The Fence

[Hans]

Hello,

the following was inspired by all the wonderful comments dealing with a Book of Equanimity koan. May it in turn inspire clarity:


The grass is always greener on the other side they say,
and they are right.
Drop body and mind,
stop and open.
Deeply entering into this you will see that there is no fence at all,
and that the green is truly the same.
Catch that thief again and again,
who steals green and erects fences.
You.


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Dokan]

Wonderful...the walls we put up oft box us in. Great!

Ty

Gassho,

Dokan

[Shohei]

Brilliant, so clear thank you!

Deep bows

Shohei

[Myoku]

_()_
Myoku

[Koshin]

Great, thank you

Gassho

[Seimyo]

Thank you Hans.


Gassho,
Chris

[Myozan Kodo]

Thanks Hans. Love this new section.

Gassho
Myozan

[Kyonin]

Bowing to the thief.

Thanks, Mongen.

[Mp]

Wonderful Hans ... thank you.

[disastermouse]

I like it! Question though, who catches the thief-catcher? It's something that's always puzzled me about a direct means of alertness and effort-ing. If you just sit back, that's ignorance. If you try to catch the thief, well, that's just a thief by a different name. It's very odd.

Perhaps some insight into this - because I know I have at times expended a very subtle effort that erases itself like Suzuki would talk about, but it's very difficult to describe.

Deep thanks for your teaching, Hans.

[Taigu]

Hi Chet

Reading Shoaku Okumura's comment on the heart sutra from his latest book ( living by vow) would provide a glimpse of an answer. Skandhas seen as empty just ruin the whole ego show. In the open sitting, the noticing does not need a noticer. In a very nice way, Mongen used the verb catch, not steal or rob. It is quick, it flickers and vanishes.
But I am always amazed at how deep and witty your points are.
Thank you for being our Dharna combat veteran, Chet.

Gassho


Taigu

[Hans]

Hello Chet,

thank you for your very deep questions. Basically...what Taigu said

I'll try to throw you an additional quick bone or two to chew on, not because I am in a rush, but because there is a danger of completely destroying that little dharma limerick through too many words about Buddhist philosophy. That's how this pseudo-poetry works..it is pointing, not explaining. So I will stop after a few sentences in order to not go too much into the explaining.

Please read the following only as one way among many to approach what I wrote at the beginning of the thread.

When resting in open "awakeness", you might notice a knowing quality inherent in your experience of everything. Since thoughts and other sticky stuff arises constantly, we will at some point (unless we are a fully awakened picture book Bodhisattva) fall off the horse....which would be another way to describe the thief doing his work...we're back in full samsara mode, though we might still sit perfectly still like a frog.
Practise means to get back on the horse again and again, to actually notice when one has been carried away... Please don't think I am advocating to change our Treeleaf style Shikantaza to something more akin to Joko Beck's style...it is just a simple finger pointing to the fact that sometimes we have to guard ourselves against becoming ghost sitters.

All this is effortless, because you do not have to create clarity, it is inherent. You just open and return to that wide open field. Another way of saying this would be (and now I am shamelessly adapting something from the Shangpa tradition of Mahamudra...because they have some great one liners): There is a knowing quality to your resting in Zazen, and there is a resting quality to that knowing.

No effort necessary, just attention and willingness to drop off and drop off and drop off...

Enough said!


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Hoyu]

I'm glad this jewel has gotten its own thread! It has given rise to many great questions and answers!

Mongen wrote:
there is a danger of completely destroying that little dharma limerick through too many words about Buddhist philosophy. That's how this pseudo-poetry works..it is pointing, not explaining.

_/\_
Beautifully said!

[Shokai]

Green side up, eh!

[disastermouse]

Clarity is inherent.

Gassho!

Chet