Oh, those big questions !

[Jundo]

In Malay (I am almost sure) ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VRobOmgxJQ

Hokey Pokey Malay is okay! I suggest, for some big questions, just dance the Hokey Pokey in Malay. Answers will surely come.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Sekishi]

Hi Uggy,

All that has been said above this is probably far wiser than what I can offer, but here goes nothing.

I have struggled much with the big ontological questions about "existence", "ultimate reality", etc. These are wonderful pursuits, but they are also philosophical macguffins. Chasing them too strenuously leads to further suffering.

One of my favorite (and most personally resonant) of the old stories in Buddhism is the Ananda Sutta. In this story the wanderer Vacchagotta (we could call him Ugrok or Sekishi if we want) went to the Buddha, and asked simply "Is there a self?". The Buddha was silent. Then Vacchagotta asked, "Is there no-self?". Again the Buddha was silent. Vacchagotta got up and wandered away (I imagine him rolling his eyes and muttering something about "useless know-nothing gurus"). After the philosophical wanderer leaves, Ananda asks the Buddha why he refused to answer. The Buddha said that Vacchagotta was looking for a *philosophical answer*, and then enumerated the ways in which answering either of these questions would have increased Vacchagotta's confusion.

I've come to see the Dharma as a practical guide to living such that we do not increase our confusion through philosophical questions and absolutes.

So I would say that we do the Hokey Pokey, the Disco Duck, and we offer these body-minds to the service of sentient beings, and simply allow the great philosophical questions to arise and pass away naturally.

Deep bows,
Sekishi #sat

P.S. The Ananda Sutta: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....010.than.html

[Jundo]

Hi Uggy,

All that has been said above this is probably far wiser than what I can offer, but here goes nothing.

I have struggled much with the big ontological questions about "existence", "ultimate reality", etc. These are wonderful pursuits, but they are also philosophical macguffins. Chasing them too strenuously leads to further suffering.

One of my favorite (and most personally resonant) of the old stories in Buddhism is the Ananda Sutta. In this story the wanderer Vacchagotta (we could call him Ugrok or Sekishi if we want) went to the Buddha, and asked simply "Is there a self?". The Buddha was silent. Then Vacchagotta asked, "Is there no-self?". Again the Buddha was silent. Vacchagotta got up and wandered away (I imagine him rolling his eyes and muttering something about "useless know-nothing gurus"). After the philosophical wanderer leaves, Ananda asks the Buddha why he refused to answer. The Buddha said that Vacchagotta was looking for a *philosophical answer*, and then enumerated the ways in which answering either of these questions would have increased Vacchagotta's confusion.

I've come to see the Dharma as a practical guide to living such that we do not increase our confusion through philosophical questions and absolutes.

So I would say that we do the Hokey Pokey, the Disco Duck, and we offer these body-minds to the service of sentient beings, and simply allow the great philosophical questions to arise and pass away naturally.

Deep bows,
Sekishi #sat

P.S. The Ananda Sutta: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....010.than.html

That's What It's All About!

I would simply add that some very good answers also come to some questions when we stop dualistic thinking and asking the normal way.

For example, I do not think any human being alive has a clear answer to questions such as "who am I" or "where do we go when we die". As the old story goes ...

A monk asked a Zen master, “What happens when you die?” The Zen master replied, I don’t know.” The monk said, “What do you mean. Aren’t you a Zen master?” And the Zen Master replied, “Yes, but I’m not a dead one.”

But on the other "sound of one hand" hand, there is a very clear answer and knowing to questions such as "who am I when I drop all thought of 'I' or 'not I', what is beyond all 'is' and 'is not'" and "what is never born and never dies, thus never comes nor goes"? Crystal clear, thus we sit.

Case 55 from the Blue Cliff Record ...

