Morality's place in the cosmic picture

[Jundo]

Re: Morality's place in the cosmic picture

Hi,

I have watched the conversation develop here, and I think statements like the following are so wise ...

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that most 'searching for meaning' is really searching for some ideas, or framework of ideas, that we can impose on reality in order to make our lives simpler. But this imposition is an imposition. It is always a kind of violence, so to speak -- a mental or intellectual violence that we practice regarding the world around us, and of course against ourselves as well. The search for meaning is therefore already problematic at its beginning.

All too often, it is a matter of our taking reality and breaking it so that we can fit the pieces of what's left into the nice little compartments we have made for them. The problem is that a lot of little pieces get left out, and the other pieces now appear to be separate things instead of being aspects of a single larger entity.

... I remember being back in college (about 100 years ago it feels like!) and being soooooo wrapped up in my thoughts and my conditioning.......I was searching soooooo hard for something to grasp onto for "meaning".......I thought everything would be OK if I could just search my mind hard enough to discover the "secret" of living......that one "rule" for living my life that would make sense......one "motto"......one "thought".......one "certainty" that I could apply in all situations which would make my life easy and give me some peace.

I think that, in the Zen version of Buddhism, there is little dogmatism, not so many ideas you have to buy into.

Okay, actually, there are a few ... things like an understanding of "no self", self/other, the dissatisfaction of Dukkha, non-attachment, impermanence, no birth no death, the "Middle Way", moderation (much as Will and Greg pointed out), living the Precepts, Karma (in some form), Wisdom-Compassion, Samsara-Nirvana, alternative visions of time and timelessness ... and, as I always suggest, the "simultaneously true" multi-layered and seemingly conflicting ways of looking at such things as presented by Dogen and others. Yes, there is a bit of philosophy to be learned, new ways of looking at the world to be mastered. Just a bit (otherwise, we could be left with nothing but "Bonpu Zen").

However, apart from that, Charles and the others have hit the nail on the head. We take this life, in all its complexity and color and craziness, as it comes. I think of the caleidoscope I had as a kid, where I'd turn the wheel and the lens would reveal endlessly new patterns one after the other. Or, I think of a bus trip, where new scenery is constantly being revealed out the window on this long ride of life. One aspect of our Practice is just to be with all of that, whatever comes ... not needing to find patterns or reasons or meaning. As Charles says, we must not do violence to life by forcing it to fit into our own terms. We must take it all on its own terms, just as it is. Whatever shows out the bus window, that is just what is.

The one place I might disagree with what Johnny said is that, if you do all of the above ... and you approach it all skillfully, both the bits of Buddhist philosophy AND the "letting go" ... you can and will discover a crystal clear "meaning" "truth" & "certainty".

Does that sound strange?

Gassho, Jundo

[Stephanie]

Re: Morality's place in the cosmic picture

Thank you

Deep bow--