BOOK OF EQUANIMITY - Case 28

[Hans]

Gokoku's Three Shames



We often find ourselves to be much less convincing, grand or perfect than the idealised pictures of ourselves we create in our imagination. But to not engage with what is, to hide although we can truly never hide, that is truly a waste of time and will lead to nothing but a senseless death, the result of a senseless life, a life that never truly engaged the open perception of what is, and what oneself is.

It says in the preface "The person who doesn't chew a grain of rice is for sure the burned-face demon king."

If you feel around with your tongue of unfettered buddha-sight, you will discover that you have a grain of rice in the jaws of your life as well.

Nobody can tell you what will happen, but if you don't start properly chewing soon, you will choke on that one grain for sure. Whether it is just a hair's breadth, or a tiny grain of rice, if you don't face the music, even the smallest atom will lock the gate of your own life.

If it's bitter, chew. If it's sweet, chew. Bitterness will bring sweetness in due time, and sweetness will be followed by bitterness.

Chew, chew, chew. Different taste for sure, yet the taste of chewing itself is.....well, you know already, or you will find out if you work them teeth properly.



In the main case we are reminded that suchness is ever active, ever changing in dynamic ways. Since we are THIS as well, and not apart, resting in the sunshine will not cut it in the long run. We "think" we know best, we like to judge the merit of situations, but sometimes the harshest winters bring the most lovely spring....and the might of volcanic eruptions becomes the nourishing ground for the most wonderful crocus flower the earth has ever seen.


QUESTION:

Do you remember a time in your life where everything screamed pain and suffering, yet now when you look back you can see that without this episode, some current insight and/or happiness would not have arisen?

Can you recall an instance where your own pride and self-satisfied view of a situation kept you from seeing what was really going on, and kept you from acting in an appropriate way?




Gassho,

and don't stop practising. That would be a shame.

Deep bows,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Shohei]

Hi!


Do you remember a time in your life where everything screamed pain and suffering, yet now when you look back you can see that without this episode, some current insight and/or happiness would not have arisen?

Absolutely! When my brother died suddenly the shock it sent through my life, body soul I couldn't have fathomed and at the time couldn't see the end or way to end such suffering (my own or my family's) Some folks come to this practice with a burning question or so its represented. I got the answer to a question I never asked and then was left to figure out what to do with it... it was scary as hell, draining and engulfed my every thought and move.
I learned, as we all do, it passes and changes as all things do. The benefit of this event was ...well I am here I wouldn't have stumbled into this practice (debatable i am sure)
made changes in my life that allow me to be here now with all you wonderful folks. My eyes would have remained shut to the oneness (and sometimes I still forget). I could fill a book with what great things have come from an unfortunate event. The best part is I remember the best of a great fellow and the less he taught me.

Can you recall an instance where your own pride and self-satisfied view of a situation kept you from seeing what was really going on, and kept you from acting in an appropriate way?

No. not me, I'm freaking great!

Of course I am kidding. One of many "for examples" i could give is a recent one.
At our work as part of a larger improvement process for work, we did a survey of folks that used our services where i work (I manage a print shop at the local university here so I deal with all kinds of folks). After the survey I was pleased to share we had lots of positive points and a 96% satisfaction rate, not bad. In reviewing the data we had a section that gathered any comments to a negative effect and one was glaring directly at me. ME. My name was not used but i remember the incident where a customer was "not seeing things right" and I explained a few different ways trying to get through to them. Thing was I though and remember being sure they were glad I helped and educated them on what was wrong with the job they provided. We did the job and that was it. Until 4 years later it bit me in the but.
The rough phrasing was " the technical guy was a Technocrat who thought he knew all the answers and yet couldn't in clear terms provide me with a solution - I will not be back"

Ouch right. Truth is he was right. I didnt see it then, but I was treating this poor gent like a fellow geek and trying to "school him" in something, my pride getting in the way of common sense. The customer wanted a job done, didnt need the history of printing or Why RGB was wrong for CMYk printing... he just wanted me to say, no worries sir, your job will be ready shortly.

Gassho
Shohei "technocrat"

[Kiki]

Do you remember a time in your life where everything screamed pain and suffering, yet now when you look back you can see that without this episode, some current insight and/or happiness would not have arisen?

Absolutely! There's been a few experiences like that. The most recent occurrence actually brought me to start taking my practice more seriously. I look back on that experience and I'm grateful for it but at the time I felt overwhelmed and exhausted. I felt like I was having a mid-twenties crisis. That explosion of suffering was the catalyst to find The Way.

Gassho
Kia

[Rich]

My current insight is that life screams pain and suffering but I put up with it until something better comes along.

[MyoHo]

Hi guys ,

I hate to be the one to cast a fly in the soup here, but is this case really only about suffering and how to deal with it? Holding on and waiting for a reward or for things to get better? I’m still missing something.

Reading the case and the explanation ( gassho Hans) something is still bothering me. Maybe this case is about feeling better then the world around us, because we think or suggest we know something others don't and are not subject to life as it is ( although it's an illusion)? If you reach the peak and decide to stay up there, that's a shame because you will miss the point of being alive in the world we live in. Being all aloft and untouchable, denying reality, is not the true Way. The death of the two guardians is a shame because they died in vain protecting people who also sat on top of the withered pine?

