I rank, or maybe not

[AlanLa]

I took a hiatus from Treeleaf for a while and during that time the book club and its study of koans moved on without me. Ah, I came back and have been trying to catch up. Back when I left the koan chapters moved slowly, a lazy river of zen contemplation, but now Jundo is cranking them out once a week or so, a damn Zen white water rapids. Anyway, I got stuck on a rock and he closes off those discussions stranding folks like me on lonely boulders, so I am here to throw out a line (ok, actually a couple lines) to any passing stranger on the Zen path alongside those rapids.

A man of no rank (#38) seems to me a lot like the precept about humility. If I am equal to you (whoever you are), then our rank is equal, and since I am equal to all then I (nor you) have any rank. True? I watched the dharma talk and when you asked for questions I raised my hand, violently. Hey Jundo, apparently your Zen mastery could not see me. What kind of rank is that?

Also, I have been trying to catch up to the current koan, but I like to read one and think about it a while, write about it a bit in my own journal after reading others' thoughts, and then proceed when I am ready. I know I could just skip ahead, but I want to do them in order, and then it hit me that maybe by doing them in order I was trying to "rank" them as accomplishments, which that koan says to drop. The need to finish a koan seems like its own koan, I know, and same with they must be done in order. I guess it's just another example of delusions we unknowingly carry around with us (37, 38, 39, 40…). Anyway, being a solutions oriented guy, I just flagged the ones I have missed and will try to get back to them when I can.

Rafting along on a rapidly moving boulder, I gassho to you all

[Kokuu]

Hi Alan

A long time ago (possibly in a galaxy far far away but probably not) I realised that the solution to the competitive nature of life that existed was to have no truck with it. By refusing to compete in the my car is better/faster/newer than your car thing (without falling into the 'I'm living with less than you' ego trap!) or 'my kids are doing better at schools than yours' game, you step outside of that system. Your car and children can then be enjoyed for what they are, and other people's too ("You have a new car and it makes you happy, good for you!"). Of course, it is impossible to achieve this completely but becoming a person of no rank seems to be a work in progress (at least it is for me and old habits die hard). Even the Buddhist path holds dangers for wanting to be a better student, complete koans the fastest/best etc.

For me, koans are something to be lived rather than solved. My koan teacher (confession, yes I have one) calls it 'keeping company with a koan'. Coming up with an answer is pointless unless it changes how you see things. Although I know it goes against the orthodoxy here and I may well be deluding myself, I find that koan practice and shikantaza work well together, just not at the same time! Also, the longer you keep company with a koan, the more it becomes part of you, just like with some Zen stories and teachings.

Happy rafting, Alan! Remember you don't have to ride each wave though!

Gassho
Andy

[Kyonin]

Hi Al,

Waters just flow regardless of our raft. I sometimes read the koans, sometimes I don't.

Then I sit and realize all is an un-pierced koan. Sit some more and then keep on rafting.

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Heisoku]

Al you are a man of true rank!
You have always shown your big open heart here on the forums and on TED.
So a true man of no rank?
Gassho Heisoku.

PS I agree with Kyonin that the koans will come and go. The fact is they are always there, like boulders to rest on or to jolt us out of our lazy flow!

[Jundo]

Hey Guys,

Koans come and go, each Koan holds all Koans, no order of priority, nothing in need of catching up on or catching! No grades, no rank.

Thus, although some might pass and some will fail, all sentient beings "pass" no pass-no fail the impassable barrier. Take each one or all, all as one. Go infinitely deeply and sincerely into the Koan right before you (the Genjo Koan).

(Hey, another Koan right there! )

Gassho, Jundo (from Amtrak train to Boston)

[Heisoku]

Thanks Jundo
Gassho Heisoku

[Jinyo]

Thank you Jundo.

Al - I haven't been able to keep up with the Koan study either - but they will always be there and we're probably living them
all the time without even thinking about it.

I like what Kyonin writes 'Waters just flow regardless of our raft' - feels so very true.

Gassho

Willow

[Rich]

No one above, no one below, all of the same substance.

Kind regards. /\

[Jakugan]

It's funny that I was thinking similar things today & then this thread popped up! I often fall into the trap & often have to remind myself that I've fallen into it again.

Gassho,

Simon

[Kyotai]

Hi Alan,

Glad to have you back!

Gassho, Shawn

[Shinzan]

Alan,
It has been so helpful to me that Jundo prefaces each koan discussion with, "number 43 continues endlessly, and here comes number 44....." These vignettes seem to get under my skin and have a funny way of swimming back up into consciousness at interesting times. Some become favorites, like "Guishan calls Master" and the old woman who burned down the hut. I've even had occasion to write a few myself, kind of like a handle for a lesson I seem to need to revisit often enough. Some of my personal koans are titled "Manning Park," "Rengetsu at Wanda Lake," "Nothing Personal," and "What fresh hell is this?"

_/\_ Shinzan

[Risho]

I don't know why, but I read this a couple days back, and I started thinking about it today. Although I've been participating in the koan study, I always feel like I haven't had my full say... so no matter what each koan never ends. It's like it adds another dimension to practice... it's another way to view things.

As Jundo says --> although koan (n-1) never ends, we start on koan (n).

It's good that we feel we have more to do.. it means we are growing.... we can see more and do more in our practice. There is no final word in Zen because Zen is alive... we can have our final word of Zen when we die I suppose. hahaah But Kannon has many arms, so she'll always be alive, finding new ways to practice through us.

To paraphrase Dogen from Genjokoan, if we feel full of dharma we are not practicing; we are practicing when we are hungry for Dharma.

Ok I stopped being lazy and looked up the quote from the Nishijima/Cross translation. lol

When the Dharma has not completely filled our body and mind, we feel that the Dharma is abundantly present in us. When the Dharma fills our body and mind, we feel as if something is missing.

Anyway thank you Alan... you've given me a new way to think about koan study that I would not have realized had you not posted this.

Gassho,

Risho

[Byokan]

Hi All,

I agree, these koans do come back for me too. Suddenly weeks later, some circumstance will give me a whole new angle on it. But alas, then the thread is closed. I do think the book club needs to keep moving forward, but there's no reason we can't have a thread for any koan after the book club is locked, and come back to it as we gain new insights, and let newer folks chime in too. Actually, I'm not sure why the threads get locked, but I'm sure there is a reason... I imagine it's just to keep us moving forward together, instead of getting all strung out among the different koans?

Can I just say, I've never studied koans before, and I find everyone's insights sooo helpful. The book club is such a nice, gentle way to get into koan study. So grateful for you all!

Then I sit and realize all is an un-pierced koan.

Nice.

Gassho
Lisa

[Jundo]

Hi All,

I agree, these koans do come back for me too. Suddenly weeks later, some circumstance will give me a whole new angle on it. But alas, then the thread is closed. I do think the book club needs to keep moving forward, but there's no reason we can't have a thread for any koan after the book club is locked, and come back to it as we gain new insights, and let newer folks chime in too. Actually, I'm not sure why the threads get locked, but I'm sure there is a reason... I imagine it's just to keep us moving forward together, instead of getting all strung out among the different koans?

Can I just say, I've never studied koans before, and I find everyone's insights sooo helpful. The book club is such a nice, gentle way to get into koan study. So grateful for you all!



Nice.

Gassho
Lisa

Hi Lisa,

No reason to lock them. Maybe I will unlock them. Then you can unlock them in other ways.

I will do it now.

Gassho, J

[Byokan]

Woo-hoo! Christmas in July!
Thanks Jundo, hope it doesn't make things too confusing.

Gassho
Lisa