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Yesterday, I started reading in the Vimalakirti-Sutra, commented by Roland Yuno Rech, student of Taisen Deshimaru.
Layman Vimalakirti taught Shariputra, one of the best students of Buddha shakyamuni, about the right way of meditation... the following passage that is interpreted and commented by Rech, reminds me very clear about the practice of shikantaza:
Therefore, he [Vimalakirti] said to Shariputra, "Neither his body nor his mind manifest in the three worlds, so one must meditate. Even the world without form is a special conditioned world conditioned by meditation. So it is impermanent, and you must not cling to it. Because otherwise you can't become really liberated. His body and mind in no world is the right way to meditate. To realize the mind that is nothing lingers, which crosses all experiences and all worlds without stopping.
Even if one realizes a state that one believes to be the satori or Nirvana, you don't cling to it. You go on and on about Beyond our attachments.
Then Vimalakirti added: "Not going beyond concentration, but...ordinary conditions, that's how you meditate."
I needed to translate the text into English, because that version seems only available in French and German.
Yesterday, I started reading in the Vimalakirti-Sutra, commented by Roland Yuno Rech, student of Taisen Deshimaru.
Layman Vimalakirti taught Shariputra, one of the best students of Buddha shakyamuni, about the right way of meditation... the following passage that is interpreted and commented by Rech, reminds me very clear about the practice of shikantaza:
I needed to translate the text into English, because that version seems only available in French and German.
Gassho
Ben (hishiryo)
St
Enviado desde mi PLK-L01 mediante Tapatalk
So far, l cannot find a similar passage in the standard English translations that l have. hmm.
So far, l cannot find a similar passage in the standard English translations that l have. hmm.
Gassho, J
STLah
Hello Jundo,
Well, it's a commented version and this part is a comment/interpretation on this part (English equivalent):
Sariputra said: “World Honoured One, I am not qualified to call on him and enquire after his health. The reason is that once, as I was sitting in meditation under a tree in a grove, Vimalakirti came and said: ‘Sariputra, meditation is not necessarily sitting. For meditation means the non-appearance of body and mind in the three worlds (of desire, form and no form); giving no thought to inactivity when in nirvana while appearing (in the world) with respect-inspiring deportment; not straying from the Truth while attending to worldly affairs; the mind abiding neither within nor without; being imperturbable to wrong views during the practice of the thirty-seven contributory stages leading to enlightenment: and not wiping out troubles (klesa) while entering the state of nirvana. If you can thus sit in meditation, you will win the Buddha’s seal.’
I run a wee meditation and mindfulness class on the island where I live. Folk attend for a variety of reasons mainly stress reduction and anxiety control.
As we sit there listening to various speakers ( we listen to recorded guided meditations on Insight Timer) I often find myself thinking how this is almost the opposite of what I do when I sit Shikantaza at home. It's a strange thing and both are tagged as "meditation". For the folk that attend I think there is some benefit at several levels and certainly I prefer this to just writing scripts for drugs but I have to think of it as a completely different entity....in fact I do end up sitting shikantaza and then find I have very little to say when the group is discussing what we just listened to
Thank you Jundo for such an interesting post and reminding me what I am trying not to achieve
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