhist Agamas, a collection of Buddhist texts. It corresponds to the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali Canon. Rupert Gethin writes that in addition to the four main Nikāya/Āgama texts, a ‘minor’ collection of miscellaneous texts was also recognized.... Some schools, notably the Sarvāstivāda, recognized only four Āgamas—though they had a "Kṣudraka" which they did not consider to be an "Āgama." Others—including even the Dharmaguptaka, according to some contemporary scholars—preferred to term it the "Kṣudraka Piṭaka." As with its Pāḷi counterpart, the Kṣudraka Āgama appears to have been a miscellany, and was perhaps never definitively established among many of the early schools of Buddhism. (Wikipedia, "Ksudraka Agama")

Eating cherry pie waking to this dream of place swallowing one bite

Here goes... (apologies to Stigweard): kind of hard to find needle in a hay stack, like; means to turn the wheel Means to turn the wheel hungry, but not too much food Gratitude abounds Gratitude abounds lift the fork and swallow down my life's task is done My life's task is done No more of being such, so Quietly undone

"We aim to breathe with our whole body, to awaken with every fiber of our being and to exude it in all tasks"--that's the paradox, how to arrive at "whole body", when "whole body' is the natural state (so to speak). "Exude it in all tasks", interesting choice of words, but I get it. A friend responded to my writing: I cannot see the connection to life, cleaning cat boxes, cooking, shopping, driving, bathing... If a person “takes the attitude of someone who… lets go of both hands and feet” (as Dogen instructed), then perhaps there will come a moment when the hands and feet walk around. At that moment, there will be new meaning to be had in cleaning cat boxes, cooking, shopping, driving, and bathing, though these experiences might not involve the attitude that advances from the top of a 100-foot pole throughout. Having said that, I have to add that it’s my belief that not every Zen teacher has experienced the zazen that gets up and walks around. That doesn’t say that they haven’t experienced the cessation of volition in action of the body, or that they are not qualified to teach Zen, but I think they must have a different perspective on the relationship of practice to the actions of everyday life. (Response; Dogen's instructions, hobogenzo-zuimonki, 5-20, tr. Shohaku Okumura, 2004 Shotoshu Shumucho p 191) I think your perception that the Soto tradition is dead is like Twain's quote ("The report of my death was an exaggeration"), but I will grant you that there is a temple being built near me in California that is intended as a finishing school for American Soto Zen teachers who never attended Eiheiji. Meanwhile--how to arrive at "whole body", when "whole body' is the natural state: Koichi Tohei was a student of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido. In his own teaching, Tohei developed four principles to help guide his students: 1) Keep one point; 2) Relax completely; 3) Keep weight underside; 4) Extend Ki. (Post: Tohei’s Four Points of Ki Aikido) The empty hand grasps the hoe handle Walking along, I ride the ox The ox crosses the wooden bridge The bridge is flowing, the water is still (“Zen’s Chinese Heritage”, translation by Andy Ferguson, pg 2--"For a Friend”, Revisited) With this method of circulating ch’i (Tai Chi), it overflows into the sinews, reaches the bone marrow, fills the diaphragm, and manifests in the skin and hair. (“Master Cheng’s Thirteen Chapters on T’ai-Chi Ch’uan”, translated by Wile, 1st ed pg 17--“For a Friend”, Revisited) The internal develops the ch’i; the external develops the sinews, bones, and skin. (Ibid, pg 39) So [one] abides fully conscious of what is behind and what is in front. As ([one] is conscious of what is) in front, so behind: as behind, so in front; as below, so above: as above, so below: as by day, so by night: as by night, so by day; Thus with wits alert, with wits unhampered, [one] cultivates [one's] mind to brilliancy. (Sanyutta-Nikaya, text V 263, Pali Text Society volume 5 pg 235; The Gautamid Offers A Practice) Add to these Gautama's description of the four initial states of concentration, plus the "survery-sign" of concentration--the four, as well as my take, are here: Post: Common Ground. Yes, Virginia, it is possible to sit down and arrive at the whole body breathing, ridiculous as that might sound, but Gautama's emphasis (in his later years?) was on how the return to that experience in a rhythm of mindfulness is a way of living. The key: Sometimes when you think that you are doing zazen with an imperturbable mind, you ignore the body, but it is also necessary to have the opposite understanding at the same time. Your body is practicing zazen in imperturbability while your mind is moving. (“Whole-Body Zazen”, lecture by Shunryu Suzuki at Tassajara, June 28, 1970; edited by Bill Redican, http://www.cuke.com/Cucumber Project/lectures/wholebodyzazen.html) How that plays, in my life: If you do any seated or even standing meditation in the morning, you may see why I’m referring to the practice as “waking up and falling asleep”. In waking up, I am looking to relinquish my activity, and allow the place of mind to generate activity out of the stretch I find myself in. I have a description of the translations of motion in the lotus, yet in the end I am convinced that everything I need to know I learn by being where I am, as I am. I just have to be open to it. (Post: “I tried your practice last night”- humbleone, from “The Dao Bums”) As koun Franz said in one of his lectures, The other way to understand this is to literally place your mind where your hands are–to relocate mind (let’s not say your mind) to your centre of gravity, so that mind is operating from a place other than your brain. Some traditions take this very seriously, this idea of moving your consciousness around the body. I wouldn’t recommend dedicating your life to it, but as an experiment, I recommend trying it, sitting in this posture and trying to feel what it’s like to let your mind, to let the base of your consciousness, move away from your head. One thing you’ll find, or that I have found, at least, is that you can’t will it to happen, because you’re willing it from your head. To the extent that you can do it, it’s an act of letting go–and a fascinating one. (“No Struggle [Zazen Yojinki, Part 6]”, by Koun Franz, from the “Nyoho Zen” site https://nyoho.com/2018/09/15/no-struggle-zazen-yojinki-part-6/; emphasis added)

