Showing posts with label Ordinary. Show all posts

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Why Did the Bodhidharma Walk So Far Away?

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 3

The Young Bodhidharma Walks Back to India from China
He did not sit for seven years in a cave.
Where is his Backpack?
Why are his clothes not dirty?
Is he a Fang-shih?

Why Did the Bodhidharma Walk So Far Away?

Two old friends were resting after morning chores on the farm. They sat and watched the busy traffic on the dirt road from Wuhan to Huarong.

Seigen asked Obaku: "What was Master Bodhidharma's intention in walking west from India to China?"

Obaku, a Taoist scholar, answered: "He likely preferred the warmer winters of Wuhan to the blizzards in Tibet. Or, he just enjoyed backpacking for great distances back and forth."

Seigen, a Chan man, said: "Really, Obaku, don't you believe he traveled to spread the Buddha Dharma to our Chinese people?"

Obaku replied: "Maybe, but why then did he choose to sit in silence facing a stone wall for seven years in China? How could he help others in so doing? He could have died from such extreme austerities. And, he could have saved Dazu Huike's arm. He should have spent the time learning to speak, read, write, and teach in Chinese."

Seigen, a bit annoyed, said; "But, Obaku, was he not a great leader at the Shaolin Temple in Luoyang and the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism?"

Obaku retorted: "He could have been more gracious towards the generous and kind Emperor Wu. Was he not sort of a rough Tibetan hardened fellow, a Foreigner? His alleged name, "Bodhidharma," seems suspicious to me."

Seigen would not give up, and said: "What? Did not the Bodhidharma bring vital bodily exercises and martial arts to those lazy Shaolin monks?"

Obaku replied: "The Chinese people were doing many longevity exercises and internal alchemy practices a thousand years before the Bodhidharma arrived. Hua Tuo and He Gong were more influential in this respect for more people."

Seigen said: "The Bodhidharma lived for 150 years to show his great healing powers."

Obaku snorted: "50 years or 150 years ... In the end we all rot in our graves. Only but a few are reborn as the fictions of legends."

Seigen responded: "Obaku, you are full of harsh judgments today. I sense a bit much of the judgmental thinking of the Action and Karma brothers of your creed; also, your being rather chauvinistic about our beloved Chinese heritage."

Obaku replied: "You are correct, Seigen! Too much judging distorts our greater awareness, and threatens wisdom. Also, I should be more respectful of the Patriarchs and our shared new insights. I'm sorry old friend.

Seigen said: "You are also correct, Obaku. I must curb my hero worship and simple love of legends. Anyway, back to some quiet sitting, my brother."

Obaku's daughter brought them both a cup of hot tea. They sipped in silence. They listened to the oxen carts rattling by on the road, and watched the many walkers traveling west. A smattering of being enlightened occurred for both of them.

Considerations

Too much sitting stiffens the body-mind.
Even the Bodhidharma made the monks work more.
Many Chan monks distained learning and reading,
and because they could not read.
Beware of overgrown imagination and legends.
Question the scriptures and tales.
Don't read with one eye blind.
Beliefs can disrupt sound judgments.
Without right judgments we cannot flourish.
Friendships close the door to petty arguments.

Comments, Sources

Refer to Master Dogen's Shinji Shobogenzo, Case 10.

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Stories.

The Daodejing by Laozi

Pulling Onions Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Refer Also to Fireplaces, Hearths, Campfires, Stoves

The painting shown at the top of this post is from the book: The Chinese Art Book, p. 182. It was a famous oil on canvas painting made in 1967 by the artist Liu Chunua. It is titled: Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan.

