Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Freeze! Drop It! Slowly...

DHS 146



Boy was i wrong about my cherry tree. It may be in full bloom this weekend — even though the first blossoms popped open only yesterday! I looks like a third of the tree opened late this morning as the temperature started to climb. I'll post another picture tomorrow.

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"Spiritual practice must be carried out quietly and calmly because a passage to freedom opens to you only when you deal with right now, right here. So under all circumstances, whatever feeling, emotion, or idea your dualistic human consciousness has produced, just accept it. Then, next, don't attach to it, just let it go, let it return to oneness. Then you can return to oneness. This is nothing but practice in action. This practice is naturally pure and clean. So right in the middle of sitting zazen, try to receive your body and mind and use them in peace and harmony. That is called the wheel of ignorance.

"It is difficult to receive and accept oneness because human speculation doesn't catch it. But if you practice with full devotion, finally you will come to the final goal—silence. When you touch the core of existence and see the fundamental truth, there is nothing to say; you are just present in silence. This silence really makes your life alive. Then, even though you don't say anything, your silence has lots of words, demonstrating the truth in a physical and mental way, which can be seen by others. This is Buddha's teaching appearing through the form of a person who sees into the pure and clear depth of human existence."

Each Moment Is The Universe
Dainin Katagiri


Sitting in silence
Letting go of everything
Drop into oneness

2 comments:

Get out of Debt said...

Spiritual practice not only leads to oneness with the universe it is the path to ultimate peace.

Lao Bendan said...

Well, that's certainly true, but only partly and the operative word is "ultimate." What provides the cause for "ultimate" peace? Is it just the practice? Is it just the teachings? Is it just a regular meditation practice? Is it just walking the spiritual path.

Spiritual practice alone can't give you "ultimate" peace. It can make your life peaceful, allow you to pass your days more calmly, allow you to reduce the amount of time you are sidetracked by anger, dissatisfaction, unease, etc., but walking the path all by itself won't set up the causes to allow "ultimate" peace.

That only comes when you get the ultimate insight into life, existence, being, emptiness, and the interconnectedness of all. Only a glimpse of the oneness of all lets you settle into "ultimate" peace. Until then you may hover over, around, and near it, but what you have is not IT. You can't have your effect without my cause.

But you are right, it is the path towards it.

IMHO