There is no spoon

[MyoHo]

I wonder what the ant on Jundos chair might think of all of this in insect language. Its probably way too bussy for such deep thinking anyway? Eat when hungry, sleep when tired and try to be a good ant.

Gassho

[Jinyo]

Great thread - and great clarification Jundo.

Gassho

Willow

sat today

(not sure which dream state I was in when message wouldn't post this morning?)

[Jundo]

I wonder what the ant on Jundos chair might think of all of this in insect language. Its probably way too bussy for such deep thinking anyway? Eat when hungry, sleep when tired and try to be a good ant.

Gassho

I don't necessarily believe that animals are truly examples of Buddhist Wisdom in action. Maybe it is best to say that there are good and bad aspects to our animal side. In fact, our animal natures may be some of what we are trying to overcome within ourselves through Buddhist Practice. Ants are territorial, violent, hungry, relentless and greedy, in constant search for food. We are also tribal hunters in the most ancient portions of our brain stem. My cat goes from wise Zen Master, curled for hours by the window, to terror of our local birds if given the chance.

So, one might say that, in Zen Practice, one is trying to recover and nurture the gentler and peaceful aspects of what the "simpler" life forms can teach us ... just being and doing without a care in the world, being loving and purring content. (I doubt the ant is crawling along thinking about hill politics, his anger toward termites, where ants "go" when we step on them ... perhaps to "Great Heavenly Hill" in the next world). So, in Buddhism, we realize that there are certain things to learn from the animals (and also from the trees, mountains, rivers and stones) ... and certain things not.

Also, nothing wrong with celebrating those constructive, positive aspects of our human side that separate us from other forms. Greed, obsession with progress, excess materialism and never being satisfied is one thing ... but a bit of energy, ambition, planning and dreaming is what got us to the moon, filled libraries with literature, and will someday cure cancer and bring world peace. No ant ever did that, and we should celebrate the best of our humanity too. I am happy to be human, thank you, because we do some things well that no other species could hope to manage, even for all our failings. The ant might crawl over my computer ... but a human being built it!

In the end, we must recall that this whole world is interconnected, mutually supportive, a great eco-system. We need ants and mountains, trees and rivers and cats ... us. There is a place for all of us and (we should do a better job of remembering) this world --is-- all of us ... and all of us, seen from another perspective, are just this world. We are just this planet, which means the ants are who we are, the trees are who we are, the stones are who we are ... this world is who we are ...

Gassho, J

SatToday

PS -

Perhaps if the Ants were more like us ... The existential crisis of a drone ... (watch it if you have a few minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeLKkZKocL4

[dharmasponge]

😉 ...see Madhyamika Prasangika

Sat Today

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[Jakuden]

Lol! They did a great job on the ant movie, I really thought it was an old film. Poor ant guy.
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday


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