The Fireplace Records By Michael P. Garofalo

"A monk asked Joshu in all earnestness, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" Joshu said, "The oak tree there in the garden."
- Gateless Barrier, Case 37

"A monk asked Xianglin, "Why did the Patriarch come from the West?" Xianglin said, "Sitting for a long time becomes tiresome."
- Blue Cliff Record, Case 17

A monk asked Master Ma, "Please, directly point out to me the meaning of the coming from the West?" Master Ma replied, "I'm tired today and can't explain it to you."
- Blue Cliff Record, Case 73

A monk asked Master Wei, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming to the West?" Master Wei replied, "Please pass me the meditation cushion."
- Blue Cliff Record, Case 20

Now, I understand that the Bodhidharma traveled from India to China. He would be coming from the East, and thus traveling and coming in or to a Westerly direction. He traveled to the West from India by the Silk Road from India to China on foot or horseback; or, he traveled by sea.

For all of these speakers, living in China, the Bodhidharma never came from the West. He came from the East.

Maybe the Bodhidharma came from a place in China that was in Western China by the Pacific Ocean and then walked to a place in Eastern China in the mountains. Then, he would be coming from the West. No wonder Master Ma was tired of this koan.

Many Patriarchs, over many centuries, many famous Taoist/Buddhist philosophers and spiritual seekers, traveled from East to West, from West to East, from North to South, and from South to North. Why? Pilgrimages by monks between Temples and famous scenery locales was a common practice. People like travel adventures. Monks wanted to study with different famous teachers. Civil and governmental strife and war caused the relocation of many monks.

Saturday, September 07, 2024

What Transcends Lao Tzu?

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 2

What Transcends Lao Tzu?

Ju-ching and Chang San Feng were hoeing and weeding their garden one cool Spring day around noon. Ju-ching asked: "What transcends Lao Tzu, Confucius, or the Buddhas?" Chang answered: "Here, have a bite of my cold rice." Ju-ching responded: "But, you have not answered my question." Chang replied: "Your quest for knowing is quite admirable, Ju-ching. However, sometimes your thirst for mental matters cannot be satisfied. Here, enjoy a cup of cold water." Ju-ching said: "You think that cold water transcends Lao Tzu?" Chang replied: "Yes, or hot tea. The ordinary is the best scaffolding for transcending. The fruits emerge from trees with strong roots. Find the spring that unceasingly flows to nourish your growing garden." Ju-ching was a little startled and said: " Oh! Ah!" and he became enlightened - for an hour.

Considerations

Enlightenment comes and goes;
Just don't fret your mind or body.
Fathom your being startled,
Revel in your wonder;
And remain steady on the scaffold,
or you will fall into errors.
Be Patient!
A callused palm and dirty fingernails precede a Green Thumb.
Only from the Ground of Somethings,
Can Lao Tzu's true words flourish.

Comments, Sources

Chang San Feng is regarded as a Immortal; a enlightened man who has lived far over 888 years. He appears and disappears at will at different places around the world, and in different eras. He can incarnate as speaking animals and plants. He is regarded as a shaman, fang-shi, wizard, Taoist master, philosopher, fortune teller, mystic, Taijiquan and Internal Alchemy master, wise elder archetype, popular gift giver, odd dresser, and among the revered patriarchs. I have met with Master Chang San Feng many times.

Master Ju-ching (Rujing) was the Chan Buddhist teacher in China of Eihei Dogen from 1230-1235 CE.

Refer to the Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku), Case 77.

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans.

The Daodejing by Laozi

Pulling Onions Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Refer to Fireplaces, Stoves, Hearths, Campfires

The Fireplace Records Compiled with Commentary by Michael P. Garofalo

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Simple As: 0123456789 ...

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 25

Simple As: 0123456789...

In 2000, a young mother was teaching her 4 year old daughter every day about counting and numbers. The little girl could count to 10 using number songs/ditties, and knew the correct order from memory. She used numbered blocks and her fingers for counting and displaying quantities. If asked by her mother to pick out seven cookies from a jar she could do so accurately; and, knew that no cookies in the jar had something to do with zero. She could count backwards from 20, and upwards to over 100. She could sort quantities with a high degree of accuracy. She was learning to read and write numbers. She was, obviously, a bright four year old, and liked matters orderly.

In 2020, that same girl was studying mathematics at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Her learning at the age of four is not forgotten, just buried deep in the Mind Matrix of brain-language-skills-habits. She is now ready for "Mastery!"