Who will not chew a grain of rice if you feel it your mouth? Walking around with it because you think should just ignore it, is a demon of the mind. Chewing is the normal thing to do, the human thing to do. Acting like you don't have to chew the grain of rice is ridiculous and a true shame. I think maybe Goku is teaching us we should not deny or withdraw from real, daily life and the processes in life and nature? The real practice and goalless goal is the here and right now, on the ground with the other ground troops. It is a shame to hide somewhere, only sit shikantaza, talk about scriptures or insights and act like the world is not there. Buddha’s Midle Way, not all there but not all somewhere else either. Not this and not that. Two sides of the side less coin.

So, living our lives and seize the great opportunity that it is, it is the attitude we have towards it that makes the difference between delusion and the enlightened ones we already are. So chew the rice grain in a gratefull way, like it is all there is to life and let it be perfect, just the way it is.

If you hit a wall you will get a lump on your head and maybe even bleed. Talking and acting like this is not so but avoiding any walls, is the shame Goku is talking about.
What do you guys think? Anywhere in the ball park or not?

Gassho

[Hans]

Hello Enkyo,

thank you for your comments. We'd have to ask Gokoku about what he meant with this Koan, but for what it is worth, I personally don't think that this Koan is about how to deal with suffering in particular, but how to engage with and enact this dynamic activity called life. Because whatever IT is, it is never stale.

Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[MyoHo]

Hi Hans,

You are right of course . I want to thank you for your thoughts on this one. Posting in reaction to something ( like I did) is easy. Starting with the first thoughts or teaching and composing a short but clear text about it, is not easy and I think what you wrote about case 28 is very well done!

[Rich]

Hi Enkyo, I agree in general with most of what you wrote. Your question 'Holding on and waiting for a reward or for things to get better? ' prompts me to respond no holding on or waiting for reward, more like a tree bending with the wind until it subsides. Something better coming along or things to get better, while a relative expression does indicate a positive outlook.

[RichardH]

Do you remember a time in your life where everything screamed pain and suffering, yet now when you look back you can see that without this episode, some current insight and/or happiness would not have arisen?

Yes, but at the same time a lot of it seems needless, but that's only looking back. It happened.

Can you recall an instance where your own pride and self-satisfied view of a situation kept you from seeing what was really going on, and kept you from acting in an appropriate way?

Are we talking about today? It would be impossible to count over months and years. It is diminishing in frequency, and in the depth that my heels get dug in.


Gassho
Daizan

[Hans]

Hello everyone,

reading through the Koan again and reading your answers somehow makes me remember a story (which I have heard a few times as part of different cultural traditions...so who knows where it came from )

It goes something like this:

Once upon a time a farmer's son broke his leg and was thus unable to help his family for some time. The neighbours said "What a pity that such ill luck should befall his family". The father just commented "maybe so." A few days later a band of warriors passed the village where the farmer lived and started taking all the able bodied young men with them...except for the farmer's son. Once again, the villagers commented "What a great blessing it is that the farmer's son broke his leg. How lucky they are." The farmer, a wise man schooled in the way things are just replied "Maybe."

That farmer's "maybe" and also Hakuin's "is that so" (see Wikipedia for reading that particular anecdote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuin_Ekaku) are not expressions of stoicism or signs of endurance....they are expressions of the unbounded and unlimited openness that does not hinder the ever born, ever dying Buddha nature from being ever active, ever changing...without ever crystallising into a permanent form. Without ever becoming stale.

Awakening never stops, we arrive right here through dropping all notions of goal, not by reaching goal posts which we think permanent and which are of our own making

Shrinking the vastness of the cosmos or limiting the number of hairs in Buddha Vairocana's moustache, that really is a shame.


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[alan.r]

Hans, I just wanted to say this right on and beautiful and thanks. It's been with me since I read it.

Gassho

[Jinyo]

One thing is certain in life - winds will blow and we will topple from high poles. The crane will flap its wings and fly away and we find that we're more crane than withered pine. Water freezes but we are also the sun that brings about the thaw. Every thing changes and brings change - 'good or bad we might ponder' - but it's all relative and it all simply 'is'.

If we do not actualize our realisation that a positive may come from a negative - (and negatives can come from perceived positives) our lives, and our practice, is static.

But it's important not to be contrived - don't try and force a positive from a negative - it won't feel authentic. If we try to force positives from dark situations we lose empathy and our humanity.

This is where trust and faith come in - there is an ebb and flow to life - maybe many kalpas before the winds of karma bring a positive from a negative - perhaps we won't even live to see it - but we need to trust it may happen.

Just live life freely and openly and try not to freeze in any one position.

Thank you for your teaching Hans,

Gassho

Willow

[Kokuu]

Always wanting bad things to change and good things to stay the same.

What a shame.


I am caught in rough seas and the moment and constantly willing them to change rather than just watching the waves.
Time to chew on the rice.


Thank you, Hans.

Gassho
Andy

[Shugen]

Do you remember a time in your life where everything screamed pain and suffering, yet now when you look back you can see that without this episode, some current insight and/or happiness would not have arisen?

Can you recall an instance where your own pride and self-satisfied view of a situation kept you from seeing what was really going on, and kept you from acting in an appropriate way?

It's a cliche' but I always learn the most from situations that I perceive as negative or difficult. If I can just keep an open attitude and not become defensive.... Something I need to work on every day.

Gassho

[Rich]

After reading this case the main point for me is that being stuck is a real shame. This practice is kind of a process of becoming unstuck.