BOOK OF EQUANIMITY. Case 13

[BrianW]

Treeleaf Angoperiod is coming up, in what ways can you devote yourself entirely to others, making yourself unknown?

Since last Ango I have been volunteering to help abused/neglected animals....in some ways I started this last Ango to honor my little dog (Snickers) who we had to put to sleep and just never stopped after the Ango period. This year I am putting extra effort into this work and I am focusing on one dog who has aggressive tendencies.

Working with dogs is like second nature to me......I'm gone when I working with a dog. I can walk in where we have dogs and I just start teaching them....we use clicker training. I don't even think about it, I just start doing it. There are many...many wonderful teachers I could talk about. The dogs themselves being teachers....and people who I have run into who have had losses in their lives who, instead of focusing on themselves, they work with these animals to help them.

There is a "gotcha" with all of this. People talk about me and how "great I am with the dogs." I must watch my ego not getting the better of me and, instead of becoming unknown, I become inflated! "Look at me....look at me!" "Wow am I not wonderful and so talented!" I think I'll sit with this for a bit.

Gassho,
Jisen/BrianW

[galen]

"in what ways can you devote yourself entirely to others, making yourself unknown?"

Seemingly, from a historical sense, that idea is a very noble concept. From an ultimate sense, it seems like the-two of dualism. From the ultimate perspective, how can there be a separation of devoting yourself 'entirely' to others, by letting (making) yourself be known? In its entirety, if so, you would not be known. It seems in `the making, it is already to late, ultimately. In a historical sense, it seemingly is a very noble idea/concept, and well stated.

[Mp]

Treeleaf Angoperiod is coming up, in what ways can you devote yourself entirely to others, making yourself unknown?

I have been looking into certification for my dog Bodhi, so that we can go into care facilities for the sick and elderly to bring them some cheer. I just spend the long weekend in Vancouver spending time with my very sick granny and I took my Bodhi into see her and the others ... it was meant to be ... smiles and joy.

Gassho
Michael

p.s. This is a photo of my buddy Bodhi

2012-05-21 15.08.59.jpg

[Myoshin]

Oh This dog seems so kind Michael.
I like when I can do purring a cat, at this time all is for the animal happiness, not for mine (heu ok a rest of selfish pleasure ^^)

Gassho

Yang Hsin, D

[Mp]

Thanks Yang Hsin .... he sure is kind and gentle. :-)

Gassho
Michael

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Graceleejenkins]

I tutor students with learning difficulties. I also tutor my great nephew and his best friend. I will easily say, with no shame, that I do so hoping that they will have better futures, but I am also willing to let the future go whatever way it will go after giving it my all.

"Myself" is probably not completely unknown in this, at least at the beginning, but oftentimes, during the tutoring session, everything does disappear for awhile. You are there completely for the student—you become the student and the learning and the teaching when you are completely immersed in the learning/teaching experience. I noticed that there have been quite a few members who have expressed this and that it seems one of the more common ways of experiencing devoting yourself entirely to others and making yourself unknown.

Finally, I suppose that whatever my students do in life, in some way, my dharma eye is extinguished and yet in some way it is also passed on. I can identify with Rinzai in that. Gassho, Grace.

[Risho]

To devote myself to others, I've been trying to help others at work on projects completely outside of my job. I'm still trying to figure out how to forget oneself; as Kojip said, and I concur, "I" always check in. That validation, hungry self. At the same time, there is something very fulfilling in helping others, so it is natural to feel good about it. I mean we are built to help each other out. I'm not letting that validating and credit taking self deter me. I'm just trying to focus on little things here and there that can be of service to others where I'm at. Opening a door, picking up trash where I see it, smiling. Helping people even if "I'm too busy" at work. Of course there are bigger things too. I"m going to be looking into volunteer opportunities. This is a challenge for me. I don't really volunteer much.

Gassho,

Risho

[Nenka]

A short and (I think) on-topic story . . .