Step by step, little by little, one by one, day by day, year by year our bodies work and play with things, and our minds play with languages and concepts. There is an order for learning, just like an order for numbers. Skills and habits develop and improve with long orderly sequences of practice.

Some sequences and patterns in our lives are rigid, fixed, set, established, formally ordered, and, as it were, "set in stone." Mathematics is like that. Orderly! Formal! Done just one correct way! Only one ordering: 0123456789 ...

Time is like mathematical order. The Past before the Future; 6 before 9. The Future after the Present; 6 after 0. The Present between the Past and Future; -34 before 0 and 8 after 0. April precedes May, and October follows September. These Nature-socially established patterns and sequences never change. We visually represent these ideas on a numbered clock or calendar.

We can interpret and organize our experiences via mathematics, one of the key foundations of modern science.

A Student's Considerations:

Some aspects and patterns in life are formally ordered and fixed. Learn them well to cope with your challenges in living with others.
Arithmetic is an essential skill in our lives in 2020.
Find the best "order" for your learning of some new skill or body of knowledge.
Reflect occasionally on your childhood experiences and upbringing.
Music, writing, and math all have components of fixed orders for optimal functioning; however, we can also be creative and think outside the box in most fields, but failures are more frequent when doing so. Staying inside the box is safer for people and cats.
Choose yourself, on practical grounds, when not to change some established order or rule, sticking to the tried and true; and, when to abandon old fixed views.
Some aspects of our lives rarely change, they are ordered and fixed (e.g., the need for sleep each day). Deal with the facts and move forward!
We don't need supernatural beings to bolster our insights as to the orders of our universe. The devil is not in bed with numbers.
Try to keep things Simple!
You will benefit from keeping a very orderly lifestyle of your actions each day!
On Your Marks, Get Set, Go (Bang!)!!! Simple as 1, 2, 3.

"Lord I'm One, Lord I'm Two, Lord I'm Three, Lord I'm Four, Lord I'm Five Hundred Miles From my Home" - Peter, Paul and Mary 1966

Related Links, Resources, References

Koans:

Virtue Ethics

Gratitude

Time Movement Change Transformation Mortality

Process Philosophy

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi Best?

Pulling Onions Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Lessons Database Project: Subject Indexes

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Lessons and Stories

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo

Saturday, April 01, 2023

How Could He Make Up His Mind

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 13

The student asked, "One question that keeps cropping up in the Zen Buddhist koan literature is "What is the Buddha?"

I've read that Baso said, "This very mind is the Buddha." (GG 30, Sekida)
Nansen said, "Ordinary mind is the Way." (GG 19)
Baso said, "No mind, no Buddha." (GG 33)
Nansen said, "It is not mind; it is not Buddha; it is not things." (GG 27)
I've read that Nansen said: "Ordinary Mind is Buddha."
Pan Shan said, "There is nothing in the Triple World,
where can mind be found." (BCR 37)
Yun Men said, "Food in the bowl, water in the bucket." (BCR 50)."

"I am impressed by the catchy phrases, uplifted in spirit, but I am still a bit confused."

The teacher replied, "Don't agree with or believe in some of what you read. Don't concern yourself to much with what so and so said so in so. Some confusion can be productive around complex issues and concepts. Don't make up your mind right away about important Dharma matters. Mind your mind."

The teacher continued, "The Buddha is explained and expressed and symbolized in our ordinary lives through attentiveness, insight, dedication, compassion, gratitude, wisdom, enlightenment, being down to earth, following a spiritual path and practice, following the Precepts, seeing clearly, supporting others, etc. So, yes, I do oftentimes hear the Buddha Dharma revealed within our ordinary minds, ordinary deeds, and our ordinary words."

The student smiled.

The Student's Considerations:

A teacher is not necessarily a Master.
Mind my mind: Observe, Judge, Control-Act.
Don't let the mind get too closed.
Being open minded is sometimes temporary impartiality.
"Mind", mind you, is hard to define, comprehend, explain.
Act, when needed, quickly; otherwise deliberate first.

