Letting Go of Letting Go

[Saijun]

Hello friends,

Fundamentally, is there a difference between being asleep or being awake?

I would say that there is not. Most of the time, we are (or at least, I am) just 'being.' When you are awake and tooling around in the car, running errands, how often do you think "hm, I'm awake right now." How often, while you're in bed dreaming, do you think, "This is an interesting dream?" No thought of waking when awake, no thought of sleeping when asleep.

Maybe "Bodhisattva-ing" (this is my new word, the present progressive of "To be a Bodhisattva") is also like this; when petting the cat, no thought of "petting the cat." Just spontaneous, complete action.

Maybe "Buddha-ing" (Anuttura Samma-Sambodhi) is something as simple as letting go of letting go. Following the path to the end, and then continuing into the wilderness. Or, to use an oft-used Zen-ism, to step off the hundred foot pole.

Or, to tie all of this back into my experience of sewing the rakusu:

It's in letting each stitch be each stitch, letting the Rakusu manifest as-it-is, not as-we-want-it-to-be.

We put thread into fabric, sew bits and pieces together. But the Rakusu, the Kesa, manifests in us, as us, perfect and complete, from the first stitch. Doing the Dharma for the sake of the Dharma.

Just my musings. What do you thinK?

Metta,

Perry

[AlanLa]

Re: Letting Go of Letting Go

I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help here, sorry. I understand (rather than think) that ultimately we need to let go of letting go, but doing so seems pretty far down the Path sometimes, as most of life is holding on and I am only a beginner at letting go. Thus I practice, practice, practice, and someday I might realize the Carnegie Hall that was in me (and my rakusu) all along.

[Saijun]

Re: Letting Go of Letting Go

When I was with Ajahn Thanissaro, he talked about the path being a "ladder up to the roof." When you get to the top rung, you have to get off the ladder.

Metta,

Perry

[AlanLa]

Re: Letting Go of Letting Go

Raft, ladder, metaphors, all the same thing to be left behind.

[CraigfromAz]

Re: Letting Go of Letting Go

I am a beginner also. Practice, practice, practice. Not to the point of ditching the raft yet. Maybe in the next life ;-)

No, I don't really believe that.

Craig

[JohnsonCM]

Re: Letting Go of Letting Go

Maybe "Buddha-ing" (Anuttura Samma-Sambodhi) is something as simple as letting go of letting go. Following the path to the end, and then continuing into the wilderness. Or, to use an oft-used Zen-ism, to step off the hundred foot pole.

I think you make a good point here. It is important not to let "letting go" become another concept to grasp on to, like enlightenment, kensho, emptiness, etc. Steve Hagen says, "Be Here Now" and Shunryu Suzuki Roshi talks of "things as it is". Letting go can be a goal as well, and the Path has no end. It is important to let go, while letting go of letting go, and realizing that there is no letting go, because there is nothing to let go of. This, IMHO, is why shikantaza is the highest form of expression of our Way, just sitting, just being, not letting go of anything because you are not holding on to anything.