This week we will be reading the entirety of chapter five 'Ecstasy' since it is fairly short.
In this chapter, Darlene talks about ecstasy, which she describes as “that timeless, boundless feeling we have when we lose our ability to assign more value to one thing than another, to make judgements between this and that, and to rate one thing or person or experience higher than another.” It is the embodiment of the Third Patriarch’s assertion from the Xin Xin Ming:
“The Great Way is not difficult,
Just don't pick and choose.
If you cut off all likes or dislikes
Everything is clear like space.”
She points out that when we are living fully in the middle of life, being intimate with all things, our discriminating mind drops away and we can be free of our usual judgements and opinions of what is going on.
Darlene makes it clear that what she means by ‘ecstasy’ is not referring to some kind of peak experience such as can be obtained through the use of drugs, but instead a state in which we experience a sense of non-separation with the world.
She talks about activities which people use to bring about ecstatic states of non-separation, including listening to music, chanting sutras and even just walking in the neighbourhood. For Darlene herself, white-water rafting is her go-to activity for finding ecstasy.
In Zen, we do not go looking for these states in sitting practice but, as Darlene says, outside of that they can bring a sense of healing in terms of seeing our fundamental wholeness which are really helpful to those of us living with illness, and it can be a break from our everyday worries in the same way as a vacation. However, she does also warn of the danger of getting attached to ecstasy and chasing after it. This is not what we are aiming for, but rather enjoying the state while it lasts before allowing life to continue with its usual mix of joys and sadness. In Zen, each moment can be lived with total fullness and intimacy regardless of how it presents.
Darlene does not say, but I wonder if seeking ecstasy may be problematic for people who have a tendency towards addiction to activities that provide dopamine (or other) highs and they are more likely to get caught in the trap of chasing after the next hit? That is just my pure speculation but perhaps something to bear in mind.
Question prompts:
1. How do you feel about what Darlene is talking about in general here? Can you relate to it?
2. Are there any activities you do in order to achieve a sense of non-separation outside of sitting practice? Does this work in the kind of refreshing and restoring way that Darlene writes about?
Wishing you all a healthy week
Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-
In this chapter, Darlene talks about ecstasy, which she describes as “that timeless, boundless feeling we have when we lose our ability to assign more value to one thing than another, to make judgements between this and that, and to rate one thing or person or experience higher than another.” It is the embodiment of the Third Patriarch’s assertion from the Xin Xin Ming:
“The Great Way is not difficult,
Just don't pick and choose.
If you cut off all likes or dislikes
Everything is clear like space.”
She points out that when we are living fully in the middle of life, being intimate with all things, our discriminating mind drops away and we can be free of our usual judgements and opinions of what is going on.
Darlene makes it clear that what she means by ‘ecstasy’ is not referring to some kind of peak experience such as can be obtained through the use of drugs, but instead a state in which we experience a sense of non-separation with the world.
She talks about activities which people use to bring about ecstatic states of non-separation, including listening to music, chanting sutras and even just walking in the neighbourhood. For Darlene herself, white-water rafting is her go-to activity for finding ecstasy.
In Zen, we do not go looking for these states in sitting practice but, as Darlene says, outside of that they can bring a sense of healing in terms of seeing our fundamental wholeness which are really helpful to those of us living with illness, and it can be a break from our everyday worries in the same way as a vacation. However, she does also warn of the danger of getting attached to ecstasy and chasing after it. This is not what we are aiming for, but rather enjoying the state while it lasts before allowing life to continue with its usual mix of joys and sadness. In Zen, each moment can be lived with total fullness and intimacy regardless of how it presents.
Darlene does not say, but I wonder if seeking ecstasy may be problematic for people who have a tendency towards addiction to activities that provide dopamine (or other) highs and they are more likely to get caught in the trap of chasing after the next hit? That is just my pure speculation but perhaps something to bear in mind.
Question prompts:
1. How do you feel about what Darlene is talking about in general here? Can you relate to it?
2. Are there any activities you do in order to achieve a sense of non-separation outside of sitting practice? Does this work in the kind of refreshing and restoring way that Darlene writes about?
Wishing you all a healthy week
Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-
for positive poetry 優婆塞 台 婆
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