Not Small in the Universe

[Jundo]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

As if the universe pays attention to Treeleaf :roll:

gassho
Greg

What is the universe apart from treeleaf....

Countless universes and Buddhas in every grain of sand!

Gassho, Jundo ... on the plane to Guam, waiting the door to be closed.

[Run_CMD]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

On that note, maybe this might be interesting to somebody :

The primacy of consciousness

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 626430789#

Presentation given at "Physics of Consciousness" conference, Virginia, 2004, in which Peter Russell explores the mystery of consciousness from both scientific and mystical perspectives, showing how light is intrinsic to both, and giving a coherent argument as to why consciousness is fundamental essence of the cosmos. (Includes beautiful graphics and images.)

[Kaishin]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

I always enjoy his bits on NOVA and other PBS shows. He's a great advocate of sciene and very good at putting things in layman's terms.

[Jinyo]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

Have just watched Peter Russel's lecture (lively audience!) - and found it really interesting.

Also listened to Owen Flanagan's interview (there's another one on Buddhist Geeks aswell).

http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/20 ... -flanagan/

- reckon there's hours worth of discussion so going to let my mind gently perculate all that information :roll:

Gassho

Willow

[Jundo]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

When I discover something I love, I want to make it part of me. On my smarter days, I realize there's no need for wanting because all things I love (and don't love) are within me as the whole of my experience.

Ah, this is so vital Amelia. Too much Wisdom, only seeing all reality in every grain of sand, is too cold and macho ... unless we include Compassion, Grandmotherly Heart-Mind ... all things we love (and don't love) in every beat of the heart and life's experience. Dogen said not to forget all the "flowers and weeds" of life amid all his talk of Buddha Dharma.

Thank you for the reminding ... and rehearting. 8)

Grandmotherly Bows, Jundo

[Myoshin]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

hello everybody,

I felt this impermanance and no self, whith this video and ohter texts, we can feel free considering this, it's a great liberation, but in another hand we can feel sadness when we feel no self, indeed why do we live? what it's the sens of our lives, of living?

If you can drop a line to guide me

Gassho to the great sangha's members

Yang Hsin

[Hans]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

Dear Yang-Hsin,

all I can give you is a half-baked novice priest's two cents worth of a life line, which some might consider to be on the same level as wild fox spittle.

The idea of "sense" is a very subjective and indeed human one.

You might find the first taste of a possible answer when you radically drop all notions of sense and indeed nonsense. It might also help you to consider (not just with your intellect, but for example with your full body in Zazen) what it is that is in need of such categories. Really juicy stuff, as Taigu might say.

Zen doesn't make a lot of "sense" actually. Pretty useless to be more exact. This enacted uselessness however, now that is a fertile field. Some of us don't "make" sense, we just "do".

Maybe this isn't a satisfactory answer, but then again how could anybody else's answer ever satisfy your own hunger?


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Omoi Otoshi]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

Hello Yang-Hsin!

My uneducated guess is that you are starting to realize the emptiness of the self, the ego. Which is a great thing, but also potentially painful. We're so addicted to our habitual ways of thinking that it is hard to let go. When some delusions are seen through, it's easy to fall into the rabbit hole of emptiness and get stuck there. Nothing is permanent and nothing has inherent, separate existance, but that's not the whole truth. Emptiness is just a view. A view that can easily become negative and that may need to be balanced with the positive, hopeful view of Buddha nature, the other side of the coin, to arrive at no view, the complete coin without sides, at Suchness. In balance, there is the Middle Way. Emptiness for me is a medicine for the disease of ego and attachment. Take too much of it and you may end up with another disease, nihilism. Life may be a dream, but it's the only reality we have and it's waiting to be lived and experienced to the fullest! I can't say I'm a master of no self myself... ops: But the few times I've experienced what I call no self, it has sometimes been a wonderful sensation of being completely home, completely confident, completely whole. Everything is suddenly clear and easy. There is a feeling that the universe sort of makes sense, not intellectually, but deep inside. The question of meaning is suddenly unimportant.

Take care,
Gassho,
Pontus

[andyZ]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

hello everybody,

If you can drop a line to guide me

Yang Hsin

Yang Hsin,

not sure if I can guide you, but here's my own thinking on this matter. When "yourself" is the whole universe, how can you be lonely? But as they warn in Buddhism you can't really live in that absolute dimension. Since we already got here instead of focusing on "why we are here", we can focus on "how we're here". I think Zen practice is a tool that can help us live this life in harmony with our own thoughts, our family, neighbours, planet and the whole universe. But as Hans suggested, each one of us needs to figure it out for themselves.

ps. On the other hand, I don't see anything wrong with asking "why we're here"…otherwise Buddhism wouldn't be invented .

[Rich]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

Why do we live?
To help ALL beings.

Don't. Make sense, no sense, non sense. Don’t. Make anything. Just practice.

[gilles]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

Countless universes and Buddhas in every grain of sand!

thX jundo

gassho
gilles

[Hogo]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

Beautiful perspective, and video.
Big fan of Neil Degrasse Tyson, he approaches science, life, and the universe with a rare and contagious passion.
Thank you for sharing.
Gassho ~ Hogo.

[Ola Nelsson]

Re: Not Small in the Universe

Thank you, the thought that the universe in me and all of you is a nice thought.

Gassho
Ola