Fun story, I was a member of the "Rinzai Zen Discussion" Facebook group for awhile, that's Meido Moore's baby, although I think it's moderated by members of the community there at Korinji. I eventually got the boot, apparently for asking "do you think a Zen teacher could never mislead you?" Post that comes up right away on that page is Meido's, from Dec. 1st: Suggestions for good "Buddhism 101" books or online resources, modern or otherwise? (Please note the focus on resources for learning Buddhism fundamentals - e.g. foundational teachings of Shakyamuni, 4 noble truths/8 fold path, dependent origination, rebirth and karma, etc. -that might be useful for beginners who lack that background. If you're a member of that group, maybe you could post a link to A Natural Mindfulness. That would be full circle. I have read Meido's book of instructions, and that lead me to read "An Introduction to Zen Training", by Omori Sogen. I discuss what I learned from that book (more correctly, the affirmations I got from that book) in Common Ground. Meido's definitely the real deal, but what constitutes enlightenment in the modern age is not what it was to Gautama--I think I could make the argument that even Gautama's chief disciples did not share his ability to arrive at the cessation of (determinate thought in) perceiving and feeling from time to time. I learned some of the things that have been most important to me from hanging out with teachers--I'm convinced of it. I learned the sweep from my high school judo teacher--everyone in the dojo mastered that throw, which is not so easy to do gently, but so amazing when it is. I think I picked up something of "sometimes zazen gets up and walks around" from Kobun Chino Otogawa, even though I was only in his presence very occasionally, and I didn't hear him describe it that way until about eight years after I had the experience. Nevertheless, I was never formally Kobun's student, not even close. Meido and other Zen teachers insist on the necessity of a formal relationship with a teacher. I insist on this: Therefore… be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge unto yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the Truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves. And how… is (one) to be a lamp unto (oneself), a refuge unto (oneself), betaking (oneself) to no external refuge, holding fast to the Truth as a lamp, holding fast as a refuge to the Truth, looking not for refuge to any one besides (oneself)? Herein, … (one) continues, as to the body, so to look upon the body that (one) remains strenuous, self-possessed, and mindful, having overcome both the hankering and the dejection common in the world. [And in the same way] as to feelings… moods… ideas, (one) continues so to look upon each that (one) remains strenuous, self-possessed, and mindful, having overcome both the hankering and the dejection common in the world. (Digha Nikaya ii 100, Pali Text Society DN Vol. II pg 108; Rhys Davids’ “body, feelings, moods, and ideas”, above, rendered by Horner as “body, feelings, mind, and mental states”)

