behind the obvious

[Taigu]

The thief left it behind:
the moon
at my window.

Reading these three lines, most people and myself, would be touched by the gentle heart and compassion of the monk-poet and find this very cute and kind and...

Yes, of course, it is about a night where Ryokan woke up very cold as his blanket was stolen by a thief.

And yet, it is an extraordinary poem about the consciousness during Zazen and the relatioship between sitting and living. Let me explain. The thief is the ego, willing to make use of Zazen, to milk practice, to take something from shikantaza into the life out there. Meanwhile , it misses the selfless brightness of the moon which stands for awakening, original and open shikantaza, which shine on phenomenas too. When zazen, zazen.When life, life. And of course, nothing but zazen for life is fully embraced. Do and create a bound or separation, a river to cross, some stuff and goods to smuggle, one shore to the next and... you end up with a blanket when you own the whole brightness of the universe...Attached to a single experience, we end up being the thief of a few rags . The moon, the window and and the fool waking up are always possible, always available every single moment of our life.

gassho

Taigu

[Risho]

Re: behind the obvious

I've been thinking about the pointlessness of zazen a lot. I catch myself doing practice sometimes in the hope of attaining something better. Sometimes I whisper to myself before sitting that this is pointless just as a reminder. The ego is powerful, and I find it challenging to just let go to let the zazen take care of itself.

Thank you for this Taigu sensei

Gassho

Risho

[Taylor]

Re: behind the obvious

Very cute indeed :P

I appreciate the new perspective. Sometimes I forget the profoundness of Ryokan's poems. And sometimes I forget the simplicity.

Thanks for the moon,
Myoken

[Omoi Otoshi]

Re: behind the obvious

Thank you Taigu Sensei!
I have a small collection of blankets, rags really, myself. I will put them down now. Next time I'll just sit with the moon shine.

Gassho,
Pontus

[Taigu]

Re: behind the obvious

Pontus,

You can make a kesa out of these rags and blankets...That's what we do...

gassho

Taigu

[Keishin]

Re: behind the obvious

Taigu, on this cold evening,

as I am about to prepare my hotwater bottle for my feetzies tonight you turn my thoughts to Ryokan, a thief, a window and the moon.

Could I convince a would-be thief to join me under Ryokan's covers? I think I have--and they took the roof, the floor, the walls and the window!

[Taigu]

Re: behind the obvious

the thief left her behind
Keishin
in the moonlight


gassho


Taigu

[Rimon]

Re: behind the obvious

Can't find any words now...

Dep bow

[Omoi Otoshi]

Re: behind the obvious

You can make a kesa out of these rags and blankets...That's what we do...

The thief
In threads of moonlight
left behind

Gassho,
Pontus

[disastermouse]

Re: behind the obvious

Pontus,

You can make a kesa out of these rags and blankets...That's what we do...

gassho

Taigu

This is gonna sound like a kid's question, but why make anything?

Chet

[Omoi Otoshi]

Re: behind the obvious

Sawaki Roshi said:

"When somebody asks me what zazen is good for, I say that zazen isn’t good for anything at all. And then some say that in that case they’d rather stop doing zazen. But what’s running around satisfying your desires good for? What is gambling good for? And dancing? What is it good for to get worked up over winning or losing in baseball? It’s all good for absolutely nothing! That’s why nothing is as sensible as sitting silently in zazen. In the world, “good for nothing” just means that you can’t make money out of it."

Making a Kesa can be Zazen, wouldn't you say? What would be more sensible than making a Kesa? Maybe sitting Zazen, I don't know.
One could perhaps put it all down instead, but if that seems impossible, making a Kesa may seem more feasible?

Kid's questions are sometimes the hardest... :wink:

Gassho,
Pontus

[Hans]

Re: behind the obvious

This is gonna sound like a kid's question, but why make anything?

Chet

Hello Chet,

although I'm not a qualified teacher, please allow me to offer you my two cents worth.

Making something is the perfect conscious expression of things as they are. Form is not just emptiness, but emptiness is the perfectly expressed form as well. Once we are beginning to see through the "looseness" of a reality previously considered firm and definite, it seems odd to see any worth in the "relative". But to stop there would mean to miss the mark. We affirm the deep truth of Sunyata, the marrow of the Prajna Paramita through actively expressing it, through e.g. making something.

Gassho,

Hans

[disastermouse]

Re: behind the obvious

Kesas into rags, rags into kesas - each moment is it's action.

I didn't mean to imply that nothing should ever be done, nonetheless 'nothing' is also an option.

Not to chant a verse,
Not to make a kesa,
Not to post a reply,
Oops,
Too late.

[Taigu]

Re: behind the obvious

Making a kesa is a full expression of what is said to be : bonno soku bodai, illusions become awkening. Rags become kesa. Chet becomes Buddha. Action. Gautama even without a word toys with a flower on Vulture peak. Out of non doing, doing bossoms. If nothing comes to nothing to nothing, this is a sunyata hangover which sticks and traps, It is one of the pitfalls that Nagarjuna points out. So making a kesa which is perfectly rags and yet Buddha's body at the same time is the practice of the guys that follow as much as they possibly can Sawaki 's Zen. Dogen's Zen ( read the shobogenzo and the capters about the kesa, consider the many kesa Dogen sewn). Mongen, deep bows. Chet, deep bows.

gassho


Taigu

[disastermouse]

Re: behind the obvious

Making a kesa is a full expression of what is said to be : bonno soku bodai, illusions become awkening. Rags become kesa. Chet becomes Buddha. Action. Gautama even without a word toys with a flower on Vulture peak. Out of non doing, doing bossoms. If nothing comes to nothing to nothing, this is a sunyata hangover which sticks and traps, It is one of the pitfalls that Nagarjuna points out. So making a kesa which is perfectly rags and yet Buddha's body at the same time is the practice of the guys that follow as much as they possibly can Sawaki 's Zen. Dogen's Zen ( read the shobogenzo and the capters about the kesa, consider the many kesa Dogen sewn). Mongen, deep bows. Chet, deep bows.

gassho


Taigu

My posts were not criticisms. And I have nothing against the kesa, Dogen, or you.

Is a Buddha's body made or found? A glimpse of a question from Western philosophy.