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Question: "I" have practiced Zen for 30 years, with koans, and I feel like being close to awakening but...is there something that could be "done" right now?
Many, many thanks!
Answer: Paradoxically, all that can be done is seeing that nothing can or has to be done; just like nothing can or has to be done to get closer to space. The ‘I’ that feels it is close, is but an object in the Awareness-You-Are. This ‘I’ does not have an independent existence and, when there is feeling, seeing, understanding, then it can be seen by no one, that there is no ‘I’ doing the feeling, seeing or understanding. Here is the greatest koan of all: Who or what sees/knows the ‘I’ that thinks it does the seeing and knowing? What is still there when all thought ceases? What answer can be given without reverting to thought and concepts? Look for the silent center where there is no one left to do the looking. Find awakening where there is no one left to find anything. Give up everything, including the one who should give up everything, as well as the one who wants to do something to bring about an awakening. As Buddha said: The deed there is, but no doer thereof. When the idea of an ‘I’ with volition and the power to do, is seen through as yet another piece of content in the Awareness You-Are, the pathless path ends right here where You have always been.
If or when you have a question you'd like to see answered in this newsletter send it to:
author@awakeningtothedream.com Painting by: Cecy Turner. Title: 'Light Within' Found at: http://www.cecyturner.com/ |
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For one instant, abandon all labels, concepts, answers, explanations, all efforts to improve or achieve a result of any kind. What remains?
Sensations, sounds of traffic, smell of exhaust, smell of rain, hum of a vacuum cleaner, cheeping of a bird, breathing, seeing, hearing. Nothing special or grandiose. Just this, as it is.
Thought divides it up into form and emptiness, mind and body, seer and seen, self and not-self, relative and absolute, spiritual and mundane, enlightenment and delusion. By the way that it describes and labels things, thought literally creates a mirage world (like a dream or a movie) that comes to seem completely believable and real. In this dream world, it appears that there is a separate, solid, autonomous 'me,' the experiencer and doer of 'my' life. This 'me' appears to be on its own in a frightening, alien universe. Something always seems to be missing. The phantom 'me' seeks happiness and enlightenment in the future, chases after bigger and better experiences, compares itself to others, and tries desperately to 'get it,' whether 'it' is a new car, a better job, or enlightenment. But is this 'me' real, or is it a mental image with no substance? Is there actually a central agent at the helm steering the ship, or do 'your' thoughts and actions appear out of nowhere, just as the brain, the breath, the wind, the clouds, the trees, and the galaxies appear out of nowhere? Is there really a problem that needs fixing, or is there simply weather, appearing and disappearing? If there is no one to 'have' a problem, then what problem remains? True freedom is right here in the absolute simplicity of what is.
From Joan Tollifson's website: http://home.earthlink.net/~wakeupjt/
Painting by: Marysia Burr. Title: 'Simplicity' Found at: http://www.piccadillys.com/marysia.htm |
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The source Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world. The forms may change, yet the essence remains the same. Every wonderful sight will vanish, every sweet word will fade, But do not be disheartened, The source they come from is eternal, growing, Branching out, giving new life and new joy. Why do you weep? The source is within you And this whole world is springing up from it.
Rumi
Found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights/ Painting by: Ingres, Jean-Auguste-Dominique (1780-1867). Title: 'The Source' Found at: http://sunsite.tus.ac.jp/wm/paint/auth/ingres/ |
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You are an emperor, not a beggar. You possess the untold wealth of the universe, unimaginable riches. Don't beg for enlightenment, don't plead for it. You are the Self, don't assume that you are impoverished. Give up that yearning and be quiet, and the treasure will be self-evident as your very nature. From: Freedom Dreams: An Invitation to Awakening by Dasarath Available at: www.thebooktree.com Painting by: Connie Winters Title: 'Matthews' Hidden Treasure' Found at: http://www.conniewintersart.com/ |
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Think Outside of the Box. You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night then you pass a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:
This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application. You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first. Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again. The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with this answer. She simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams." Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box." Painting by: Artist unknown. Title: 'Outside the Box' |
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