It is a good day to move on to our next case.
Do not think that "every day is a good day" just means some naive optimism, "look on the bright side" listing up of "pros and cons," remembering that "the sun will come out tomorrow." It is not a "stiff upper lip" or "rose colored glasses." Nor is it "every cloud has a silver lining." Whether any of that is true or not, that is not it!
It is more that the Buddha Light is always shining, the sky open and boundless, even on the stormiest, cloudiest, darkest days. But it is not some simple human "optimism" or Stoic acceptance. This is the Wholeness, that which sweeps all in and is profound. No birth and death here from the startless start.
In our CASE, commentators disagree somewhat on the reference to "the 15th day," but it likely means the middle of the lunar month. So, the meaning may be either "forget yesterday, forget tomorrow, there is just this day" or "forget yesterday, the future begins from here" (I would bet on the latter.)
The other cases about Yunmen in the COMMENTARY are interesting, but they are just about the man, not really about today's case. So, we will leave them for another time.
In the VERSE, the reference to "throw away 1 and pick up 7" confuses commentators, but may mean something like "forget trying to hold on to the one, and dive into the world of the many," followed by "in all the world (four directions) there is no comparison to him." Then the poem has images of his walking free though wild nature that is flowing streams and wild birds flying in the open sky, free from confusion and bonds, but also he comes back to the tangled, messy world of "thickly overgrown grasses/flowers and overhanging mist and fog." Hopefully, his freedom is there too. The part about Subhuti refers to a legendary disciples of the Buddha whose meditation and samadhi was so strong that a god in heaven rained down flowers on him. Shunyata means "Emptiness," so that whole passage likely means something like "don't get lost in the meditation of deep Emptiness, and come practice in this messy world." The "don't make a move" at the end may mean something like "don't look for the answer there and there, but realize it right here."
QUESTION:
Today your cat is sick, you lost your job, grandma is in the hospital, you can't pay your bills, your candidate lost the election and then your house burned down.
Tell me: Why is this day a good day?
Again, DO NOT give me "look on the bright side" "silver lining" "the sun will come out tomorrow" responses, or I will slam the door on your leg (you will understand about the leg when you read the commentary.)
.
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
Do not think that "every day is a good day" just means some naive optimism, "look on the bright side" listing up of "pros and cons," remembering that "the sun will come out tomorrow." It is not a "stiff upper lip" or "rose colored glasses." Nor is it "every cloud has a silver lining." Whether any of that is true or not, that is not it!
It is more that the Buddha Light is always shining, the sky open and boundless, even on the stormiest, cloudiest, darkest days. But it is not some simple human "optimism" or Stoic acceptance. This is the Wholeness, that which sweeps all in and is profound. No birth and death here from the startless start.
In our CASE, commentators disagree somewhat on the reference to "the 15th day," but it likely means the middle of the lunar month. So, the meaning may be either "forget yesterday, forget tomorrow, there is just this day" or "forget yesterday, the future begins from here" (I would bet on the latter.)
The other cases about Yunmen in the COMMENTARY are interesting, but they are just about the man, not really about today's case. So, we will leave them for another time.
In the VERSE, the reference to "throw away 1 and pick up 7" confuses commentators, but may mean something like "forget trying to hold on to the one, and dive into the world of the many," followed by "in all the world (four directions) there is no comparison to him." Then the poem has images of his walking free though wild nature that is flowing streams and wild birds flying in the open sky, free from confusion and bonds, but also he comes back to the tangled, messy world of "thickly overgrown grasses/flowers and overhanging mist and fog." Hopefully, his freedom is there too. The part about Subhuti refers to a legendary disciples of the Buddha whose meditation and samadhi was so strong that a god in heaven rained down flowers on him. Shunyata means "Emptiness," so that whole passage likely means something like "don't get lost in the meditation of deep Emptiness, and come practice in this messy world." The "don't make a move" at the end may mean something like "don't look for the answer there and there, but realize it right here."
QUESTION:
Today your cat is sick, you lost your job, grandma is in the hospital, you can't pay your bills, your candidate lost the election and then your house burned down.
Tell me: Why is this day a good day?
Again, DO NOT give me "look on the bright side" "silver lining" "the sun will come out tomorrow" responses, or I will slam the door on your leg (you will understand about the leg when you read the commentary.)
.
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
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