| | Jason L's recent post about no/PCE: useful. In "thirty days in the Unborn", Bankei* advises not 'taking in' fixedly/with fixed notion (i.e., listen first time like enfant). In my opinion, this advice mirrors same concepts from other teachings, i.e., PCE:AF, 5-sensateness, with different words. (Referring to one of Florian's recent posts about the efficacy of any tradition leading to enlightenment, I agree and cannot not see that any selfless tradition with complete dedication would render a person to the condition of selfless, now. I.e., this is absolute faith in christianity monotheisms). Anyway, this is my continuing focus. I only experience this is very brief moments.
A new moon (0%full), here is a poem by Po Chu-I:
Night on the West River No moon To light my way upon the stair, Cold comfort In the wine I drink alone. Black clouds, Rain, The hurried flight of birds, Water flowing grayly In the dusk. A rising storm, Boats tugging at their mooring ropes. Or sails full-spread To take advantage of the wind. A moving point of fire In the dark, The distant lantern Of a passing boat.
[translation Henry Hart]
_______
*Bankei Zen, Translations from the Record of Bankei, Peter Haskel, ed. Yoshito Hakeda, Grove Weidenfeld, NY, 1984
**Hakuin. I opened a new book (massage) Saturday morning and, voila, another chancing upon a story from Hakuin's life (not entirely chance as the book concerns shiatsu, itself Japanese). I had to look him up. Apparently, Hakuin used koans extensively as a way to exhaust discursive thinkers (hello, me). His predecessor, Bankei, used plain language and daily practical experience to guide people to waking up. Bankei was deemed a bit of a zen heretic for many reasons, one of which was the conviction that gender is irrelevant to waking up. It is so silly that he is an exception in this regard.
[Edit: absolute faith in monotheisms] |