Dogo and Zen-gen went to a house [where a funeral was being held] to show sympathy. Zen-gen hit the coffin and asked,
"Alive or dead?" Dogo replied, "I won't say alive, I won't say dead." Zen-gen
demanded, " Why won't you say?" Dogo repeated, "I won't say." On their way home,
Zen-gen cried, "Tell me right now teacher, alive or dead; if you don't tell me, I will hit
you." Dogo said, "You may hit me, but I won't say." Zen-gen hit him.
Later after Dogo died, Zen-gen went to Seki-so and told him the foregoing story. Seki-so
said, "I won't say alive, and I won't say dead." Zen-gen said, " Why won't you say?"
Seki-so repeated, "I won't say, I won't say." At these words Zen-gen came to awakening.

Not saying is not always not knowing. Not analyzing and dividing this from that is sometimes a way of clear knowing.

In between just a bag of bones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUZBNunwGW8

Gassho, J

[Kyonin]

Hi Uggy,

One of the most difficult things to do is to understand how let go of questions and over thinking while sitting zazen. We humans tend to look for answers and reasons to justify everything we do. We try to get our moneys worth (or any kind of worth) out of everything.

That's why zazen is so important for me: it's useless. You won't get any answers or any kind of reward. Still I sit diligently and with discipline. I sit for the sake of sitting and to get a break of my eternal search for answers.

It sure is scary at times. But that sense of fear also fades away, just like any other thought.

So perhaps try to sit for less minutes?

Just some thoughts.

Gassho,

Kyonin
SatToday

[Kyonin]

Oh yeah... Hockey Pockey in Spanish... and techno... with cute bugs. This is what I'll use in my local sitting group

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN3CFyuyelw

Gassho,

Kyonin
SatToday

[Eva]

Hello Ugrok !

You have nice questions . If I may offer my opinion .

First of all, I agree with Jundo, that these are totally inappropriate during Zazen (like every other thought, big or small) .
But as to these questions itself, I suggest that you see the wish to have answers as a wish to gain control - grasping, getting hold on, gaining . Not getting any understanding can feel insecure for your thinking Mind . It tries to grasp, and there is nothing . But the feeling of insecurity is also a good motivation to sit .
We can't control our thoughts (as such) but we can control when and where we sit in Zazen .

Gassho
Eva
sat today

[Rich]

Man is the only creature that thinks he has to Know more than what is right in front of him.

Enjoy!

SAT today

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Ugrok]

Well yeah, but do you really know what is in front of you ? What is an experience ? What is a sight, a smell, a sensation in your body ?

In fact we don't know what all of this is, and we can't know it.

Yet we eat breakfast and dance the disco duck, haha...

These questions are scary for me but i begin to see that the only answer is "it is what it is", letting things being how they are without trying to think them or do something about them is the "best" way to be.

Gassho,

Uggy

Sat today

[Jishin]

IMG_0104.JPG

Things are not as they seem.

Just sit.

My 2 cents.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Jundo]

Well yeah, but do you really know what is in front of you ? What is an experience ? What is a sight, a smell, a sensation in your body ?

In fact we don't know what all of this is, and we can't know it.

Yet we eat breakfast and dance the disco duck, haha...

These questions are scary for me but i begin to see that the only answer is "it is what it is", letting things being how they are without trying to think them or do something about them is the "best" way to be.

Gassho,

Uggy

Sat today

Oh, wait! You believe this Way does not address such questions?! You mean that knowing ... and more vitally, experiencing ... that one-self is fully, most intimately, a manifestation and expression of all of reality looking at all of reality ....

... that is not sufficient for you?

That is just about the clearest answer that one is gonna get to "what is in front of you" (query: what has no front or back??).

Okay, you may long for details. Sorry, some details elude us, like ants crawling across the wing of a 777 trying to understand the nature of flight and aerodynamics. Sorry, can't get it all.

Yet, one knows that thine is this and this just that.

What is wrong with knowing ... and experiencing ... just this/that?

The Universe is truly the Cosmic Hokey Pokey, and the hands and legs of the dancing universe are yours and mine!

