Does Shikantaza equal full trust in life itself?

[Tomás ESP]

So far, Shikantaza is being revolutionary for me, because it is the only "thing" in which I just let everything be, just as it is, as a mirror that reflects whatever arises.

Could Shikantaza be the equivalent of deep trust in things as they are? Is there an equivalent in Zen to this deep trust in life? It's as if the more I search for this trust, the less trust I put in life itself. And when I JUST SIT, then it's as if all of life became fundamentally OK. Thank you.

Gassho, Tomás
Sat

[Jundo]

Hi Tomas,

Yes, TOTALLY! WHOLLY & ABSOLUTELY!! It is a strange trust, however, because it is kind of a trust that, although things in life may sometimes not go as we want and we cannot depend on the fact that they always will (you know, all that sickness, old age, loss, natural disaster and death is simply unavoidable sometimes ), nonetheless, there is ultimately "no place to fall," and it is all the Great Dance of Life.

Yep. I might compare it to bungee jumping life ... we fall, but there is some "Indra's Net" to catch us. There is a rope ... not to bind us ... but to set us free!

Now, sorry to say, I cannot in any way promise you that you will live forever, never get sick, not grow old, win every bet, never go bankrupt, never get hit by a car ... sorry. The Buddha could not even promise that ... shown by the fact that he himself got old, sometimes sick, and eventually kicked the bucket (he did not get hit by a car, but they did not have any in old India!)

But in Emptiness (which we know as the flowing Wholeness of all), there is no coming or going, nothing to lose or add ... and this is our net, our rope. When I was sick in the hospital a couple of years ago, worried that I would not live or ever get better ... I also knew this "no place to fall."

Now, sometimes in our Practice we can taste or deeply experience this Net or Rope. Sometimes, we have to just take it on trust that it is here. But it is here. There is no place to fall, even as we sometimes fall.

Gassho, Jundo

STlah

(images of cleaning the Giant Buddha in the town next to ours in Ibaraki Japan)



(the little dots at Buddha's feet are people

[Tomás ESP]

Deep bows Jundo, such inspiring advice and images. Thank you.

Would love to listen to other stories from Sangha members, I find this to be a fascinating and fundamental topic.

Gassho, Tomás
Sat&LaH

[Inshin]

As a teenager I was in a very dark place for few years. I will always be grateful for the blessing of growing up in the mountains and having deep connection with the nature. Whenever life was to much, I would go hiking for hours to clear my head. Once a fundamental shift happened while walking. It was like taking a plane for the first time, cutting through dark clouds and seeing the sun. Realising that the sun always shines, that my life, my thoughts my mind were clouds obstructing the light. When I came down, the problems were still there, but now I could notice "sunlight" even in the darkness. It is a huge relief to realise that all is as it is, as it should be, regardless of the stories we have in our heads. The mistake I did after that for a good amount of years was to run away from the clouds, chasing the sun. Until I couldn't run anymore and got stuck in a thunderstorm. The only way to transfer my suffering was to surrender inner struggle, to let it hurt, let it be, let the past change. Shikantaza opened up a space for everything : clouds, storms, sky, sun. Nothing to run away from, nothing to run towards to. With even deeper conviction than ever, that All is as it should be, that This is home.

Couldn't fit in three sentences with this, sorry.
Gassho
Sat

[Shoki]

Trust is the exact word that always comes to mind for me. I think of it as having trust in the universe.

Gassho
ST-lah
Shoki

[Tomás ESP]

As a teenager I was in a very dark place for few years. I will always be grateful for the blessing of growing up in the mountains and having deep connection with the nature. Whenever life was to much, I would go hiking for hours to clear my head. Once a fundamental shift happened while walking. It was like taking a plane for the first time, cutting through dark clouds and seeing the sun. Realising that the sun always shines, that my life, my thoughts my mind were clouds obstructing the light. When I came down, the problems were still there, but now I could notice "sunlight" even in the darkness. It is a huge relief to realise that all is as it is, as it should be, regardless of the stories we have in our heads. The mistake I did after that for a good amount of years was to run away from the clouds, chasing the sun. Until I couldn't run anymore and got stuck in a thunderstorm. The only way to transfer my suffering was to surrender inner struggle, to let it hurt, let it be, let the past change. Shikantaza opened up a space for everything : clouds, storms, sky, sun. Nothing to run away from, nothing to run towards to. With even deeper conviction than ever, that All is as it should be, that This is home.