Gautama the Buddha said that he returned to “that first characteristic of concentration in which I ever constantly abide” after he lectured, and that first characteristic is likely to be “one-pointedness of mind”. “One-pointedness of mind” does seem like something one could strive to take into everyday life. However, although Gautama implied that he returned to “one-pointedness of mind” after he spoke, he nonetheless described the initial concentration as a state wherein thought is “applied and sustained”. Thought “applied and sustained” is seldom mentioned in Buddhist teaching these days. Zen teachers mostly recommend that beginning meditators focus on the breath in or out, and they will sometimes advise counting the breaths as a method to calm the mind. So far as I know, Zen teachers never recommend that thoughts be “applied and sustained”. Even the Theravadin Buddhist teachers of Southeast Asia, who follow the teachings of Gautama’s sermons more closely, don’t recommend “thought applied and sustained” to their students–instead, they emphasize something along the lines of the “bare attention” now taught in the West as the practice of mindfulness. (Response) Let me say first that I like a lot of things about Thanissaro Bhikku's instructions. Here are Gautama's instructions for mindfulness of the mind: Aware of mind I shall breathe in. Aware of mind I shall breathe out. (One) makes up one’s mind: “Gladdening my mind I shall breathe in. Gladdening my mind I shall breathe out. Composing my mind I shall breathe in. Composing my mind I shall breathe out. Detaching my mind I shall breathe in. Detaching my mind I shall breathe out. (SN V 312, Pali Text Society Vol V p 275-276; tr. F. L. Woodward; masculine pronouns replaced, re-paragraphed) Now the key is that there are four "applications of thought" and all of them hinge on the cessation of volition in action of the body, specifically in inhalation and exhalation (cessation is a part of mindfulness of mental state). The experience of that cessation provides the "survey-sign" of the concentration, and that enables a rhythm in the four applications of mindfulness. Nevertheless, you can see right away that the important thing in mindfulness of the mind is to actually appreciate the action of thought, even if the only thing about the thought that you can appreciate is that you still have mind. In fact, Gautama spoke of the presence of "the disturbance of the six sensory fields" in the cessation of "feeling and perceiving", action of the mind--that's the cessation that is associated with his enlightenment: …[an individual] comprehends thus, ‘This concentration of mind … is effected and thought out. But whatever is effected and thought out, that is impermanent, it is liable to stopping.’ When [the individual] knows this thus, sees this thus, [their] mind is freed from the canker of sense-pleasures and [their] mind is freed from the canker of becoming and [their] mind is freed from the canker of ignorance. In freedom is the knowledge that [one] is freed and [one] comprehends: “Destroyed is birth, brought to a close the (holy)-faring, done is what was to be done, there is no more of being such or so’. [They] comprehend thus: “The disturbances there might be resulting from the canker of sense-pleasures do not exist here; the disturbances there might be resulting from the canker of becoming do not exist here; the disturbances there might be resulting from the canker of ignorance do not exist here. And there is only this degree of disturbance, that is to say the six sensory fields that, conditioned by life, are grounded on this body itself.” (MN III 108-109, Pali Text Society Vol III p 151-152) The mind being one of the six sensory fields, he's saying that thought continues to take place in the states of concentration all the way through--thought applied and sustained may cease with the second concentration, but thought per se does not. The trick is to appreciate it, without which arriving at a detachment of mind may not be. The quotes above are taken from my essay, The Early Record. More: It’s possible to experience “one-pointedness of mind” and the movement of “one-pointed” mind in the body without experiencing a freedom of that movement in full. I’ve written about the analogies Gautama provided for the cultivation of “one-pointedness of mind”, and I would say that it’s only in the concentration where the body is suffused with “purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind” that the mind really moves freely. Gautama pointed out that with that concentration, “determinate thought” in action of the body ceases, in particular volition that affects the movement of inhalation or exhalation ceases. To be clear, the cessation of volition in the action of the body is not the experience Gautama associated with his enlightenment–that would be the cessation of volition in the action of the mind, in “feeling and perceiving”. Having attained to the “cessation of feeling and perceiving”, Gautama saw for himself that suffering is the last link in a chain of cause and effect, and his insight into the nature of suffering was his enlightenment. (Response) I haven't experienced the cessation of feeling and perceiving, and I'm only just underway with the four applications of mindfulness as a rhythm. What happens when everybody is telling you what to do, and not how it works--even Gautama is guilty sometimes, but there is no voice like his in the Pali sermons, in my opinion.

Thanks for posting the link, and your thoughts. I see from the short biography on Wikipedia that Thanissaro Bhikku is a Thai forest-tradition monk, and that the forest tradition in Thailand actually only dates from the start of the 20th century--I thought it was older than that, but apparently it was a response at that time to the urbanization of Thai Buddhism. He's been living the tradition in San Diego since 1993, so almost thirty years now. My hat is off to him, for his dedication and committment. There's a monastery in the Thai forest tradition near me, called Abhayagiri, and I know from listening to the abbots of that monastery that they have not had an easy time adapting their tradition to California. Among other things, begging in the streets is frowned on, in their agriculture-focused Northern California community. I've read some of his translations of the Pali sermons, but I have to say I have some differences with his interpretations . Also, his approach seems heavy-handed to me. In some ways, I think he hopes to trick the reader into having certain experiences, and although that might work with the instructions he's provided, he reinforces the notion that the reader is in charge of these experiences. At least, that's how it reads to me! I'll be specific. Here's Thanissaro: If you try to base your happiness on things that change — sights, sounds, sensations in general, people and things outside — you're setting yourself up for disappointment... And here's Zen Teacher Kobun Chino Otogawa, from the Jikoji Zen Center site: When you sit, the cushion sits with you. If you wear glasses, the glasses sit with you. Clothing sits with you. House sits with you. People who are moving around outside all sit with you. They don’t take the sitting posture! For me, the concern is equanimity, or what Gautama referred to as "equanimity in the face of (the) multiplicity (of the senses)": ... equanimity in the face of multiplicity requires awareness of the influence of contact in the senses on the center of balance, influence alongside that of the placement of the arms, legs, and jaw (or any part of the body). Even things beyond the conscious range of the senses may interact with the center of balance, and what I find necessary for equanimity is an openness to such interaction. Thanissaro: If your mind wanders off, simply bring it back. Don't get discouraged. If it wanders 100 times, bring it back 100 times. Show it that you mean business, and eventually it will listen to you. Another way, from koun Franz's website "Nyoho Zen": Okay… So, have your hands in the cosmic mudra, palms up, thumbs touching, and there’s this common instruction: place your mind here. Different people interpret this differently. Some people will say this means to place your attention here, meaning to keep your attention on your hands. It’s a way of turning the lens to where you are in space so that you’re not looking out here and out here and out here. It’s the positive version, perhaps, of ‘navel gazing’. The other way to understand this is to literally place your mind where your hands are–to relocate mind (let’s not say your mind) to your centre of gravity, so that mind is operating from a place other than your brain. Some traditions take this very seriously, this idea of moving your consciousness around the body. I wouldn’t recommend dedicating your life to it, but as an experiment, I recommend trying it, sitting in this posture and trying to feel what it’s like to let your mind, to let the base of your consciousness, move away from your head. One thing you’ll find, or that I have found, at least, is that you can’t will it to happen, because you’re willing it from your head. To the extent that you can do it, it’s an act of letting go–and a fascinating one. (“No Struggle [Zazen Yojinki, Part 6]”, by Koun Franz, from the “Nyoho Zen” site) My take: The presence of mind can utilize the location of attention to maintain the balance of the body and coordinate activity in the movement of breath, without a particularly conscious effort to do so. There can also 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. (Post: Common Ground) Thanissaro's directions do open a person to different locations of attention in the body in connection with the movement of breath, and that might set up the circumstance I describe above, but he fails to note that the practice is fundamentally about letting go: A central theme of Gautama’s teaching was the cessation of “determinate thought” (AN III 414) in action, meaning the cessation of the exercise of will or volition in action. A cessation of the exercise of will could be attained, said Gautama, through the induction of various successive states of concentration. As to the initial induction of concentration, Gautama declared that “making self-surrender the object of thought, one lays hold of concentration, one lays hold of one-pointedness of mind”. I begin with making the surrender of volition in activity related to the movement of breath the object of thought. For me, that necessitates thought applied and sustained with regard to relaxation of the activity of the body, with regard to the exercise of calm in the stretch of ligaments, with regard to the detachment of mind, and with regard to the presence of mind. I find that a presence of mind from one breath to the next can precipitate “one-pointedness of mind”, but laying hold of “one-pointedness of mind” requires a surrender of willful activity in the body much like falling asleep. (A Friend's Response) I also have a bone to pick with Thanissaro's characterization of "one-pointedness of mind" (here), but I'll leave that for another day. I do admire his scholarship, it's just his interpretations I find myself at odds with.

