Athensboy made an interesting comment. After discussing the common complaint of Old Testament “mean God” vs. New Testament “nice God,” he concludes:
I suggest looking into the practice of Zen. Clear mind, no fault, yin/yang balance, be here now, stay in the moment, fetch the wood and carry the water, keep a heart full of peace and grace, keep gratitude in front of any attitude, cause harm to nothing and no one and live today as if you will surely die tonight. No readings or interpretations necessary.
But of course Zen has interpretations. Does the dog have the Buddha Nature? When will the oak tree become a Buddha? From interpreting Chou-Chou to self-participating in the controversy, it is certainly not always obvious to the Practitioner what the true Way is. I don’t believe anyone who has truly tried to walk the Way would think it so easy.
What is “cause harm to nothing?” Wise men from the Jains to Gandhi have not found the answer. Like a Koan, easy to say, hard to grasp.
Christians face the same struggle, and this brought me to an interesting thought. Perhaps YHWH today provides the same function as Angry Buddha. The shock of holding a conflicting unity in your mind is often credited with enlightenment. Zen and its brethren actively seek cognitive dissonance. Is “Amen” so different from katsu?
Even I don’t know if I’m serious here. It is just a thought that has been going round my head. It is probably time for me to write my “Why I’m not a Buddhist” post.
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April 22, 2009 at 12:00 am
athensboy
My Taoist day book saying for today, April 21: “Why not live your own life, not the life that others say you should?” –Lieh Tzu
And earlier in the book: “If you think you can speak about Tao, it is clear you don’t know what you are talking about.” –Lao Tzu
My error in the blog posting was to give advice; the “I suggest” is an shallow ego statement pure and simple. Don’t take my advice, please (Ha, is that a koan?). Take your own advice. See where it leads you.
The admonitions I admire, but they are not mine. I learned them through experience and I forget them daily; then I work and remember them.
The mind wants to work constantly to make sure it is alive. Keep it still while awake and watch the breathing in and out is my way. Training takes practice, then relaxation. One needs a Master to smack us on the shoulder.
Intellectuals talk to door stops. Walk through the door now. There is no ‘I’ or ‘my’, only a temporary illusion of the Tao which is endless but cannot be described. Who or what is responsible?
Whether one is a Buddhist or not, who thinks of such a thing? Am I serious here? Will you laugh with me now so we can enjoy life? Because I do not know what I am talking about.
May our blessings be.