Gate Thirty-eight
Read the following, place it in your heart and sleep on it. Then, tomorrow, live it until evening when you can leave a brief comment on what you may have received during the process.
Reflection on impurity is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we abandon the mind that is tainted by desire.
A “Dharma Gate” is a teaching or practice that can lead to spiritual growth: some kind of positive outcome in terms of our practice. A way to approach the truth.
Koan:
"The habits of identification, attraction, aversion, and anxiety create suffering and lead to rebirth in samsara. They keep us far from the goal of recognizing ultimate reality and complete enlightenment. Ultimate reality is the principle that all mental and physical phenomena—people, mountains, galaxies are regarded as being without substantial essence or separate self-identity. In order to see the true nature of existing phenomena, we need to purify the mental cloudiness that keeps us from seeing it.
The Buddha taught that “it is owing to the development of virtue, concentration, and wisdom, that enlightenment has been fully realized.” In order to learn how to properly apply these three agents of purification - virtue, concentration, and wisdom we need to learn from our mistakes—and purification is synonymous with this act of learning."
Rain soddens what is kept wrapped up,
But never soddens what is open;
Uncover, then, what is concealed,
Lest it be sodden by the rain."
- Amaro Bhikkhu / Tricycle Winter 1997
Most note worthy replies :
Reflect on this: that which is pure is equally impure. It is all in what we allow our minds to see. How do we learn to see the purity? Through our awareness of impurity and our refusal to let our mind wander alone in that forest.
While we must strive to act with the purest of intentions, we must also recognize that there is a purity to be found in even the most impure things.
合掌 仁道 生開 - gassho, Jindo Shokai
Read the following, place it in your heart and sleep on it. Then, tomorrow, live it until evening when you can leave a brief comment on what you may have received during the process.
Reflection on impurity is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we abandon the mind that is tainted by desire.
A “Dharma Gate” is a teaching or practice that can lead to spiritual growth: some kind of positive outcome in terms of our practice. A way to approach the truth.
Koan:
"The habits of identification, attraction, aversion, and anxiety create suffering and lead to rebirth in samsara. They keep us far from the goal of recognizing ultimate reality and complete enlightenment. Ultimate reality is the principle that all mental and physical phenomena—people, mountains, galaxies are regarded as being without substantial essence or separate self-identity. In order to see the true nature of existing phenomena, we need to purify the mental cloudiness that keeps us from seeing it.
The Buddha taught that “it is owing to the development of virtue, concentration, and wisdom, that enlightenment has been fully realized.” In order to learn how to properly apply these three agents of purification - virtue, concentration, and wisdom we need to learn from our mistakes—and purification is synonymous with this act of learning."
Rain soddens what is kept wrapped up,
But never soddens what is open;
Uncover, then, what is concealed,
Lest it be sodden by the rain."
- Amaro Bhikkhu / Tricycle Winter 1997
Most note worthy replies :
Reflect on this: that which is pure is equally impure. It is all in what we allow our minds to see. How do we learn to see the purity? Through our awareness of impurity and our refusal to let our mind wander alone in that forest.
While we must strive to act with the purest of intentions, we must also recognize that there is a purity to be found in even the most impure things.
Mud contains much dirt
And water
Clear as the blue sky
And water
Clear as the blue sky
合掌 仁道 生開 - gassho, Jindo Shokai
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