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Last edited by Choujou; 02-12-2025, 01:27 PM. -
Ha! I see what you are doing there!
The Dao, or what Pirsig (From Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) would call “quality” but of course the words are not the things they talk about. As Laozi would say “The Dao that is spoken is not the true Dao”
if I modify St. Augustine of Hippo’s statement on time slightly it would be:
”I know exactly what comes before words, but if you ask me I cannot tell you”
apologies..I strayed into philosophy again…
Gassho,
DougLast edited by Douglas; 02-12-2025, 10:28 PM.Comment
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Its very difficult! I’ll give it a try though:
You surrender to no one, to nothing, to everything, to yourself, and to the universe that is left between what was and what will be. This slither of time that is no time. You surrender to reality - to just this. «Surrender» is thus to let go, to not grasp at anything, to not be chained by any relationship to anyone or anything. Perfectly free. When free you can truly love and hate, like and dislike, establish relationships to anyone or anything, and act in a compassionate way.
Yes.. inadequate, but we have to try. And it’s quite fun as well
Sorry for running long.
Gassho, Hōzan
satlahLast edited by Houzan; 02-14-2025, 04:15 PM.Comment
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Thank you!
Its very difficult! I’ll give it a try though:
You surrender to no one, to nothing, to everything, to yourself, and to the universe that is left between what was and what will be. This slither of time that is no time. You surrender to reality - to just this. «Surrender» is thus to let go, to not grasp at anything, to not be chained by any relationship to anyone or anything. Perfectly free. When free you can truly love and hate, like and dislike, establish relationships to anyone or anything, and act in a compassionate way.
Yes.. inadequate, but we have to try. And it’s quite fun as well
Sorry for running long.
Gassho, Hōzan
satlah
Gassho, DougComment
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Late to the discussion, but I had this thought myself a couple of weeks ago. This is what I wrote about it:
On one hand, perhaps there isn't any "point," but on the other, every moment, action, non-action, culminates into a perfect "now" that ripples across this universal ocean of ours. Each of us, rippling against each other's ripples until the division ceases.Rotating this old incense stick in the flame of a tea light—lifting, shaking, and touching it to my head—before placing it in front of Shakyamuni Buddha. What’s the point?
The woody aroma of hinoki, though pleasant, bears no fruit on its own.
And yet, do we not rise and dissipate as quickly as incense smoke? Just as the fragrance lifts into the air and permeates the hall, so too do our practice and virtues spread throughout the world. Should we not also kindle the desire to awaken, setting our heads alight in service to all?
Let us all be sincere offerings—in service and reverence to the Three Treasures.
Why not focus on the next kind thing? The next compassionate moment? The right action of now? Our actions always affects outwardly—whether we like it or not.
Regarding practice, even if we're all inherently Buddha, I can't say it better than master Dogen:
Sorry for running long,“On the great road of buddha ancestors there is always unsurpassable practice, continuous and sustained. It forms the circle of the way and is never cut off. Between aspiration, practice, enlightenment, and nirvana, there is not a moment’s gap; continuous practice is the circle of the way.
This being so, continuous practice is unstained, not forced by you or others. The power of this continuous practice confirms you as well as others. It means your practice affects the entire earth and the entire sky in the ten directions. Although not noticed by others or by yourself, it is so.”
Gassho,
Koushi
STLaHLast edited by Koushi; 02-15-2025, 03:03 AM.理道弘志 | Ridō Koushi
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Please take this priest-in-training's words with a grain of salt.Comment
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Gandō Seiko
頑道清光
(Stubborn Way of Pure Light)
My street name is 'Al'.
Any words I write here are merely the thoughts of an apprentice priest, just my opinions, that's all.Comment
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What a GREAT quote!
edit: Found this good post about that quote: https://www.stillwatermpc.org/dharma...e_way_you_are/
thank you!
Gassho, DougLast edited by Douglas; 02-16-2025, 04:25 PM.Comment
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There are apparently a couple of different "official" versions ... each one imperfect.
All are taken from cuke.com, the "official" Suzuki Roshi Archives:
From Dairyu Michael Wenger published in Windbell, the Journal of the San Francisco Zen Center:
Shunryu Suzuki addressed the assembly. "Each one of you is perfect the way you are and you can use a little improvement
LINKOne morning when we were all sitting zazen, Suzuki Roshi gave a brief impromptu talk in which he said, "Each of you is perfect the way you are…and you can use a little improvement."
------------- Ed Brown, , Tassajara, circa 1968
Published in Zen Is Right Here: Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki LINKAll could use a little improvement.David Chapman, Suzuki Roshi Archivist:
I also especially liked the exchange where someone asked what the source was for Suzuki's having said, "You're all perfect... and you could use a little improvement." Michael Wenger said, "We don't know," and I said, "Yes we do," and he said I asked so and so to ask you and you told him you didn't know and I said I don't remember that and anyway it came from Ed Brown, right Ed? Ed wasn't sure. Yvonne Rand said, "It's called 'growing old.'" LINK
-dc
Gassho, J
stlahALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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A Zen teacher by the name of Kodo Sawaki apparently described Zazen as ‘wonderfully useless’. Sometimes words and phrases I hear bypass my mind and go straight to my heart. This is one of them and helps me in my daily practice.
Gassho
Devaprem
sat/lahComment
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空道 心志 Kudo Shinshi
For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude, whatever you do, life becomes an art.
— Shunryu Suzuki
E84I - JAJComment
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It is easy to get caught up in semantics, words are ideas, and then try to use those very words and ideas to untangle the mess our words and ideas tied us in.
For me, there have been countless times when I felt the need to fully understand a “why” (why did I love my wife ""Why did I want to do X instead of Y” Why do I love Coffee, why do I want to sit?
Why do I want to know my why?
Who cares?
If wants and desires to do something bubble up, let them. If they go away, fine. There is nowhere you can go anyway so why struggle at all. For me, there have been countless times where I needed my practice to look a certain way, feel a certain way, be a certain way that I was actively missing the way that was presenting itself to me at this moment.
Some days, my sitting sucks (relative to what?) some days the Buddha looks upon me with jealous eyes (that’ll be the day)
So I have learned to just sit, and do just sit with all the narcotic bits of my own mind, and in doing so, somehow (sometimes) they don't seem so neurotic.
But then again, I have no idea what I am talking about.
So I sit, and the sitting sits itself.
Even now, these words are extra. Best to let them go.
Gassho.
Sat/LAH
Humbly,
清竜 Seiryu
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Why Practice?
The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90. 'Because I think I'm making progress', he replied.
I am a novice priest, not an expert, so please take anything I say with a pinch of salt.
Of course, becoming better at playing the cello is a goal. Humans love something to aim for, so expressed as an aim, we practice zazen to let go of all judgement and goals.
Gasshō, Seiko, stlahGandō Seiko
頑道清光
(Stubborn Way of Pure Light)
My street name is 'Al'.
Any words I write here are merely the thoughts of an apprentice priest, just my opinions, that's all.Comment
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"Stepping back with open hands, is thoroughly comprehending life and death. Immediately you can sparkle and respond to the world." - HongzhiComment
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