Couldn't fit in three sentences with this, sorry.
Gassho
Sat

Thank you for sharing Ania

Gassho, Tomás
Sat&LaH

[Jundo]

As a teenager I was in a very dark place for few years. I will always be grateful for the blessing of growing up in the mountains and having deep connection with the nature. Whenever life was to much, I would go hiking for hours to clear my head. Once a fundamental shift happened while walking. It was like taking a plane for the first time, cutting through dark clouds and seeing the sun. Realising that the sun always shines, that my life, my thoughts my mind were clouds obstructing the light. When I came down, the problems were still there, but now I could notice "sunlight" even in the darkness. It is a huge relief to realise that all is as it is, as it should be, regardless of the stories we have in our heads. The mistake I did after that for a good amount of years was to run away from the clouds, chasing the sun. Until I couldn't run anymore and got stuck in a thunderstorm. The only way to transfer my suffering was to surrender inner struggle, to let it hurt, let it be, let the past change. Shikantaza opened up a space for everything : clouds, storms, sky, sun. Nothing to run away from, nothing to run towards to. With even deeper conviction than ever, that All is as it should be, that This is home.

[aprapti]

As a teenager I was in a very dark place for few years. I will always be grateful for the blessing of growing up in the mountains and having deep connection with the nature. Whenever life was to much, I would go hiking for hours to clear my head. Once a fundamental shift happened while walking. It was like taking a plane for the first time, cutting through dark clouds and seeing the sun. Realising that the sun always shines, that my life, my thoughts my mind were clouds obstructing the light. When I came down, the problems were still there, but now I could notice "sunlight" even in the darkness. It is a huge relief to realise that all is as it is, as it should be, regardless of the stories we have in our heads. The mistake I did after that for a good amount of years was to run away from the clouds, chasing the sun. Until I couldn't run anymore and got stuck in a thunderstorm. The only way to transfer my suffering was to surrender inner struggle, to let it hurt, let it be, let the past change. Shikantaza opened up a space for everything : clouds, storms, sky, sun. Nothing to run away from, nothing to run towards to. With even deeper conviction than ever, that All is as it should be, that This is home.

thank you, Ania.




aprapti


std

[Tairin]

Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Kyōsen]

Gassho
Kyōsen
Sat|LAH

[gaurdianaq]

Evan,
Sat today, lah

[Matt_12]

It is absolutely necessary for everyone to believe in nothing. That is, we have to believe in something which has no form and no color - something which exists before all forms and colors appear. I do not mean voidness. There is something which is always prepared for taking some particular form, and it has some rules, or theory, or truth in its activity. This is called Buddha nature.

Warm wishes,

Matt

[Kokuu]

It is absolutely necessary for everyone to believe in nothing. That is, we have to believe in something which has no form and no color - something which exists before all forms and colors appear.

Hi Matt

Do you think that Buddha Nature is something separate from form? It sounds from your description like Buddha Nature is something in itself rather than the expression of things just as they are.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Tomás ESP]

It is absolutely necessary for everyone to believe in nothing.

That sounds like a Koan, I like it

Gassho, Tomás
Sat&LaH

[Jundo]

Hi Matt

Do you think that Buddha Nature is something separate from form? It sounds from your description like Buddha Nature is something in itself rather than the expression of things just as they are.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

I was just reading something yesterday, a paper on the influence of "Huayan" (Flower Garland) Buddhism on our Ancestor Dongshan's so-called "5 positions" (no link, as the paper was not so good. ). I only mention it because the Buddhism historian who wrote it went into quite a bit of detail on the 1000+ year old debate on whether the "absolute" came before and gave rise to the "relative" world of all things and division, or whether they are one and the same, or both, or so identical that there is no "they" at all. Maybe each and all in its way. A Dharmic "Chicken and the Egg."

Is "Buddha Nature" or "Dharmakhaya" or "Emptiness" or whatever ya want to call it even an "it?" Or maybe just a process, or a happening or an interpretation of the mind? Hmmm. Maybe each and all in their own way too. Perhaps there is not even a "chicken" apart from crossing the road! The road crossing is chickening!

In any case, we sit, letting the wholeness be the separation, the separation dance the wholeness. Just sit, and put the questions down for a time. Just sit, then cross the road and make an omelette!

(Sorry to run long ... more words about emptiness! )

Gassho, J

STLah