SIT-A-LONG with Jundo: gratitude & Great Gratitude

[Matt]

Thank you for this, Jundo. Recently, I have been doing a short, daily gratitude journal. Which, yes, is helpful. Your commentary, though, has helped put this in perspective.

We are grateful for life, for death, for health, for sickness .. each and all as Sacred.

Deep bows, Matt J

[Koshin]

thank you teacher

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[Risho]

Thank you.

Gassho,

Risho

[Daitetsu]

Many thanks, Jundo!

Gassho,

Timo

[Myoku]

Thank you Jundo,
being the master of rejection I'm at least very grateful for tis teaching,
Gassho
Myoku

[alan.r]

"When we sit shikantaza, we are this gratitude."

Thank you for this talk and for the above in particular.

Gassho

[Kaishin]

That is an important and difficult (to practice) distinction. Thank you, Jundo.

[PlatosGhost]

There is a beautiful subtlety, a powerful subtlety, in this Jundo. Thank you for the heart-honesty with which you have offered it.

Sean

[Jakugan]

Thank you Jundo. It is always important to be reminded of this.

Gassho

Simon

[Meishin]

Gassho, bows,
John

[Dylan]

Bows,

Thank you Jundo for this wonderful piece, as always your words are a gift to be grateful for.

However; and pardon my Begginer's Mind here, I must ask: how does one do this? I've tried to experience this Gratitude, but I find my inner voice constantly seeking something to compare it too, something positive to cling to. Even in things (your Syria example, for instance) that have no room for positivity (although much room for optimism) when trying to look with these Grateful eyes, I still find myself thinking, "Well, I could be grateful that it can eventually get better."

I still find that silver lining, and I somehow always do, my mind speaks it with little to no effort on my part. How can I practice being Grateful without the need for a silver lining when I always, always seem to find one?

Gassho,
Dylan

[Jundo]

However; and pardon my Begginer's Mind here, I must ask: how does one do this? I've tried to experience this Gratitude, but I find my inner voice constantly seeking something to compare it too, something positive to cling to. Even in things (your Syria example, for instance) that have no room for positivity (although much room for optimism) when trying to look with these Grateful eyes, I still find myself thinking, "Well, I could be grateful that it can eventually get better."

Ah, in Shikantaza we let go of the "I" trying to "do this", we quiet the "inner voice" that is "seeking" something, put away all comparisons and measures of "positive" vs. "negative". We sit, finding the clear, boundless mirror that reflects and holds all events of this life and world without resistance or judgement.

Then, somehow, what presents itself is not some cheap "silver lining" ... not some simple optimism or searching for the bright side. Rather, there is found a certain Wholeness, Completeness, Light (All Caps) that sweeps in and enlightens all the worlds broken shards, incompleteness, dark and light. One may say that there is a Silver that is hidden even amid the world's ugly tarnish (and no polishing ever was needed, even as we polish nonetheless ... a world in which we try to polish away greed, anger and division, and end all wars ... yet nothing to polish too ). My Teacher, Nishijima, used to call Buddhism a kind of Optimistic philosophy ... but a special kind of "Optimism" and "Postive" (Caps) which simultaneously is and shines as both our ordinary human optimism and pessimism, positive or negative.

Just Sit ... allowing the Clear, Boundless, Open Mind to Shine ... and find out what transcends and holds this sometimes ugly world.

Gassho, J

PS - I had to recall this "bright side" ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUhlRoBL8M

It is not this Monty Python bright side, but rather the "Bright Side" that holds light and dark. Understand? Maybe the real Jesus did.

[Dylan]

Deep bows,
Thank you Jundo, I will allow myself to ponder this as I allow understanding to come.

I think it's becoming clearer. ^^;

Gassho,
Dylan

[Ugrok]

I have a question about this (and maybe compassion) : why be grateful, why be compassionate, on the relative level ? Because well, grateful or not, we are still part of the same stuff, wether we want it or not.

I don't really understand why acting kindly is better than acting like a jerk, from the buddhist's philosophy point of view.

My idea is that it is because, well, since all the life we get to live is a representation, based on some absolute rules, we'd better work on making that representation a cool place to live in ; and buddha discovered that, due to the cause/effect relation, doing certain things in this world results in certain effects. Killing leads to suffering, for example. But is this precept based on absolute compassion, or relative compassion ? Are they the same in the end ? I wonder, because relative compassion is just based on "good feelings", which are as empty as anything else... So, should it be trusted as good just because it feels good ? I mean, the guy that crashed a plane in the twin towers, killing hundreds, certainly felt he was doing something good. So, on what should relative compassion be based ?

What i have trouble understanding is the link between the absolute compassion, which is, the feeling that every single thing in life is sacred, and the relative compassion, which means to be nice to your neighbour.

Thanks in advance !

Ugrok

[Jishin]

Ugrok,

Grab your own nose and twist it and see if that pain is real. Is it absolute, relative pain or both at once? 😄

Gassho, Jishin