The presence of mind can utilize the location of attention to maintain the balance of the body and coordinate activity in the movement of breath, without a particularly conscious effort to do so. There can also 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. That the location of attention can shift anywhere in the body as a function of the movement of breath, I take to be the suffusion of the body “with purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind”. ... Gautama often added a “fifth limb” of concentration, after he gave his description of the four initial states: Again, the survey-sign is rightly grasped by (a person), rightly held by the attention, rightly reflected upon, rightly penetrated by insight. … just as someone might survey another, standing might survey another sitting, or sitting might survey another lying down; even so the survey-sign is rightly grasped by (a person), rightly held by the attention, rightly reflected upon, rightly penetrated by insight. To me, the survey-sign is a way to touch on the presence of mind that allows the movement of breath to place attention anywhere, in the course of daily life. (Post: Common Ground)

kind of hard to find needle in a hay stack, like; means to turn the wheel

This one makes me want to jump: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/saturday-sessions-muna-performs-silk-chiffon/ But the Dao Bums editor is not giving me a visual, so here's a rendition they did that's on YouTube:

stay with your anger, see where it goes; your mind, too. Tibetan advice.

Author-of-the-thread's message! Muddy water and lotuses. The life is in the mud, that's your message I guess. Playing in the mud preps the immune system, so they say--maybe it's likewise important to live our emotional lives fully. Gautama spoke of a happiness "apart from sensual pleasure, apart from unskilled states of mind". I might not know entirely what "apart from unskilled states of mind" means, but I do know that I trust a certain kind of happiness as my guide. Playing in the mud is not entirely without happiness, though sometimes it gets in the eyes.

I found this poem in the San Francisco Chronicle in the '60's, and carried it in my wallet until the wallet fell in the ocean about thirty years later. That was before the internet, so the poem was lost to me for another twenty years. Glad to have it back in my life: I AM Raferty the Poet Full of hope and love, With eyes that have no light, With gentleness that has no misery. Going west upon my pilgrimage By the light of my heart, Feeble and tired To the end of my road. Behold me now, And my face to the wall, A-playing music Unto empty pockets. Raferty, a Connacht peasant poet, while at some festivity, heard someone asking who he was. He was then blind and a fiddler. Turning around he made this perfect utterance. Raftery died in 1835. His poems have been collected, edited and translated by Dr. Douglas Hyde. (Bartleby.com)

