BOOK OF EQUANIMITY. Case 12

[RichardH]

Breath should be left to breath, Buddha to Buddha, things to things.

Thank you for this, Taigu. I love this.

Once when absorbed in the sensation of breath entering the tip of my nose "like a gentle ball of cotton", a teacher said to me... "Don't become a unicorn!".. then crossed his eyes staring at his nose. When practice is impartial, each thing is full. Gassho, kojip.

[galen]

Hi Galen,

I am going to sound old fashioned and pretty stuck. Pausing before action is a great practice.This practice of breath awareness is a great one, it is calming, harmonizing, grounding, in short: a great practice. And not mine anymore. Why is that? Because I am a stuborn son of a b.... And I stick to what Dogen teaches. Breath should be left to breath, Buddha to Buddha, things to things.
Planting fields, making rice is not Planting Breath, making breath. Not even Breath planting fields, breath making rice. The ordinary is not a special focus on breath, dishes, moment, present...It is best described by the words of a very wise lady on this forum: because I know my parents, partner, children, world are already dead, I enjoy their company so much ( something like that, I cannot access the link at the moment)...and when I do so, breath is not in the picture. When cooking or washing the dishes, We are not aware of doing something special, focusing in a particular way, We are simply doing what we are doing. When playing with our child, we just play.

And again if that works for you, great! If you feel you are getting this and that and better, great! But again, the whole point of Dogen Zen is not to get or be better. This attitude and expectation belongs precisely to the realm of extensive discussion described in the koan. You see, this is what makes this Dogen thing absolutely incredible. Far beyond any spiritual agenda could fathom. As expressed by a Shingon priest who happens to be my friend: shikantaza is the ultimate practice.

If you want to get better, fine. Get better. Be in control.

In my clouded eyes, control and intention just get in the way.



Gassho

Taigu

Thank you for this teachable moment, Taigu,

More later in response to your post. My question to you for now is, what is your biggest fear from my posts?


_/\_

galen


ps, my name is spelled galen.

[Mp]

Breath should be left to breath, Buddha to Buddha, things to things.

Thank you Taigu ... I agree with Kojip, I love this! Sweet and too the point.

Gassho
Michael

[Taigu]

galen, this is the begining of Zazen Yojinki of Keizan:

Sitting is the way to clarify the ground of experiences and to rest at ease in your Actual Nature. This is called "the display of the Original Face" and "revealing the landscape of the basic ground".

Drop through this bodymind and you will be far beyond such forms as sitting or lying down. Beyond considerations of good or bad, transcend any divisions between usual people and sages, pass beyond the boundary between sentient beings and Buddha.

Putting aside all concerns, shed all attachments. Do nothing at all. Don’t fabricate any things with the six senses.

Who is this? Its name is unknown; it cannot be called "body", it cannot be called "mind". Trying to think of it, the thought vanishes. Trying to speak of it, words die.

It is like a fool, an idiot. It is as high as a mountain, deep as the ocean. Without peak or depths, its brilliance is unthinkable, it shows itself silently. Between sky and earth, only this whole body is seen.

I don t fear anything, galen. Your practice has a very sound ground and is apparently very beneficial to you. Anapanasati is a beloved teaching. And yet, shikantaza is seen as complete, lacking nothing, dropping all attempt to maintain, control, be the master of one s mind. It is very close to the Maha Ati of the Dzogchen teachings or the final practice of Mahamudra in the tibetan tradition. There is a definitive theravadan flavour to this mindfullness of breathing.

This post was also for other treeleafers. It is all too easy to mix practices . In this case I reommend people not to. In Dogens style, mindfullness is natural and flowing, not made or taylored by the mind. When you do, you simply do.

That s all really.

Take care


Gassho


Taigu

[Mp]

... mindfullness is natural and flowing, not made or taylored by the mind. When you do, you simply do.

This wonderful Taigu!

Gassho
Michael


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[galen]

galen, this is the begining of Zazen Yojinki of Keizan:



I don t fear anything, galen. Your practice has a very sound ground and is apparently very beneficial to you. Anapanasati is a beloved teaching. And yet, shikantaza is seen as complete, lacking nothing, dropping all attempt to maintain, control, be the master of one s mind. It is very close to the Maha Ati of the Dzogchen teachings or the final practice of Mahamudra in the tibetan tradition. There is a definitive theravadan flavour to this mindfullness of breathing.

This post was also for other treeleafers. It is all too easy to mix practices . In this case I reommend people not to. In Dogens style, mindfullness is natural and flowing, not made or taylored by the mind. When you do, you simply do.

That s all really.

Take care


Gassho


Taigu

Thank you, Taigu,

I will approach this at a later time and thanks for your trouble in posting this. I have already been to this depth of this type of sitting, at the time under Yagananda 25 years ago, and lost my way some, but am at the gateless gate and am seemingly close to that profoundess, a goaless goal, it is one of the best drugs i have ever done, and that is saying a lot from years past. You speak like i am somewhat clueless on these subjects, even zazen, as i have good understanding and did come from another website before coming here, and maybe some of my postings resemble that, but some of he teachings on here are somewhat in wonderment also, but i like being here, and i am just processing at the speed and time of where i am at this moment, from clear back as far as 1969. More later, appreciate what you and Jundo do here.


_/\_

galen

[Rich]

Galen, there is nothing profound going on here. all you have to do is sit and be your quite ordinary life. Thank you for sharing and participating.

"What is the true world?*"
A dark murky fog penetrates all.

"So how do you plough the field of your own practice?"
One breath at a time.

"Can you catch yourself at over doing, over thinking?"
All the time.

"How to forget one s state and return same ad fish and bird? Does this take a special effort?"
Its like a pivot but nothing special.

