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Online Newsletter of the Prairie Zen Center - 515 S. Prospect, Champaign, IL 61820 July 2005 |
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Online Newsletter of the Prairie Zen Center - 515 S. Prospect, Champaign, IL 61820 July 2005 |
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"Freedom is
appreciating what is and appreciating what is not, appreciating what she
does and appreciating what he does not."
___________________________
Zendo Schedule
(cleaning/set up)
(sitting and walking meditiation) Note: There will be no phone hours July 21st, August 8th, 22nd or 23rd.
Web Site - http://www.prairiezen.org
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•August
13th - Board Meeting, 4:00pm
•August 31st to September 5th
- Sesshin
Elihu’s Travel Schedule
Dharma Talks On CD
Donating Frequent Flyer Miles |
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Being who you are is Zen practice. Unsatisfactory and difficult circumstances arise when we limit reality to a self-centered perspective, to mine and not-mine beliefs. The entrance of essential nature is this mind-body-moment. Actually, to say entrance is not quite right because there is no where to go, no where else. Even to say essential nature or true nature is not correct, because this is not different from ordinary nature. There is no such thing as true nature, no such thing as ordinary nature. Nevertheless, practice is being intimate, “opening to” this body-mind moment. Being so, we live, function, respond to the circumstances that we encounter this moment. Sitting is the opportunity to clarify this, not as theory but as the reality of this breath now. Instead of bargaining with the so-called reality of thoughts and feelings - trying to make it fit what we want - practice life is being this moment as is, taking care of this. What are diffcult, unsatisfactory circumstances for you? Clarifying these, we may discover all sorts of bargaining, and also discover the practice effort opportunities these present. The Song of Enlightenment by Yongjia Xuanjue (Yoka Genkaku) begins, "Can you see the leisurely person of the way, beyond learning of the Tao, beyond the pursuit of knowledge; neither trying to avoid deluded thoughts nor seeking truth? The true nature of ignorance is Buddha-nature itself, this empty body of illusory transformation is the very body of the Dharma. Once we have realized what the Dharma-body is (once we have awakened to essential nature), not a single thing exists that we can call our own." Do you see this Buddha of things as is? Remember, not a single thing exists that we can call our own, neither mine nor not-mine. Essential nature is right now. "The conditions of life," the five skhandas, the circumstances of body-mind functioning right now, "come and go like floating clouds in empty space. The three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance appear and disappear like water bubbles, appear and disappear without purpose.” What of our seeming difficulties and problems? Not other than bubbles, arising and passing. Nevertheless, believing difficulties and problems makes them so; yet this is also the opportunity of practice effort. Why make effort? Because when we miss this functioning, there is suffering; we manage to miss being at ease, miss this which is neither avoiding delusions nor seeking truth. We intimately know the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion about things; they seem to have a power of their own. Sometimes we justify them; “I should be angry, he should do what I want.” Or “I felt great when I got that” or “told him off.” Look! What is going on when greed, anger or confusion arise? What keeps you from this moment, from being present? What words about mine and not-mine, what beliefs, are connected to that? Always, it is this body-mind world. Entering body-mind is not a special effort; true nature is right now, here. Can't be anywhere else; if it could be anywhere else, then it would not be true nature, it would not be who you are. This is exactly hearing, sitting, breathing, birds chirping, exactly right now. Is it so? Can you attest to this? When anger arises, what is assumed? What should or should not? Seeing assumptions can be a useful tool to make the needed effort when we miss the truth of reality. With greed, anger and ignorance there is grasping, attachment. Not out of anything malicious, but simply a result of body-mind habits. And just as this is, there is also the opportunity to see this, to make an effort. We can make our practice effort with it, with the so-called difficulty, upset or anger; these are just different names of me and not-me, should and should not, that I impose on circumstances. I like to garden, growing a few vegetables. If I pull up weeds or cut grass, as long as they are not noxious, I put them back on the ground where I have tomatoes or other vegetables growing. In a way, this is exactly our practice. The very energy of anger, difficulty or confusion is the energy of our practice. Truly, there are no weeds! According to our capacity, to what we are capable of working with, to what is not-noxious, we turn the weeds right back to this moment, this body-mind-world. Practice is not to get rid of weeds, get rid of deluded thoughts and go find truth elsewhere. It is this very energy, this greed, anger and ignorance as is, which is the practice effort opportunity of being this moment. No need to avoid illusion. Weeds are weeds! Tomatoes are tomatoes! Though it is important to see that weeds and tomatoes are exactly this life functioning, this can be mere theory, not much use. I will pull up weeds; I will grow and eat the tomatoes, not weeds. Dogen Zenji in Genjokoan clarifies this, “Nevertheless, flowers fall amid attachment, weeds spring up amid antipathy.” The problem with weeds is that they take nourishment and moisture in the garden, multiplying. The seeming weeds in our life - call it self-centered beliefs, delusion - are not anything else but true nature. Unfortunately, when caught up in them, attached to beliefs, they take nourishment and keep us from functioning as we are. Life becomes caught up in greed, anger and ignorance, self-centered views. Problems, suffering and difficulties arise when body-mind habits take nourishment, take our ability to be present, to respond; it turns into a so-called weed. Our grasping, holding and confusion comes from believing that the weed is who we are, from being caught up in and reacting from emotion-thoughts; practice effort is then appropriate. It is important to see this necessity to weed, to turn the weeds right back into the earth. What seems difficult or painful in your life? Look; what keeps it from being nurturing? What practice effort allows grasping to open to being this moment? What is your specific practice effort that allows the weeds to nurture this reality moment? “Elements of self come and go like clouds, without purpose.” And yet, we make them solid in assuming all sorts of purposes, causes and conclusions about circumstances inside, outside. "I shouldn't feel this way." Can we take this weed and use it to support being this? "I'm so angry at him; I'm going to get him." What is the weed that gets in the way of functioning? How do I take that weed and allow it to nurture this functioning moment? No need to look for essential nature; this is your life. And yet if we are confused by the elements of self that come and go, life becomes the confusion because we make assumptions about coming and going, me and not-me, should, should not. Practice is always in noticing believed emotion-thought and being bodily present. How do you garden life? Not bargain with reality but garden in it, embrace this. What is the believed weed right now? What is the purpose and goal, assumption, added onto this moment? The way you assume persons and things are may be what keeps them from nurturing this garden. Though circumstances seem to keep us from being this functioning, nothing can keep us from who we are. Nothing. Unfortunately, somehow we manage to fool our self. When you say "purpose," "feeling," "difficulty" or "pain," these are good practice opportunities; they can nurture entering this moment if you garden with them, if you see and make the practice effort. Allow this to serve - no difference who is served; serving others is serving our self. Life is the leisure walk of the way. Yet it is only so if we realize and actualize this life of without a single thing that we could call our own. This is nothing but our own original self-nature, nothing but circumstances that come and go. Walking leisurely, "Oh, is there is something to do here?" And you do it. The plants grow, the sun shines, all work naturally, manifesting essential nature, Buddha nature. But these words are stinky words if we are caught in them; “Nothing but right now.” So walk at leisure in your garden. Not trying to get rid of anything, not trying to gain anything. Step by step, garden growing, you see exactly what you need to do. Coming and going according to circumstances. Upset, anger, and confusion are nothing but breezes and rain falling in the garden, appearing and disappearing. The weather changes, the amount of rain changes, the condition of the plants change. See where and if concepts and attachments solidify and get in the way of being in the garden, and respond accordingly. Being present, being intimate, take good care of this moment. Enjoy your garden. Thank you. © 2005 Elihu Genmyo Smith |
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