From Galaxy Records and the great revolving carnival ride of this Buddha ... We are God Dancing the Hokey Pokey!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXx25HiyNnE

(PS - Does that mean that the universe is a carnival, and God is the head Carney? That would sure explain a lot! )

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Ugrok]

Yesterday : great zazen, total surrender, felt like totally myself for the first time in a long time - best thing is it lasted the whole day !

Today : terrible zazen, full of "where am i what am i what is all this" anxiety.

I think my fear, as Jundo pointed out, is about disappearing, finding that i don't exist. It's strange, cause the buddhist teachings that are supposed to relieve you from all suffering, like "not self", scare me and make me suffer (been reading Ben Connely's book about yogacara lately)! Maybe anxiety comes precisely from this paradox : trying to protect something that you cannot protect because it's not there in the first place ? Trying to find something that you cannot find ? But hell, something in me wants to exist and is screaming "HEY I DO EXIST" ! Sometimes i fear that zazen is gonna make me disappear, it's like Jundo said, skiing while just waiting to crash, which is tense skiing of course. Still, i guess it's skiing all the like, bad skiing, but oh well.

GO FIGURE !

Gassho,

Uggy,

Sat Today, about to LAH to my cats

[Jundo]

Ugrok, you are not going to vanish, you are not going to disappear.

I repeat: You are not going to vanish, you will not disappear!!!!!

If anything, your will leap the bounds of your small self and become co-identical with all things great and small. Even if so, Ugrok will still be here, skiing and petting cats as always.

Gassho, J

SatTOdayLAH

[Shinshou]

I struggle with these types of questions as well. If I am being aware, but am aware of being aware, are there two awarenesses? Is there one doing two jobs? Is this "one hand clapping?" Is there a separate function of concentration?

I've tried to put these questions aside for more appropriate, scholarly times, like reading Buddhist books, reflecting on Buddhist philosophy, mind-wandering during a shower, etc. During zazen, I do my best to treat them like any other thought: just something that's happening that doesn't need me, and I don't need it. Still working on it.

Sat Today

[Jundo]

I struggle with these types of questions as well. If I am being aware, but am aware of being aware, are there two awarenesses? Is there one doing two jobs? Is this "one hand clapping?" Is there a separate function of concentration?

I've tried to put these questions aside for more appropriate, scholarly times, like reading Buddhist books, reflecting on Buddhist philosophy, mind-wandering during a shower, etc. During zazen, I do my best to treat them like any other thought: just something that's happening that doesn't need me, and I don't need it. Still working on it.

Sat Today

Wise.

And maybe one day you will find the "answer" by just showering when showing too. Some things are best discovered and figured out when one stops trying to figure things out. It is the difference between wondering if the drops of the shower stream are individual drops, or just the flowing water.

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Suuko]

Yesterday : great zazen, total surrender, felt like totally myself for the first time in a long time - best thing is it lasted the whole day !

Today : terrible zazen, full of "where am i what am i what is all this" anxiety.

I think my fear, as Jundo pointed out, is about disappearing, finding that i don't exist. It's strange, cause the buddhist teachings that are supposed to relieve you from all suffering, like "not self", scare me and make me suffer (been reading Ben Connely's book about yogacara lately)! Maybe anxiety comes precisely from this paradox : trying to protect something that you cannot protect because it's not there in the first place ? Trying to find something that you cannot find ? But hell, something in me wants to exist and is screaming "HEY I DO EXIST" ! Sometimes i fear that zazen is gonna make me disappear, it's like Jundo said, skiing while just waiting to crash, which is tense skiing of course. Still, i guess it's skiing all the like, bad skiing, but oh well.

GO FIGURE !

Gassho,

Uggy,

Sat Today, about to LAH to my cats

I like to consider Zazen as the act of washing. When you start to wash, it gives the impression that it's becoming more dirty. However, it's the cleaning process. Just Sit.

Gassho,
Geerish
ST,Lah.