Re: Meditation is pointless...
I wonder if the conversation might not be abetted by losing some of the more cliched terms like 'unfolding the Buddha nature', etc. Not because they're wrong, but because they've been repeated so many times that they start to lose their effectiveness - it's not the fault of the terms, if we could just come to them with a fresh mind it would be no problem. Maybe it's just me.
That's why Jundo's pudding metaphor, as cheesy as it may be perceived, at least makes you approach the things he's talking about without automatically thinking you understand because you've heard it so much. Or it did for me...
So yeah - Zen is useless so why do you sit? I think zazen being actually useless is not the same as the story 'zen is useless'. My ex-girlfriend used to ask me why I meditated and I'd say 'there is no reason'. She'd say, 'if there is no reason, why do it?'. If I felt like being enigmatic, I'd say, 'Yes.'. If I felt more compassionate, I'd say, 'you'd have to do it to understand - I can't explain it very well.'.
When I sit, zazen becomes useless just by 'engaging the clutch' and not being driven by thoughts. The gears aren't turning, and without anything to push against, the engine drops to a low idle - very occasionally it sputters to a timeless stop before percolating again. Often the gears get engaged in trying to describe what just happened before the clutch is re-engaged.
'Zazen is useless' as an idea is a useless idea that can keep you from sitting zazen or it can be an admonition to stop chasing some peak experience like a dog chasing a car.
'Zazen is useless' in actuality is just zazen - if it moves through your mind without getting stuck anywhere.
Lots of things get stuck in my mind, hitting landmines, causing a lot of heat and light and urgency. Maybe more for me than others. Zazen though, lets things be open so mental objects can pass through.
IMHO.
I wonder if the conversation might not be abetted by losing some of the more cliched terms like 'unfolding the Buddha nature', etc. Not because they're wrong, but because they've been repeated so many times that they start to lose their effectiveness - it's not the fault of the terms, if we could just come to them with a fresh mind it would be no problem. Maybe it's just me.
That's why Jundo's pudding metaphor, as cheesy as it may be perceived, at least makes you approach the things he's talking about without automatically thinking you understand because you've heard it so much. Or it did for me...
So yeah - Zen is useless so why do you sit? I think zazen being actually useless is not the same as the story 'zen is useless'. My ex-girlfriend used to ask me why I meditated and I'd say 'there is no reason'. She'd say, 'if there is no reason, why do it?'. If I felt like being enigmatic, I'd say, 'Yes.'. If I felt more compassionate, I'd say, 'you'd have to do it to understand - I can't explain it very well.'.
When I sit, zazen becomes useless just by 'engaging the clutch' and not being driven by thoughts. The gears aren't turning, and without anything to push against, the engine drops to a low idle - very occasionally it sputters to a timeless stop before percolating again. Often the gears get engaged in trying to describe what just happened before the clutch is re-engaged.
'Zazen is useless' as an idea is a useless idea that can keep you from sitting zazen or it can be an admonition to stop chasing some peak experience like a dog chasing a car.
'Zazen is useless' in actuality is just zazen - if it moves through your mind without getting stuck anywhere.
Lots of things get stuck in my mind, hitting landmines, causing a lot of heat and light and urgency. Maybe more for me than others. Zazen though, lets things be open so mental objects can pass through.
IMHO.
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