Found the book you recommended, Apech, though clicking on your link didn't bring me to it (?). The description: Mind training is a comprehensive practice that is suitable for all types of students. It contains the entire path and does not depend on a person's background. Mind training nurses and cultivates the Buddha Nature - that pure seed of awakening that is at the very heart of every sentient being. It has the power to transform even egotistical self-clinging into self-lessness. Put into practice diligently, it is enough to lead you all the way to awakening. In The Path to Awakening, Shamar Rinpoche gives his own detailed commentary on Chekawa Yeshe Dorje's Seven Points of Mind Training, a text that has been used for transformative practice in Tibetan Buddhism for close to a thousand years. Clear, accessible, and yet profound, this book is filled with practical wisdom, philosophy, and meditation instructions. (The Path to Awakening: How Buddhism's Seven Points of Mind Training Can Lead You to a Life of Enlightenment and Happiness Kindle Edition by Shamar Rinpoche) A thing I point out in my latest writing: what passes for enlightenment is for the most part the attainment of a cessation of volition in action of the body, not the cessation of volition in action of the mind (in "feeling and perceiving"). As I read the Pali sermons, the attainment of the cessation of volition in inhalation and exhalation (action of the body) was the cessation Gautama referred to as the fifteenth element of his way of living, part of his constant mindfulness practice. That cessation as a concentration was followed by the "survey-sign", a way of calling up the cessation in the course of daily living, if I understand correctly. All of which is to say that "it is enough to lead you all the way to awakening" may mean to lead you to the cessation that Gautama used in his daily life, and that I believe most of us take as the essential credential of a Buddhist teacher, but I question whether it is enough to lead to the cessation of volition in action of the mind, the attainment associated with Gautama's enlightenment. The assumption that "awakening" in a Buddhist context has just one meaning, I think is mistaken, although the loss of "latent conceits that I am the doer, mine is the doer with regard to this consciousness-informed body" may set up the acceptance of a similar loss of conceits with regard to the mind. Yes, "making self-surrender the object of thought" is the means of initiation of concentration, and "laying hold of one-pointedness of mind" is the essence of Buddhist meditation, and, I think, the Eastern martial arts. Yes, the practice of putting others before oneself has a use, but I think there's a danger anytime we draw a line between self and other, instead of simply rejecting the existence of an abiding self. I was in the laundromat last week, and when I went to borrow an empty cart, the gentleman standing next to it indicated that he was using it and I should do without. There was another cart available but heaped with clothes that someone had apparently removed from a dryer. I took that heaped cart, dumped the clothes on the table that the gentleman was using to fold his shirts, and proceeded. As soon as I finished with the cart, I returned it to where I had found it, removing the clothes from the gentleman's table to the cart in the process. I had lost it completely. What a surprise, my father's temper, alive and well in me. Afterward I reflected on my emotions, and realized that maybe I was somehow disappointed that my latest writing didn't engender more response. In spite of finally saying many things that I've been feeling for a long time (but been unable to express clearly), I didn't receive much feedback. Of course, I know the foremost object of my writing is to find clarity for myself, yet I was carrying a disappointment, worrying as I pumped quarters into the dryer. Not a good space to be in. Like Kobun said down at Esalen, as he raised his bow and shot an arrow into the ocean (instead of at the target), "a perfect shot!" I love that story. How the response to my writing could lead to my losing it over someone's selfishness in the laundromat, hard to see, but that's what I sensed as I looked into my feelings. That's generally how it's been for me with anger over the years, although sometimes it has taken me days to find a sense of compassion and release. As I write this now, extending the mind of compassion to that gentleman in the laundromat comes more readily--hallelujah!

Found the book, though not from your link. The description: (having real problems with the Dao Bums editor this morning, I think I'll need to just start another entry instead of replying here!)

Not sure on this: 3) In my every action, I will watch my mind, And the moment destructive emotions arise, I will confront them strongly and avert them, Since they will hurt both me and others. That's not been my experience, that I can watch my mind when I'm in the grip of a strong emotion like anger. More like, afterward I can investigate what it was that I was attached to, that triggered the emotion--if I feel release, then maybe I've found it. I hear you, Apech, about trying to express things in my own words (pg 5). The other part is, to express things for my own benefit, not with the thought that what I say is going to benefit others. My approach (which I now remind myself of, as it actually hasn't been my approach that long): I begin with making the surrender of volition in activity related to the movement of breath the object of thought. For me, that necessitates thought applied and sustained with regard to relaxation of the activity of the body, with regard to the exercise of calm in the stretch of ligaments, with regard to the detachment of mind, and with regard to the presence of mind. I find that a presence of mind from one breath to the next can precipitate “one-pointedness of mind”, but laying hold of “one-pointedness of mind” requires a surrender of willful activity in the body much like falling asleep. That would be laying hold of the place where self-awareness is located in space, while simultaneously allowing the place a freedom of movement. I remember reading "Emotional Intelligence" by Coleman, with its theme of early memories storied in the amygdala that give rise to action before the prefrontal cortex and the thinking mind can kick in. That's a useful notion, to me. Reflections on the character traits that I picked up from my parents is another. I may never attain the cessation of volition in "sensing and perceiving", as Gautama did, but I think I get it that the rhythm of mindfulness that revolves around the cessation of volition in action of the body has a kind of happiness.

"Stop cherishing yourself, and start cherishing others."? I can relate to the Bodhisattva Vow, seeking enlightenment for others before oneself. Cherish others before oneself, maybe, but I'm not sure I should stop cherishing the vehicle I've been given.

Let us talk gently pray for better times to come relax and calm down

nyah nyah nyah-nyah nyah na na na, hey hey, goodbye Listen to me now!

