The Importance of Devotion

[Nintendao]

A monk visited a hermit, who lived alone on an island doing retreat. The hermit had given himself three years to complete chanting ten million of the powerful six-syllable mantra of the Compassionate Buddha. The hermit had been told that attaining this level of practice would awaken his yogic powers. The mantra was "OM MANI PADME HUM"

The monk listened as the hermit did his mantra and, with the best intention in the world, leaned over to him and whispered:

"I think you have got the pronunciation wrong. This mantra should be chanted this way..." and he proceeded to demonstrate. The hermit listened attentively and then watched as the monk walked back to his boat to leave the island.

Ten minutes later when the boat was halfway across the river the monk heard his name being called, and looking around, he spied the hermit and heard him call:

"Listen to this, have I got it right now?" and the hermit proceeded to chant the same mantra but with the monk's intonation. Astounded, the monk turned around and saw the hermit walking on the water next to his boat. In that instant he realized that the hermit's faith and sincerity had given his mantra recitation far more power than he had realized.

-Lama Zopa Rincpoche

[Marblehead]

Damn!  And I still can't walk on water.  I guess I'm doing it wrong.  Oh well.

 

[Nintendao]

@Marblehead You may not walk on water but you make damn fine work of rising above bulshit.

[Michael Sternbach]

Great story. There is a version of it using a Sufi rather than a Buddhist context, bad that's of no consequence.

 

It nicely illustrates what I always suspected and which my experience proved right: Devotion has nothing to do with whatever fuss one makes about a thing. It is one's silent and genuine action which only counts.

[whitesilk]

Where is the line drawn between devotion and obsession?

[Michael Sternbach]

4 minutes ago, whitesilk said:

Where is the line drawn between devotion and obsession?

 

Good question. I would say, where devotion goes so extreme that it becomes a destructive force towards oneself and/or others.

 

That said, it may bring forth something of value nevertheless. Many a genius has been obsessed by their pursuits...

[Marblehead]

Yeah, I doubt it could be argued that obsession is always a bad thing.

 

Say, for example, you are obsessed with protecting someone you love.

 

[doc benway]

7 hours ago, whitesilk said:

Where is the line drawn between devotion and obsession?

 

Good question - I've had some experience with both.

Obsession to me feels more like something from outside grabbing and holding my attention. It may or may not be something I want to be engaged with but it can be quite challenging to let go. 

Devotion feels more like an engagement with something external that I generate internally rooted in feelings of trust, gratitude, and support. It requires energy to maintain and is easily released.

Obsession is a little like skiing downhill and devotion is more like cross country for me.

[Michael Sternbach]

5 hours ago, Marblehead said:

Yeah, I doubt it could be argued that obsession is always a bad thing.

 

Say, for example, you are obsessed with protecting someone you love.

 

 

Yes, but even that can go too far... Suffocating the other person as well as yourself.

[Marblehead]

8 minutes ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

Yes, but even that can go too far... Suffocating the other person as well as yourself.

Yep.  I considered that when I made the post and felt sure that someone would mention it.

 

[wandelaar]

Playing the devil's advocate:

 

Who wants to walk on water, and make a show of it besides. Isn't that just another way to get sidetracked?

[rex]

Obsession with practice as opposed to the obsession with samsara? Sounds like an irregular verb - they’re obsessed, I’m diligent and they’re complacent.

Edited November 4, 2018 by rex
Tpyo

[Jeff]

22 hours ago, steve said:

 

Good question - I've had some experience with both.

Obsession to me feels more like something from outside grabbing and holding my attention. It may or may not be something I want to be engaged with but it can be quite challenging to let go. 

Devotion feels more like an engagement with something external that I generate internally rooted in feelings of trust, gratitude, and support. It requires energy to maintain and is easily released.

Obsession is a little like skiing downhill and devotion is more like cross country for me.

 

Interesting and effective analogy with the downhill skiing as compared to cross country.  I would add that devotion is in the realm of conscious aspects of mind, while obsession is more in subconscious aspects of mind (where you just cant help yourself).

[moraldilemma]

On 11/4/2018 at 9:28 AM, wandelaar said:

Playing the devil's advocate:

 

Who wants to walk on water, and make a show of it besides. Isn't that just another way to get sidetracked?

Yeah. Every time I try to explain Zazen to someone and I get to the part about "if you have a profound realization or vision, just ignore it, go back to sitting, breathing, looking at the wall," they usually get a pretty puzzled expression. One guy even got mad.

 

On the devotion topic, I heard something cool from a guest teacher the other day. I told him I wasn't ready to take the precepts. He said there's no way to be ready. But your body follows the precepts already. If there's something wrong, you'll feel it. Maybe that's why I've been such an angry, depressed sack of crap for most of my life.

[thelerner]

Zen fable:

A young monk told his master every night during meditation a demon would visit and torment him.  The master told him to ignore it, just keep meditating.  It kept happening, a month later the monk told the master that he would bring a knife to his meditation and stab the demon.  The master considered and brought out a marker, telling the monk to use this instead.

That night the monk meditated, in the morning he woke and found an x on his belly made with a marker. 

 

 

meditation is life slowed down.  there is still drama drama drama.  breathe, steady the mind, let it settle, be at alert peace. 

Edited December 11, 2018 by thelerner