Moon reflected on the water

Hi.

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.
The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. T
he whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water.
Enlightenment does not divide you, just as the moon does not break the water.
You cannot hinder enlightenment, just as a drop of water does not hinder the moon in the sky.
The depth of the drop is the height of the moon.
Each reflection, however long or short its duration, manifests the vastness of the dewdrop, and realizes the limitlessness of the moonlight in the sky.

- Dogen, "The Moon in a Dewdrop; writings of Zen Master Dogen", Translated by Dan Welch and Kazuaki Tanahashi

In this text Dogen not only puts in enlightenment, but also the net of indra.
It's quite controversial in saying "you cannot hinder enlightenment", but what does it mean?


May the force be with you
Fugen

Sound of nothing going on

Hi.

Watermelons and Zen students
grow pretty much the same way.
Long periods of sitting
till they ripen and grow
all juicy inside, but
when you knock them on the head·
to see if they're ready—
sounds like nothing's going on.

- Peter Levitt, from Essential Zen

One of my favourite quotations, and a very importand point.
But what is the sound of nothing going on?

May the force be with you
Fugen

Cultivating mindfulness

Hi.

We can practice developing mindfulness—and other skillful qualities—at any moment in our lives, but setting aside specific time to cultivate it is extremely effective. Many people have found that unless they reserve such time, it is difficult—especially in the beginning—to develop this quality.

Cultivating mindfulness through meditation is like cultivating physical fitness. You go to the gym, where you exercise in order to strengthen and train your body, so that you will be strong no matter where you are. In the same way, you can create particular spaces and times in your life to train in mindfulness. At the gym, when you are training your body, that is the only thing you are doing—you are not driving a car or reading or eating. The same is true for awakening and strengthening mindfulness meditation.

–Arinna Weisman and Jean Smith, The Beginner's Guide to Mindfulness Meditation

May the force be with you
Fugen

Bookreview: When Things Fall Apart (när allt faller samman)

Hi.

This review is about the book "when things fall apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times" by pema chodron (the swedish version).

Acharya Ani Pema Chödrön is an American Buddhist nun and one of Chögyam Trungpas främsta eleverstudents. She is the leader and teacher at Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first tibetan monastery in North amerika, which is established for westerners.
Although she keeps up an intense monastic life, she also has an high rate of books and audiotalks published.

In this book she tackles the "hardship of life" or as she says in the Postscript: We live in difficult times. One senses a possibility they may get worse."
Chödrön's book is full of useful advice regarding how to cope with the grim realities of modern life, with the help of Buddhist thought and the teachings of mindfulness.
Although it might seem so, this is not the average "selfhelpbook" that you might see out there, Chödröns writing has something uncompromising about it that might shock you in a good way and send you on a journey.

As i said earlier, her writing is somewhat uncomprimising, but i like it and i think it might help the message get through easier...
The key to it all is accepting that life is groundless. By "letting go", we make ourselves free to face fear and obstacles and gain tools to overcome them.

This is a book that i keep getting back to.
And each time i see something new, or keep getting reminded about something...

Mtfbwy
Fugen

How to Start on the Path

Hi.

Don't be overwhelmed by the number of teachers and teachings. Just start by doing a little bit of something, even five minutes of meditation, but do it every day.... Once you put one foot in front of another, the dharma path has a way of leading you where you need to go.

- Dean Sluyter, cinema nirvana

Very important point.
But how do you put one foot in front of the other?

May the force be with you
Fugen

Things As They Are

Hi.

Dharma, the truth of things-as-they-are, acts upon us to help us awaken to liberation. Dharma isn't a person; it isn't a being to be supplicated to. It's just the way things work, the reality of the universe unfolding as a process in time.

-Jeff Wilson, Buddhism of the Heart

What Wilson is says is somewhat true.
The problem is that he is separating and applying oneself to itself.
Sometimes you can do that, and maybe should do that, but not here.
Saying that one thing is doing something as a process to itself, means separation.
No separation, that misses the point.
all is "one".

May the force be with you
Fugen

Bookreview: everyday zen

Hi.

Everyday Zen is a collection of Charlotte Joko Becks, founder and resident Zen teacher of the Zen Center of San Diego, Dharma talks.
Joko speaks about Zen in an ordinary, conversational, down-to-earth way-Not like the paradoxical, poetic, non-logical style often found in Zen and doing so she explicitly relates Zen to everyday life.

This book is not an instruction book on meditation or anything like that, it's more about life itself. that being said, it is not a book for anyone, she doesn't give you the answers and holds you to get a hold of yourself.
Which is not the "answer" some wants to hear.
But it is a good one.


Mtfbwy
Fugen