Longchenpa's got it rolling! How I start the log going: "For me, that necessitates thought applied and sustained with regard to relaxation of the activity of the body, with regard to the exercise of calm in the stretch of ligaments, with regard to the detachment of mind, and with regard to the presence of mind." (Response to "Not the Wind, Not the Flag") The trick in arriving at detachment of mind, in my experience, is to appreciate the action of the mind. Maybe that's what you're driving at, Lairg. In Gautama's way of living, detaching the mind was followed by the reflection on impermanence, or "beholding impermanence". Gautama described the reflection this way: Whatever… is material shape, past, future or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, mean or excellent, or whatever is far or near, (a person), thinking of all this material shape as ‘This is not mine, this am I not, this is not my self’, sees it thus as it really is by means of perfect wisdom. Whatever is feeling… perception… the habitual tendencies… whatever is consciousness, past, future, or present (that person), thinking of all this consciousness as ‘This is not mine, this am I not, this is not my self’, sees it thus as it really is by means of perfect wisdom. (For one) knowing thus, seeing thus, there are no latent conceits that ‘I am the doer, mine is the doer’ in regard to this consciousness-informed body.” (MN III 18-19, Pali Text Society Vol. III pg 68) My take is that "perfect wisdom" comes out of the happiness when mindfulness rolls, and I can realize the utility of "this am I not, this is not my self" in the detachment of mind and the experience of equanimity. With equanimity, action of the body with consciousness but without intention may occur, something Dogen described as the actualization of the inconceivable: Dogen wrote in “Genjo Koan”: Although actualized immediately, the inconceivable may not be apparent. (Dogen, “Genjo Koan” tr. Tanahashi/Aitken) When “zazen gets up and walks around”, the action takes place without any intention to act–it’s completely out of the blue, and the source of the action is not apparent. I will say that over the years, I’ve discovered that action without any intention can also follow from something I believe with all my heart. If the initial impulse to act on a heart-felt belief is restrained, the heart-felt belief can wind up moving me from the same place as “the inconceivable”, without any intention. For the most part, it seems more straightforward not to restrain an impulse to act from heart-felt belief, but rather to simply “eat when hungry, sleep when tired”. That’s presuming “the inconceivable” doesn’t intervene (sometimes it does). (Moving from the Source)

I rest in the now where I am, at this moment I take it all in

Took me a lot longer to focus on "one-pointedness of mind" than Corey Hess (in that article you linked, Vajra Fist), because I didn't see where cultivation fit in, in the larger picture. Nor did I have an interpretation of Gautama's descriptions of cultivation that I could apply. Here's my larger picture, now: A central theme of Gautama’s teaching was the cessation of “determinate thought” (AN III 414) in action, meaning the cessation of the exercise of will or volition in action. A cessation of the exercise of will could be attained, said Gautama, through the induction of various successive states of concentration. As to the initial induction of concentration, Gautama declared that “making self-surrender the object of thought, one lays hold of concentration, one lays hold of one-pointedness of mind”. I begin with making the surrender of volition in activity related to the movement of breath the object of thought. For me, that necessitates thought applied and sustained with regard to relaxation of the activity of the body, with regard to the exercise of calm in the stretch of ligaments, with regard to the detachment of mind, and with regard to the presence of mind. I find that a presence of mind from one breath to the next can precipitate “one-pointedness of mind”, but laying hold of “one-pointedness of mind” requires a surrender of willful activity in the body much like falling asleep. It’s possible to experience “one-pointedness of mind” and the movement of “one-pointed” mind in the body without experiencing a freedom of that movement in full. I’ve written about the analogies Gautama provided for the cultivation of “one-pointedness of mind” (The Early Record), and I would say that it’s only in the concentration where the body is suffused with “purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind” that the mind really moves freely. Gautama pointed out that with that concentration, “determinate thought” in action of the body ceases, in particular volition that affects the movement of inhalation or exhalation ceases. That doesn’t mean that action of the body can’t take place, only that the exercise of will or volition is not involved. I have many times quoted a remark I heard Zen teacher Kobun Chino Otogawa make at the end of one of his lectures at the San Francisco Zen Center: You know, sometimes zazen gets up and walks around. If a person “takes the attitude of someone who… lets go of both hands and feet” (as Dogen instructed), then perhaps there will come a moment when the hands and feet walk around. At that moment, there will be new meaning to be had in cleaning cat boxes, cooking, shopping, driving, and bathing, though these experiences might not involve the attitude that advances from the top of a 100-foot pole throughout. Having said that, I have to add that it’s my belief that not every Zen teacher has experienced the zazen that gets up and walks around. That doesn’t say that they haven’t experienced the cessation of volition in action of the body, or that they are not qualified to teach Zen, but I think they must have a different perspective on the relationship of practice to the actions of everyday life. To be clear, the cessation of volition in the action of the body is not the experience Gautama associated with his enlightenment–that would be the cessation of volition in the action of the mind, in “feeling and perceiving”. Having attained to the “cessation of feeling and perceiving”, Gautama saw for himself that suffering is the last link in a chain of cause and effect, and his insight into the nature of suffering was his enlightenment. (Response to "Not the Wind, Not the Flag") Awaken, not sure about your characterization of the "Platform Sutra", although it's my understanding that there's really no historical basis for attributing it to the sixth patriarch. I do like your characterizations of the jhanas, but maybe they're simpler than you make them sound? Do we cultivate the jhanas, or do we just find the ways to let "one-pointedness of mind" continue until a suffusion of the body by “purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind” arrives? The order of the jhanas can be mixed up, but the happiness is there for me with the freedom of the mind to move. I'm not going to make this post any longer by quoting my own characterizations of the rupa jhanas--they're here: The Early Record.

