1- Talking silence (Dogen):
"Avoid unnecessary words.
Speak with your mind.
Read people’s minds."
2- Being a fool (Master Ikkyu):
"How to reach out?"
Listen… ask.
"How can I obtain wisdom?"
Be a fool.
....
"What is Zen?
Nothing special."
A monk asked Ummon: "What is Buddha?" Ummon answered him: "Dried shit."
....
3- Gentle Face (Shin-Hiu)
"Gentle face means a happy spirit,
Let people know it.
Let people see it.
What if they resent it?
Since they need it, they will come to love it."
4- Compelling mind (Ryokan)
"The compelling mind is peaceful."
....
"How can I feel my mind?
Look at the mountain…"
.....
"Read minds and look at the mountains.".....
"Beathe with your mind and think with your heart!"
5- Cultivate Poetry (the koan as a device for enlightenment)*
Language is evoked by the present occasion itself; it is not merely a mapping of the present in terms of learned structures. thus, language has more of a poetic than a discursive dimension. poetry proper is never merely a higher mode of everyday language. it's rather the reverse: everyday language is a forgotten and therefore used-up poem, from which there hardly resounds a call any longer.
6- Doing Nothing
"Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water."
"When you seek it, you cannot find it."
"After enlightenment, the laundry."
___________
*Here a long list of Zen koans.
"Avoid unnecessary words.
Speak with your mind.
Read people’s minds."
2- Being a fool (Master Ikkyu):
"How to reach out?"
Listen… ask.
"How can I obtain wisdom?"
Be a fool.
....
"What is Zen?
Nothing special."
A monk asked Ummon: "What is Buddha?" Ummon answered him: "Dried shit."
....
3- Gentle Face (Shin-Hiu)
"Gentle face means a happy spirit,
Let people know it.
Let people see it.
What if they resent it?
Since they need it, they will come to love it."
4- Compelling mind (Ryokan)
"The compelling mind is peaceful."
....
"How can I feel my mind?
Look at the mountain…"
.....
"Read minds and look at the mountains.".....
"Beathe with your mind and think with your heart!"
5- Cultivate Poetry (the koan as a device for enlightenment)*
Language is evoked by the present occasion itself; it is not merely a mapping of the present in terms of learned structures. thus, language has more of a poetic than a discursive dimension. poetry proper is never merely a higher mode of everyday language. it's rather the reverse: everyday language is a forgotten and therefore used-up poem, from which there hardly resounds a call any longer.
6- Doing Nothing
"Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water."
"When you seek it, you cannot find it."
"After enlightenment, the laundry."
___________
*Here a long list of Zen koans.
9 comments:
Things you overlook and come back in a memory, children playing with their imagination, simple things (“Nothing special”) that remind us of life and establish a greater sense of ourselves in the world. I believe that’s the premise of Zen (the ordinary which becomes a path to enlightenment), but when it comes to these Zen stories, they somewhat try to put on a façade in the sense that they make the reader seek an answer to what Zen might be, force the individual to locate the “answer” between the lines, which contradicts with “When you seek it, you cannot find it.” But that’s just something quite miniscule compared to when I think Zen IS something special, not quite so ordinary. Otherwise it would be easily attained and people wouldn’t yearn to find so much meaning hidden under this ideological word – there wouldn’t be a need for Zen masters and their naïve students.
What can I say about this kind of thinking eh? I mean how silly, but at the same time how direct can this way of thinking be? In my personal opinion, Zen has to probably be the most direct and get to the point philosophy out of all the ones that we have studied in China. Something that I have to love about Zen is that it's very simple, and this simplicity reminds us that life isn't as complicate as we thought or as we make it be. Even when we get thrown against the rocks, the solution in rather easy and in our face. What I find intriguing about the stories is that the student comes with a question or problem and the teacher gives him a whack and tells him to use common sense or simply make him seek the answer. But this does not go with "When you seek it, you cannot find it."
