Flowers Fall

[Jundo]

I can't say I quite understand the delineation between where activism is needed and where there is "over-sensitivity" to problems (especially what could be perceived as "first-world problems,") but perhaps that comes with time, like any other Koan. It is interesting to hear the different perspectives on that.

It is the difference between (a) identifying a real, and specific problem like malaria or world hunger or one's own actual cancer or local homelessness in your town and developing collective and workable solutions to try to improve the problem (b) getting worked up about imagined or exaggerated problems like being a hypochondriac constantly worried about non-existent cancer, the possibility of personally being a victim of an air crash or terrorist attack or serial killer, or the possibility of one child's school being the location of a hostage situation despite the statistical rarity.

We are creating a world in which (both left and right) we are forgetting to focus and act on (a) because we are worried too much about (b).

We have college degrees, but somehow are weak in critical thinking. We are creating a world in which we pass this mindset of misdirected fears and ignorance onto the next generation.

I know that we all do this to some extent (I do it too. I practice Zen to combat my worry-wart Woody Allen inside).

Gassho, Jundo

SatToday

[Jundo]

I wrote most of this to someone. It is about the "Zen Teachers" job in my book, and to anyone who might think I am saying to simply ignore all the suffering in the world, or that life is just always beautiful. Baloney.

------------------

Do you actually think that I don't know that there are terrible, tragic things in this world ... babies dying and war and hunger? Of course, this is terrible for the victims and all who love them. We mourn them, we cry with them, we try to act to relieve their suffering.

Sorry, but I think my "Zen Teacher" job description is to try to punch a hole in peoples' only looking at things one way. All suffering is the enemy, and the solution is not only (1) to fight and do charity to end the actual babies dying and war and hunger (it is our duty to work in this world to make it better). It is also for me to teach people that (2) suffering is an illusion and there is also a realm with no birth and death, anger and taking, fear lack and need. We encounter this Buddha Realm Wholeness in Zazen. (1) and (2) are "not one, not two" as we say, which means that they interfuse as one beyond one.

Believe it or not, we can learn how to (1) work hard to fix terrible problems in the world while also simultaneously (2) knowing the total Peace where there are no problems to fix, and trying to introduce others to this awareness too. We can do all that while yet living in this messy world. Yes, that is Satori. This is living our Bodhisattva Vow.

But that is not all:

It is also my role, I feel, to show people that (3) their day-to-day heads are largely self-created garbage dumps filled with self-created stories they tell themselves about what is to be feared, who is the enemy, how their life is lacking, where they need to be in life to be a "success", what is a real "problem" in their lives, what is really "important" in life and what not, all accompanied by excess or unjustified emotional reactions not merited by situations, etc. etc. For example, if being chased by an actual tiger, feeling fear and running is probably justified. On the other hand, worrying obsessively about a cancer you may or may not get years from now is less justified, and fearing sharks or ladders or dying in an airplane crash or from a nuclear reactor even less so (I am still keeping one eye on North Korea ). Working for goals in life and to create something positive in the world by one's hands is a great thing, but to wrap yourself and strangle yourself in a career to "keep up with the Joneses" and buy a new pair of shoes like Kanye ... well, likely not. Fighting hunger in Africa is a good and realistic thing, while being afraid that terrorists lurk behind every school bus with a bomb ... and being so worked up about terrorists that we need to build walls and cut off aid to Africa and scare our children who pick up our vibe about all this ... well, this is uniformed, uneducated ignorance and harmful to the world.

The poem about a parent trying to protect a child was lovely, but contained many one sided self-created fictions and perspectives on seeing life that left out (2) and (3). My job to point that out. We truly protect our children for the next generation when we teach them (1) (2) and (3) togethor.

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Jakuden]

Thank you Jundo. It follows that the student's job then is to sit with it all as it arises... and observe what is useless or harmful fiction of the mind, and what really warrants action, even though nothing needs fixing.
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday


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[Jundo]

Thank you Jundo. It follows that the student's job then is to sit with it all as it arises... and observe what is useless or harmful fiction of the mind, and what really warrants action, even though nothing needs fixing.
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday


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[Jundo]

ANNOUNCEMENT: TREELEAF WILL BE CLOSED DURING THE COMING WEEK AS I HEAD FOR MY BUNKER ...

U.S., allies warn of "new level of threat" from North Korea

U.S., allies warn of "new level of threat" from North Korea ... Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Shinsuke Sugiyama said that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs represent a “new level of threat.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-weapons-nuclear-tests-qualitative-improvement-us-asia/

Japan has put its military on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch, national and international media said.

The Tokyo government ordered naval destroyers and anti-ballistic missile Patriot batteries to be ready to shoot down any projectile heading for Japan, state broadcaster NHK said.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/japan-alert-north-korea-missile-launch-160530111346108.html

More likely is, while crossing the street reading this on my smartphone, I will be hit by a bus!

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Makkusu]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the discussion. The whole media topic is a huge one, I see so many people being sad and pessimistic because "2016 was the worst year ever and the world is going to come to an end soon." They may be right, but in retrospective, we have one big picture of a year whereas right now we only see the bad things. And thank you Jundo for your eye-opening thoughts on this.

Gassho, Max
#s@today

[Toun]

It seems like it's so very easy to dwell on the negative events of our world that we tend to overlook the fact that there is also a lot of good things happening. People in many places are making a difference.

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/news/world/

Gassho
Mike
Sat2day

[Kyotai]

Thank you Mike. That is quite a list. I would encourage others to check this out as well.

Gassho, Kyotai
ST

It seems like it's so very easy to dwell on the negative events of our world that we tend to overlook the fact that there is also a lot of good things happening. People in many places are making a difference.

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/news/world/

Gassho
Mike
Sat2day

[Myosha]

It seems like it's so very easy to dwell on the negative events of our world that we tend to overlook the fact that there is also a lot of good things happening. People in many places are making a difference.

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/news/world/

Gassho
Mike
Sat2day

Hello,

Thank you for the link.

Distinction is good fun and another illusion.

Merry new New.


Gassho
Myosha
sat today

[Makkusu]

There is actually a subreddit with good news only. It's called uplifting news IIRC.

[Kyonin]

Hi all,

The universe is not dark. It's not light. It's not all depressing and it's not all anything we want to label it with.

It's just the universe flowing and being itself and we are just a part of it.

These days we are living some pretty tough days in my country and I am under fire because, despite of all the darkness, I simply can't fix my attention on that since there is also marvelous things around me and around all living things.

If we keep silent and quiet the mental stories, we can simply be with it all. We flow. We adapt. And we serve and tend all living beings around us.

But I'm a simple man with a tiny fish brain that can't look past that.

Gassho,

Kyonin
#SatToday

[Enjaku]

Thanks Alan and everyone for this interesting thread.
Jundo - deepest thanks for this...

Most sentient beings do not realize how much of our experience of life is a self-created story of meaning and interpretation and value judgments that we impose on circumstances.

I read this sat in a garden in Sri Lanka. I was feeling happy, grateful for another day in the garden, my wife was sad to be leaving the garden so soon. I asked myself the question, "what is the garden in this moment beyond our experience of the garden in this moment?". Many things un-clicked... I'm sure it will pass.. but I feel grateful for this moment of doubt / insight / serenity.

Gassho,
Alex
Sat

[pinoybuddhist]

Flowers Fall

Nothing to add except I have read everything here, and will likely reread everything.

[emoji1431]Rafael
Sat today


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