Awaken, something I hope you might like, from my last post on my own blog: A central theme of Gautama’s teaching was the cessation of “determinate thought” (AN III 414) in action, meaning the cessation of the exercise of will or volition in action. A cessation of the exercise of will could be attained, said Gautama, through the induction of various successive states of concentration. As to the initial induction of concentration, Gautama declared that “making self-surrender the object of thought, one lays hold of concentration, one lays hold of one-pointedness of mind”. I begin with making the surrender of volition in activity related to the movement of breath the object of thought. For me, that necessitates thought applied and sustained with regard to relaxation of the activity of the body, with regard to the exercise of calm in the stretch of ligaments, with regard to the detachment of mind, and with regard to the presence of mind. I find that a presence of mind from one breath to the next can precipitate “one-pointedness of mind”, but laying hold of “one-pointedness of mind” requires a surrender of willful activity in the body much like falling asleep. It’s possible to experience “one-pointedness of mind” and the movement of “one-pointed” mind in the body without experiencing a freedom of that movement in full. I’ve written about the analogies Gautama provided for the cultivation of “one-pointedness of mind” (The Early Record), and I would say that it’s only in the concentration where the body is suffused with “purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind” that the mind really moves freely. Gautama pointed out that with that concentration, “determinate thought” in action of the body ceases, in particular volition that affects the movement of inhalation or exhalation ceases. (Response to "Not the Wind, Not the Flag") "... thought applied and sustained with regard to relaxation of the activity of the body, with regard to the exercise of calm in the stretch of ligaments, with regard to the detachment of mind, and with regard to the presence of mind"--this is my immediate experience of the four fields that Gautama pointed to on his deathbed, which you've mentioned: Therefore… be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge unto yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the Truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves. And how… is (one) to be a lamp unto (oneself), a refuge unto (oneself), betaking (oneself) to no external refuge, holding fast to the Truth as a lamp, holding fast as a refuge to the Truth, looking not for refuge to any one besides (oneself)? Herein, … (one) continues, as to the body, so to look upon the body that (one) remains strenuous, self-possessed, and mindful, having overcome both the hankering and the dejection common in the world. As to feelings… moods… ideas, (one) continues so to look upon each that (one) remains strenuous, self-possessed, and mindful, having overcome both the hankering and the dejection common in the world. (Digha Nikaya ii 100, Pali Text Society DN Vol. II pg 108; Rhys Davids’ “body, feelings, moods, and ideas”, above, rendered by Horner as “body, feelings, mind, and mental states”) Whether we are all agreed that the cessation of volition or will in action of speech, body, and mind is the practice of Buddhism remains to be seen, I guess.