[galen]

Galen, there is nothing profound going on here. all you have to do is sit and be your quite ordinary life. Thank you for sharing and participating.

"What is the true world?*"
A dark murky fog penetrates all.

"So how do you plough the field of your own practice?"
One breath at a time.

"Can you catch yourself at over doing, over thinking?"
All the time.

"How to forget one s state and return same ad fish and bird? Does this take a special effort?"
Its like a pivot but nothing special.

Thank you Rich,

I will leave the 'nothing going on thing' up to your perception of my perception. I am being as only my ordinary self can be, and sitting actually much, everything else falls where it may from there. And I really appreciate your jumping in with me here in the dark murky fog, where no rescue is needed. And thank You for sharing and participating, and I appreciate the fish and bird you have left me .

This started with my post to Alan, and yes it might have been over the top, whatever. From what I see from Alan, he can handle me quite well in his own way. Then Taigu jumps in and miss takes a lot of what I said to suit his framing, which is fine and I really do appreciate, except by how the approach was done and some of what was said. Then in a couple posts, Taigu I and were getting things sorted out and will continue to on our own, but then you jump in, which I do appreciate in its own way, but this is mostly Your perception, there is no one way to anything, so-called profound or not, but I do not see the need here as Taigu and I were doing just fine. Then this no profound thing, fine, but then you post the very nice insightful piece, which could be considered very profound , even though 'theres nothing going on profound here'. Perception, and mirroring, isn't it great to be human Rich, thats profound in and of its self..... Alan was and is just fine, and I am sure he will step up after sitting on some of this, as he does, as seems to do a good job of. So I will post this not-so-profound `thing.....

Control...

"To give your sheep and cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control them"... that was the opening .... some exerts... "The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous.".... "let them do what they want and watch them, this is the best policy."... "The second worst is to try to control them. The best one is to watch them, just watch them, without trying to control them" ... "How to make this kind of effort is the secret of practice." ...... Suzuki ZMBM


_/_

galen

[galen]

Galen, there is nothing profound going on here. all you have to do is sit and be your quite ordinary life. Thank you for sharing and participating.

"What is the true world?*"
A dark murky fog penetrates all.

"So how do you plough the field of your own practice?"
One breath at a time.

"Can you catch yourself at over doing, over thinking?"
All the time.

"How to forget one s state and return same ad fish and bird? Does this take a special effort?"
Its like a pivot but nothing special.

Rich, you may have read my first post here before the edit, as i added more............ thanks!

[Rich]

Galen, I didn't mean to be profound. I was just answering the koan questions that taigu offered at the beginning of this thread. Early this morning sitting outside in a dark penetrating fog was the true world. My wife would testify that I am not profound lol.

[galen]

Galen, I didn't mean to be profound. I was just answering the koan questions that taigu offered at the beginning of this thread. Early this morning sitting outside in a dark penetrating fog was the true world. My wife would testify that I am not profound lol.

and i did not read it as you saying that of yourself. i took it as the 'here' part meaning the whole trealeaf site . thanks for your response back, that meant a lot!

[Risho]

What is the true world?*
So how do you plough the field of your own practice?
Can you catch yourself at over doing, over thinking?
How to forget one s state and return same ad fish and bird? Does this take a special effort?

I've had a cold for the past 2 weeks, so I've just been avoiding this. lol

The true world is this right here, right now, but without all of the filters and assumptions and things we add or take away.

Ploughing the field of my own practice... sitting consistently, doing my best whatever it is I'm doing, questioning things, testing them out on my own and verifying them. Not giving up even though I don't feel ilke practicing. Not running away from things I don't like or trying to grasp things I want. But it all comes down to truly living this practice. These are ingrained habits, so I fail all the time. I just try to notice my frame of mind.. my grasping and pushing away. In some sense, I do practice for peace from this frantic running away. Not peace in the false sense, but a real lasting peace in that I don't run from or try to grab things... just let them be so I can act appropriately.

Yes, I catch myself overdoing and over thinking things a lot. I'm able to think myself out of practice at times. That's why I'm thankful for the Sangha, practice together, Jukai and Ango. It helps keep me centered and not so stuck in my head all the time.

THe "special effort" is more of a letting go, an observing. By acting, it gets me into the same mess of grasping or avoiding. By just letting go, letting things be... letting the "10,000 things confirm us", that's the special effort.

Gassho,

Risho

[Taigu]

galen,

To suit my framing...

Would you please get your head and practice in the right place and then we can talk: if you want to cook pizza in a Chinese kitchen or play football right in the middle of a baseball game, that does not work.

Take care.


Gassho


Taigu

[galen]

galen,

To suit my framing...

Would you please get your head and practice in the right place and then we can talk: if you want to cook pizza in a Chinese kitchen or play football right in the middle of a baseball game, that does not work.

Take care.


Gassho


Taigu

Taigu,

Thank you for your deep sincere interest in your and my well being. Everything works. What is there to be fearful of?


_/\_

galen

[Taigu]

Again with your idea of "fear"... What do I fear?

A simple thing: I make sure people practice and get the right directions. It is my role as a teacher. See me as a referee. Does that help? makes sense?

galen, Breathing is NOT our practice. No need to pay attention to breath.

That's all. And that's big. And simple too.

Now if you want to do something else, advise people to practice something else...well, this is not the place. Because Jundo and I come from a lineage where BREATHING is just what it is. No more no less.

Now, thank you for being kind with me
and... I have enough.

It means...

Take it or leave it. Breathing is out (and don't you worry, it is taking care of itself).

Back to Dogen. Back to simplicity, Off with this stuff.


gassho

Taigu