Paige wrote
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I will check it out! Thanks.
John said
Interesting reflection. I have a tendency to absorb the emotions of those around me (which often reminds me of President Bill Clinton saying “I feel your pain”). I can be a sensitive sponge, soaking up the feelings of those around me. Combine that with a quiet and introverted personality, and I am inclined to avoid people whom I judge to be overly negative and judgmental (isn’t that somewhat ironic). I hadn’t considered myself a control freak, but now as I think about this I see that I chose a profession that is insular. As a professor, my students behave with respect (in part, at least, due to the differential power). And unless a student is an advisee, I may interact with the student for only 15 weeks. At the same time I'm aware that “my” sensitivity offers the potential benefit that I may recognize some signals that students nonverbally communicate, and can then be more responsive. But the discussion on this book club thread also helps me to move towards a place of more equanimity even among those whom I perceive to be judgmental and negative.
I appreciate all the clarifications by Jundo! I am pretty new to koans. So the article by Tarrant was illuminating in its presentation of what a koan is and how to approach one. One of Jundo’s comments was that “when we study our Koans ….we still seek to approach them …with that same open, pliant "Zazen Mind"." I know that we don’t approach Zazen with an objective. Nevertheless, I am aware of the beneficial results: reducing the chatter of my mind or at least in not attaching to that chatter. A pliant “Zazen Mind” helps me see some of the delusions of my mind, and consequently frees me from being their captive.
Lynn, I loved your translation of Uchiyama:
I could relate to your comments as illustrative of Uchiyama’s statement that “we find the value of our existence only in the midst of others.”
This book club forum is so beneficial in offering personal perspectives beyond the text. It enables me to make connections that I would not otherwise.
I highly recommend John Tarrant's book Bring Me the Rhinoceros
I will check it out! Thanks.
John said
we … are largely determined by our relationships with people and things . . . We could learn to overcome our prejudices about what kind of people are our "type" and learn to be more open to others we wouldn't normally associate with. Yeah, a lot of it is about being a 'control freak' isn't it?
I appreciate all the clarifications by Jundo! I am pretty new to koans. So the article by Tarrant was illuminating in its presentation of what a koan is and how to approach one. One of Jundo’s comments was that “when we study our Koans ….we still seek to approach them …with that same open, pliant "Zazen Mind"." I know that we don’t approach Zazen with an objective. Nevertheless, I am aware of the beneficial results: reducing the chatter of my mind or at least in not attaching to that chatter. A pliant “Zazen Mind” helps me see some of the delusions of my mind, and consequently frees me from being their captive.
Lynn, I loved your translation of Uchiyama:
"Lynn" is a "good person" as long as she is hanging with Kathy, but when she has to hang with Joan she's a "b**ch." I am a "mother" because of my relationship with my sons, a "nurse" because of my relationship with my patients etc.
This book club forum is so beneficial in offering personal perspectives beyond the text. It enables me to make connections that I would not otherwise.
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