"Seeing, Recognising & Maintaining One's Enlightening Potential" A post I completed last week, and I'm anxious to share with all of you--I do think it's relevant: A friend responded to my last post, Not the Wind, Not the Flag: I cannot see the connection to life, cleaning cat boxes, cooking, shopping, driving, bathing and suffering. Let me try to make that connection explicit, here. Gautama the Buddha said that he returned to “that first characteristic of concentration in which I ever constantly abide” after he lectured, and that first characteristic is likely to be “one-pointedness of mind”, as I described it in “Not the Wind, Not the Flag”. “One-pointedness of mind” does seem like something one could strive to take into everyday life. However, although Gautama implied that he returned to “one-pointedness of mind” after he spoke, he nonetheless described the initial concentration as a state wherein thought is “applied and sustained”. Thought “applied and sustained” is seldom mentioned in Buddhist teaching these days. Zen teachers mostly recommend that beginning meditators focus on the breath in or out, and they will sometimes advise counting the breaths as a method to calm the mind. So far as I know, Zen teachers never recommend that thoughts be “applied and sustained”. Even the Theravadin Buddhist teachers of Southeast Asia, who follow the teachings of Gautama’s sermons more closely, don’t recommend “thought applied and sustained” to their students–instead, they emphasize something along the lines of the “bare attention” now taught in the West as the practice of mindfulness. A central theme of Gautama’s teaching was the cessation of “determinate thought” (AN III 414) in action, meaning the cessation of the exercise of will or volition in action. A cessation of the exercise of will could be attained, said Gautama, through the induction of various successive states of concentration. As to the initial induction of concentration, Gautama declared that “making self-surrender the object of thought, one lays hold of concentration, one lays hold of one-pointedness of mind”. I begin with making the surrender of volition in activity related to the movement of breath the object of thought. For me, that necessitates thought applied and sustained with regard to relaxation of the activity of the body, with regard to the exercise of calm in the stretch of ligaments, with regard to the detachment of mind, and with regard to the presence of mind. I find that a presence of mind from one breath to the next can precipitate “one-pointedness of mind”, but laying hold of “one-pointedness of mind” requires a surrender of willful activity in the body much like falling asleep. It’s possible to experience “one-pointedness of mind” and the movement of “one-pointed” mind in the body without experiencing a freedom of that movement in full. I’ve written about the analogies Gautama provided for the cultivation of “one-pointedness of mind” (The Early Record), and I would say that it’s only in the concentration where the body is suffused with “purity by the pureness of (one’s) mind” that the mind really moves freely. Gautama pointed out that with that concentration, “determinate thought” in action of the body ceases, in particular volition that affects the movement of inhalation or exhalation ceases. That doesn’t mean that action of the body can’t take place, only that the exercise of will or volition is not involved. I have many times quoted a remark I heard Zen teacher Kobun Chino Otogawa make at the end of one of his lectures at the San Francisco Zen Center: You know, sometimes zazen gets up and walks around. If a person “takes the attitude of someone who… lets go of both hands and feet” (as Dogen instructed), then perhaps there will come a moment when the hands and feet walk around. At that moment, there will be new meaning to be had in cleaning cat boxes, cooking, shopping, driving, and bathing, though these experiences might not involve the attitude that advances from the top of a 100-foot pole throughout. Having said that, I have to add that it’s my belief that not every Zen teacher has experienced the zazen that gets up and walks around. That doesn’t say that they haven’t experienced the cessation of volition in action of the body, or that they are not qualified to teach Zen, but I think they must have a different perspective on the relationship of practice to the actions of everyday life. To be clear, the cessation of volition in the action of the body is not the experience Gautama associated with his enlightenment–that would be the cessation of volition in the action of the mind, in “feeling and perceiving”. Having attained to the “cessation of feeling and perceiving”, Gautama saw for himself that suffering is the last link in a chain of cause and effect, and his insight into the nature of suffering was his enlightenment. In one of his declensions of the cause and effect of suffering, Gautama spoke of how consciousness comes to be “stationed” as a result of “that which we will”, and how that “station of consciousness” gives rise to “this mass of ill”: That which we will…, and that which we intend to do and that wherewithal we are occupied:–this becomes an object for the persistance of consciousness. The object being there, there comes to be a station of consciousness. Consciousness being stationed and growing, rebirth of renewed existence takes place in the future, and here from birth, decay, and death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow, and despair come to pass. Such is the uprising of this mass of ill. Even if we do not will, or intend to do, and yet are occupied with something, this too becomes an object for the persistance of consciousness… whence birth… takes place. But if we neither will, nor intend to do, nor are occupied about something, there is no becoming of an object for the persistance of consciousness. The object being absent, there comes to be no station of consciousness. Consciousness not being stationed and growing, no rebirth of renewed existence takes place in the future, and herefrom birth, decay-and-death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow and despair cease. Such is the ceasing of this entire mass of ill. (SN II 65, Pali Text Society SN Vol II pg 45) It’s my belief that the mind that moves is the opposite of “a station of consciousness”. “Birth, decay-and-death, grief, lamenting, suffering, sorrow and despair”—in some of his lectures, Gautama summarized “this entire mass of ill” by saying “in short, the five groups of grasping”. Grasping after a sense of self in connection with phenomena of form, feeling, mind, habitual tendency, or mental state is identically suffering, according to Gautama. I’m not sure that most people would agree with Gautama, that grasping after a sense of self is suffering. I think most people see suffering as something that takes place in connection with pain. There are at least two sermons where disciples of Gautama paid a visit to some member of the order who was seriously ill, because that member of the order intended to “take the knife” (commit suicide). I believe the disciples were unable to dissuade the ill individual from taking the knife, even though all involved were well-versed in the teaching. My guess is that lacking Gautama’s experience, both with the endurance of pain and with the surrender of volition, few can avoid the grasping associated with the desire to avoid pain. People also suffer from the failure to get the things that they desire in everyday life, things other than the relief of pain. Maybe that’s the kind of suffering my friend meant to imply when she said, “cleaning cat boxes, cooking, shopping, driving, bathing, and suffering”. I find relief from that kind of suffering in “making self-surrender the object of thought”, and as I’ve explained, for me that entails making the cessation of volitive action the object of my thought. I believe my friend also finds relief from suffering in “making self-surrender the object of thought”, but for her that has to do with good works. I hope I can say that my friend and I share a belief in the efficacy of selfless action in the relief of suffering, although I have yet to adequately explain to her how letting go of volition can result in action. It’s impossible to teach the meaning of sitting. You won’t believe it. Not because I say something wrong, but until you experience it and confirm it by yourself, you cannot believe it. (Kobun Chino Otogawa, “Embracing Mind”, edited by Cosgrove & Hall, pg 48) (post, Response to "Not the Wind, Not the Flag") To see, recognize, and maintain an enlightening potential: Find the seat and put on the robe, and afterward see for yourself. (Zen Letters, Teachings of Yuanwu, translated by J.C. Cleary and Thomas Cleary, pg. 65, ©1994 by J. C. Cleary and Thomas Cleary)