What Do You Call It When...?

[Jinyu]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

One more thing, practice is to invite the realized universe to come forward, not to throw the deluded self at sentient beings (loose interpreation of Dogen 's genjokoan...)In other words, awakening is not ours. It cannot be owned. As long as there is the slightest trace of self, it is another ball game.

Thank you all for this thread!

deep gassho,
Jinyu

[Rich]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

I agree with Taigu that cultivating practice is the correct action. Even in my darkest times of obsessive thinking and feeling the empty field can be cultivated. You wonder how quickly should things be dropped and the great thing about this practice is that you just try the best you can and answers appear or maybe I should say no answers appear because in the empty field there is no need for answers. You just do what needs doing. Dosho, I am really no different from you in the sense that I struggle every day with this life.

/Rich

[ghop]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

I just don't know. I've never had a belief, expereince, or anything for that matter that didn't sooner or later fade away or change into something else. I'm learning that if all dharmas are dreams then all I've got to hold onto is the wind...and that ain't working worth a @%$&. As soon as I feel convinced that "this is it" it isn't anymore. Or maybe it's just that most of what comes out of my mouth ain't worth believing anyway. ops:

gassho
greG

[Graceleejenkins]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

Hi, Dosho! I call it the Middle Way—an “Ahhhh. . .” experience---not an “Aha!” moment and not an “ACCKK!” moment, but Ahhhh. : )

But seriously, I’ve never gone wrong with the advice to follow the Middle Way in all things (when I follow it). I think Buddha made the Dharma very practical for everyone, lay or experienced, with this piece of advice. Gassho, Grace.

[Seiryu]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

Appreciate it for what it is and move on. Any hanging around there is not necessary and could even be really confusing.
Awakening is not even aware of itself.

Taigu

When you reach enlightenment, see it, acknowledge it, let it go, and move on.

Yet I'm curious about Taigu's awakening is not even aware of itself.

wasn't that Dogen's whole search? We are not aware of ourselves because we are already enlightened. But if already enlightened, why need to do anything at all? That was Dogen's whole path.

We are already Buddhas, yet we are unaware of this fact. We may believe it, but beliefs do not help. We must experience it for ourselves. When we awaken we become aware of the fact that we already were at the place we were seeking. Perfect lacking nothing.

Isn't awakening Buddha become aware of Buddha. Like seeing you reflection. Awakening realizing that it is already awakened.

[Shokai]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

It's strange that this thread is revisited one year later. AND, How do you think about this? this year. Reading recently in Uchiyama's "Opening the hand of Thought."; Scott's question on how long do we hold, don't dismiss it but don't go with it. Let it happen and let it linger as long as it wants; enjoy the happening. As long as you are observing non-judgementally, are you thinking? After you've practiced the dance, do you worry about every step? Somethings capture imagination more than others. Take note and let it go. Time will decide what's needed, even if time doesn't exist :roll:

Are you sure it's not deja vu as described in James' video clip??

[JohnsonCM]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

Hmmm......It could be "realization"
or it could be "the ego deluding realization"
or it could just be gas.

Anyway you cut it, be sure that you are really certain that the moment of realization was genuinely bereft of any self serving notions. If it was, then I'd say you had an "Ah ha! moment."

[Taigu]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

Dogen s breakthrough was to really understand with his body mind that awakening needed not to be grasped, that awakening had to be lived, manifested through practice-realisation. a great shift from getting to being.
Wen we read Santoka s poems ( the beggar Soto zen monk and poet ), the constant merging of self and nature, of self and others, of self and object is striking. This merging is the awakened dance itself. Not to paint the mountain, not to draw or describe it, to be mountain- self, rain-self, bowl-self...the haiku is the trace left by the dance, like footprints in the snow.

Gassho


Taigu

[Jinyu]

Re: What Do You Call It When...?

Wen we read Santoka s poems ( the beggar Soto zen monk and poet ), the constant merging of self and nature, of self and others, of self and object is striking. This merging is the awakened dance itself. Not to paint the mountain, not to draw or describe it, to be mountain- self, rain-self, bowl-self...the haiku is the trace left by the dance, like footprints in the snow.

Traces are the only things left, from his walks to the bottles he emptied, just traces...
what an example! the best and the worse... beyond one or another!

Thank you everyone, and sorry for these non-sense words!
gassho,
Jinyu