9/23 Zen Seeds: Pgs47-50

[Ekai]

Re: 9/23 Zen Seeds: Pgs47-50

Question:
Can you think of anything else to which we pass judgement on based on our concepts of good/bad or worth/worthless?

I am judgmental of myself more than to anyone else. If I make a mistake or don't get something right away, I am hard on myself. Yesterday I was driving down to Chicago to visit my Dad. He is recovering from back surgery in a nursing home so I had to take a different route than usual using Google directions. Well, I missed my turn and ended up having to take a different way. Missing my turn was no t the issue but my relation to it was. I thought to myself, "how good I miss my turn?" Then I thought, "well I am a Buddhist so I should be more mindful of where I was going and not miss my turn", "I guess I am not as mindful as a thought I was", blah, blah, blah. After a few miles, I remembered to just let it go and I did. And then after letting that go, I became judgmental of how I let it bother me in the first place. I thought, "I should have let it go sooner", "I clung to the thought of being unaware too much", blah, blah, blah. I drove a few more miles and I remembered to let it go again. Whew! I guess that is why it's called Practice. And really, it wasn't that far out of the way.

Thanks,
Jodi

[Dosho]

Re: 9/23 Zen Seeds: Pgs47-50

Hi all,

Enjoyment Along the Way

As I have written elsewhere on the fourm, when my family moved into our current house 4 years ago I started treating the grass organically and found out a very interesting thing about weeds: They tell us a great deal about our soil! And of all the so-called "weeds", one stands out as particularly so: clover. Where clover grows, it tells us that there is a deficiency of nitrogen in the soil. And what does clover do? It takes nitrogen out of the air and puts it into the soil. If you cut the leaves of clover or its flowers? They both contain among the richest deposits of nitrogen to be found in any plant and it feeds the soil. Clover's pure function is to enrich our soil, but when you use weedkillers it destroys this wonderful source. How can you dislike a plant that, when alive, enriches the soil with a needed nutrient. And, when dead, does the exact same thing? For years, makers of weedkiller tried to find a way to create a weedkiller that would not kill clover because, in the days before "perfect" lawns, any good lawn care program included clover. And, it isn't just clover. All weeds tell us something about the conditions of our soil, whether it is lacking nutrient, has too much of a substance, or if the soil is compacted, too wet, etc. Weeds, like the people in our lives have so much to tell us if we are just willing to let them be and listen to what they have to say.

Question: Can you think of anything else to which we pass judgement on based on our concepts of good/bad or worth/wothless?

Like I just mentioned above, it's people. There are people who tell me how I should be and I listen far too much. And I'm sure there are others who could have taught me a great lesson, but I wasn't listening. We can gain first impressions of people that are very incorrect and can often base how much we listen to their opinions on such first impressions. I was guilty of this a lot in the past and still am, but I try to listen to my second, third, and nth impressions of people and vow to never assume what they have been in the past as being who they are now.


Purifying the Heart

The message here seems clear, but the only thing I did find odd in this chapter was the idea that if someone had lived for 40 years in pain and sorrow that such would be the end result upon their face for a lifetime. I'm not sure I think that is so, but perhaps it is the inner beauty that supersedes that and, as a result, it matters not what is seen on your face but is more about what is in your eyes and, as Aoyama says, the purification of your heart. And isn't the point of the next chapter that you are only as old as you feel and that changing our ways in this moment is all that is within our control? It was just funny that my response to this chapter is, to some degree, written by Aoyama herself in the next one!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Taylor]

Re: 9/23 Zen Seeds: Pgs47-50

Enjoyment along the way

We judge weeds, we judge people. Maybe not by their "worth" directly, but at least indirectly. How often does the thought of "If I do this, this person will probably do that for me" rather than "If I do this, this will be done." What worth do we place on others? Everyone is worthless, and thus everyone is precious. The same goes for weeds, taste dandelion greens or well cooked nettles if you don't believe me.

Purifying the Heart
You are beautiful whether you know it or not. Dandelion or rose, you are completely and utterly yourself and everyone around you. The trees, sky, stars, sun, p*ss, s**t, and garbage. Youmewe are everything and just ourselves. How could we not be beautiful?