Gudo Wafu

[Mitka]

Hi Matt,

Everyone has their talents and faults, but in this universe we are each and all a unique jewel in our way.

A beautiful way of putting it.

Dharma Names are often given with a bit of humor, double meaning or aspiration. He did not chose the name, but it was given by his Teacher (Niwa Zenji, the Abbot of Eiheiji) as a backhanded compliment I think.

My name, Jundo, means "Pure Way," and I am anything but that!

Gassho, Jundo

Gotcha. He did say he took the name Gudo upon his ordination in the Preface of the book, I interpreted that as him choosing it (I thought to myself, maybe Zen priests get the privelege to choose their own dharma names or something), so I thought it had some personal significance. Something lost in translation perhaps.

Well, I feel a bit foolish.

He seems to have made the name his own though, and I resonate with the idea of a stupid way regardless.

I first encountered Peter Rocca's site "The Stupid Way" several years ago - the name alone cracked me up (I would steal the name for myself if I could get away with it!) A couple of years back I did a presentation on meditation in my work in health care chaplaincy, heard someone under their breath "just sit there? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Did not know the meaning of Gudo's name until now. A takeaway, at least for me, is try not to take myself too seriously & see the humor...
Gassho,
Sean
sat, lah

So there is a stupid way after all!

I completely agree. If we can laugh at ourselves and see the humor in our own reactions "This is stupid, I could be doing something much better right not, this doesn't even work, I don't feel any more saintly today than I did yesterday" that itself can be a practice.

Gassho,

Matthew
SAT

EDIT: I do apologize for implying that Nishijima Roshi was 'stupid". I did not mean to insult him. If I offended anyone, I am sincerely sorry.

[Ryushi]

Matt, I struggle with similar issues of distraction. As you say, it's a way of thinking that is different from what society readily values. Sometimes society mistakenly labels this as "stupidity".

I think this is why you see the idea of "stupidity" used in Zen so frequently. The Zen way is also a way that is different from what society readily values. One of my favorite book titles is "Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity" by Sōkō Morinaga. The self-deprecation always makes me laugh.

"Stupidity" is also a way of reminding us to embody beginner's mind. Starting with "I don't know" is something I am trying hard to practice. (Though even in this response, I'm failing!)

EDIT: I meant to link to this post by Koen Franz about Dogen's saying “There is the principle of the Way that we must make one mistake after another”. Interesting thoughts about what it means to make mistakes.

[rajmahendra]

Thank you for sharing very inspiring master i mean Nishijima

[Mitka]

Thank you Todd for those resources. I like the idea of beginner's mind beginning with stupidity. If we can keep that mindset of "knowing nothing" while we practice, then we are always open to what life teaches. Contrastingly, it is when we think we have it all figured out and close ourselves down to life's lessons that we actually experience a true poverty in our ways of thinking. So stupidity is just a matter of perception. As human beings, we are all in some ways stupid. I remember a quote that I really enjoy that connects with this: "The smartest philosophers and theologians spend their entire lives trying to discover what happen after death, while the poor beggar dies and immediately knows what they do not."

[Jundo]

We need to all be "simple" (better than "stupid"), open, childlike, beginner's minded, foolish, silly, not so serious (although very serious) about this Zen Path and all of life, sitting in front of walls and leaping over walls.

It is the folks with thoughts that are complicated, closed, grown up, ended, smart, humorless, serious (and not very not serious) who walk into walls.

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Mitka]

Matthew,

SAT