I disagree with this idea of "before enlightenment, after enlightenment."
I believe there is light (where beauty, love, truth, wisdom and knowledge dwell) and darkness (where ignorance, hatred, deceit and folly reside). No one is completely in the light, for due to our lack of experience, we will always be ignorant in certain matters. Being aware of this ignorance is what feeds our desire to seek enlightenment. On the same note, I don't believe that anyone is completely in the dark. All of us are somewhere in the middle, trying to abandon "the dark side" and cling to the light, whatever that light entails. Although our life experiences continually lead us to a greater sense of enlightenment, I don't believe that one can come to a point of claiming that one has reached "enlightenment."
-daniel
Many of the verses that we read in class serve as a reminder of the importance of the normal, seemingly mundane, daily activities. It is important to remember that our lives must be balanced and that part of that balance is being disciplined in the way that we carry out normal activities, such as doing laundry. I think it is also fitting with the idea of “When you seek it, you cannot find it.” In the quest for enlightenment you should not abandon the other areas of your life. You must stay to the middle path and continue business as usual in the areas of your life that are good and make the necessary changes in the areas that are not.
“Breathe with your mind and think with your heart!” what a beautiful analogy. I never thought about it this way, but it totally makes sense. Our thoughts need air, not only because we tend to suffocate ourselves with mundane ideas, but also because we need time to think things through and meditate before we decide, judge, create, or talk. Our thoughts are usually fueled either by our own paradigms or by our rationality. Hence, we definitely need to think with our heart, find the compassion/ understanding that resides within us, and ultimately make decisions with a relaxed mind, but with a vibrant, engaged, and benevolent heart. In retrospect, the truth is that the greatest decisions I have made in my life were crafted with a tranquil and serene mind, and based on love, comprehension and justice.
“Breathe with your mind and think with your heart!” When I read this for the first time, I was immediately intrigued by the first part of the quote. What does it mean to breath with your mind? Well, at first, I thought of the action of breathing—inhaling and exhaling. The idea of breathing with your mind, in my opinion, is related to the idea of thoughtfully reacting. However, as I considered this further, the idea of freshness and renewal, also, seemed valid. Renewing one’s mind, freeing it from pre-concepts and prejudices with each breath one takes, would permit one to reconsider things and come to new understandings.
These short, yet concise analogies bring forth a way of thought that avoids over-complication and provides a metaphorical illustration of the concepts they are portraying. The significance of this makes the reader see these concepts in a different light that makes them much more profound and effective. Additionally, these concepts guide the reader in a path of being virtuous and righteous; and it does so in a vital, yet humble manner.
“What is Zen?
Nothing special.”
this quote was the one that got most to me. this made me realize how the simplest things are the ones that can impact us the must. from this i get the sense that zen is in simple things. that to achieve zen or enlingment you dont have to do extraordinary things to achieve it. it is in the simple things, in our good doings in everyday life. in the unexpected. enlightment is sudden an unexpected and it impacts you the most when it comes from simple things. to me is when for example i am writing a poem. in the begining it is hard to start but then comes a moment when something sparks and words just flow and i feel like i got the exact words i needed. it feels perfect
Im only 24 but i've seen so many things in this life i have hurt others as well as have been hurt i can only speak from my experiences in this life, every so often we come across a real special individual who changes the way u see life i can honestly say that happened to me with my best friend whom i don't speak to amymore (ironic huh,).She meant that much to me that i would rather think of her in that way. Life is full of ups and downs some pains are greater than others, but we must find the strength from inside to keep going. If there's anything I have learned in this life is that when u have someone special take care of them, for what they teach you,give you, and moments you share with them is priceless, and nothing external can compare to that. A true man listens to no other but his heart and will stand beside his beliefs even if he has to stand alone. This may be a random post but going outside the lines is what makes you a leader not a follower. To Alfredo Triff you have an incredible site keep imparting in peoples lives that counts for more than anything in this life!
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