One time I was standing on a crowded bus when this high school girl dropped her wallet. At least, I'm pretty sure it was her wallet--it was stuffed with a lot of photos and little papers and cards peeking out and you could hear change rattling around inside it. If she lost it, you could tell she'd really miss it. And we were coming up on a stop and she was getting ready to go. So without even thinking about it, I picked it up and tried to give it back to her. I kept nudging her with it until finally her friend noticed. Then the girl just absent-mindedly took it without saying anything and turned her back again. For a minute--well, maybe longer--I stood there thinking wow, what a jerk, I should have just kept it. Then I realized that in that few seconds I had to give this girl her property back, it hadn't even occurred to me to just grab and keep it. I really wanted her to have this thing.

Of course, there have been times when an ethical decision wasn't so automatic and easy. But we've been talking about forgetting the "I"/self, and for me, that instance was it. Come to think of it, I don't care that she didn't thank me anymore; I was a teenager once too. But I'd like to be that way more often, helpful to others without thinking twice about it.

Do you have any examples of people devoting themselves entirely to others, and if so what are they and what have you learned from them?

I see them all the time, or at least I think I do. Perhaps they'd be surprised to learn someone considers them "entirely" devoted to others. Maybe they struggle with the self as much as anyone. I've learned to be grateful to them but not to compare myself to them, although I keep having to learn that one over and over and over . . .

Gassho

Jen

[Amelia]

Questions:
Treeleaf Angoperiod is coming up, in what ways can you devote yourself entirely to others, making yourself unknown?

This morning I was reading Aitken's Taking the Path of Zen and I read a passage about forgetting yourself. A quote that stuck out was this:

"See how particularly himself the mime Marcel Marceau becomes when he forgets himself in his work... Forgetting the self is the act of just doing the task, with no self-consciousness sticking to the action."

I also thought of this:

And I think Dogen's words from Genjokoan fit too (this is the Cross/Nishijima translation):
To learn the Buddha’s truth is to learn ourselves. To learn ourselves is to forget ourselves. To forget ourselves is to be experienced by the myriad dharmas. To be experienced by the myriad dharmas is to let our own body and mind, and the body and mind of the external world, fall away. There is a state in which the traces of realization are forgotten; and it manifests the traces of forgotten realization for a long, long time.

This is how I would like to approach others and everything else.

[AlanLa]

I find that there is no greater expression of ME than when in some activity (such as being devoted to another, or whatever) ME entirely disappears.

[galen]

To devote myself to others, I've been trying to help others at work on projects completely outside of my job. I'm still trying to figure out how to forget oneself; as Kojip said, and I concur, "I" always check in. That validation, hungry self. At the same time, there is something very fulfilling in helping others, so it is natural to feel good about it. I mean we are built to help each other out. I'm not letting that validating and credit taking self deter me. I'm just trying to focus on little things here and there that can be of service to others where I'm at. Opening a door, picking up trash where I see it, smiling. Helping people even if "I'm too busy" at work. Of course there are bigger things too. I"m going to be looking into volunteer opportunities. This is a challenge for me. I don't really volunteer much.

Gassho,

Risho

It seems you are already volunteering much...

[Risho]

I'm trying to ease into it.. just like with my Ango commitments. I know I can't uphold them all all the time, but baby steps. The first step I've found is realizing how selfish I am. I don't mean this as a self-deprecating statement ot garner attention or anything. I am sincerely stating it. It's interesting how self centered I am...Shikantaza has really shown me that... .all the swirling drama and thoughts. hahaha it's actually kind of humorous when I'm cognizant enough to step away from the drama, but most of the time I'm sucked right in.

[Omoi Otoshi]

It's interesting how self centered I am...

I wouldn't call realizing how selfish you are a baby step!

To me it seems like a life-changing leap!



/Pontus

[galen]

I wouldn't call realizing how selfish you are a baby step!

To me it seems like a life-changing leap!



/Pontus

Agreed.

It seems, realization is the first HUGE step, many baby steps to this leap.

[Tb]

I think he said blind donkey, but it doesn't really matter!

Mother Teresa comes to mind.

/Pontus

Hi.

No, in essence it doesn't but one should be mindful of such things...

Mtfbwy
Fugen