Related Links, Resources, References

GG, Hekiganroku: Gateless Gate, Translated by Katsuki Sekida, Cases 19, 27, 30, 33.
BCR, Blue Cliff Record, Translated by Katsuki Sekida, Cases 37, 50

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi Best?

Pulling Onions Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Koan Database Project

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Stories, Dialogues, and Encounters
Matches to Start the Kindling of Insight
May the Light from Your Inner Fireplace Help All Beings
Zen Buddhist Koan Collections
Catching Phrases, Inspiring Verses, Hard Questions
Bibliography, Indexing, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo

Friday, February 24, 2023

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 20

Dao De Jing, Laozi

Chapter 20

"Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense!
Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.
In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,
But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.
Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing.
I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.
Others are clear and bright,
But I alone am dim and weak.
Others are sharp and clever,
But I alone am dull and stupid.
Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea,
Without direction, like the restless wind.
Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother."
- Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English, 1989, Chapter 20

"Renounce learning, it brings loss to the Inner Life.
How slight the difference between Yes and Yea!
How great the difference between Good and Evil!
That which men fear is indeed to be feared.
When men give themselves up to disorder it never stops.
Many men rejoice and rejoice over a supply of good food, over being in a high and exalted position.
I am calm, I do not feel the slightest emotion, like a new-born child which cannot yet smile at its mother, without attachment to anything, returning always to the Inner Life.
Many men have superfluous possessions.
I have nothing that I value; I desire that my heart be completely subdued, emptied to emptiness.
Men of wealth are in the daylight of prosperity.
I am in the dark.
Men of wealth are endowed with penetration.
I appear confused and ignorant.
Suddenly I am, as it were, on a vast sea, floating on the sea of Inner Life which is boundless.
Many men are full of ability.
I appear to be stupid and rustic.
Thus I am different from other men.
But I revere the Mother, Sustainer of all beings."
- Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 20

"When we renounce learning we have no troubles.
The (ready) 'yes,' and (flattering) 'yea;'
Small is the difference they display.
But mark their issues, good and ill;
What space the gulf between shall fill?
What all men fear is indeed to be feared;
But how wide and without end is the range of questions asking to be discussed!
The multitude of men look satisfied and pleased; as if enjoying a full banquet, as if mounted on a tower in spring.
I alone seem listless and still, my desires having as yet given no indication of their presence.
I am like an infant which has not yet smiled.
I look dejected and forlorn, as if I had no home to go to.
The multitude of men all have enough and to spare.
I alone seem to have lost everything.
My mind is that of a stupid man;
I am in a state of chaos.
Ordinary men look bright and intelligent, while I alone seem to be benighted.
They look full of discrimination, while I alone am dull and confused.
I seem to be carried about as on the sea, drifting as if I had nowhere to rest.
All men have their spheres of action, while I alone seem dull and incapable, like a rude borderer.
Thus I alone am different from other men, but I value the nursing-mother Dao."
- Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 20

"Leave off fine learning! End the nuisance
Of saying yes to this and perhaps to that,
Distinctions with how little difference!
Categorical this, categorical that,
What slightest use are they!
If one man leads, another must follow,
How silly that is and how false!
Yet conventional men lead an easy life
With all their days feast days,
A constant spring visit to the Tall Tower,
While I am a simpleton, a do-nothing,
Not big enough yet to raise a hand,
Not grown enough to smile,
A homeless, worthless waif.
Men of the world have a surplus of goods,
While I am left out, owning nothing.
What a booby I must be
Not to know my way round,
What a fool!
The average man is so crisp and so confident
That I ought to be miserable
Going on and on like the sea,
Drifting nowhere.
All these people are making their mark in the world,
While I, pig-headed, awkward,
Different from the rest,
Am only a glorious infant still nursing at the breast."
- Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 20

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter. Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization. Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Introduction, Bibliography, Commentary, Chapter Index

Chapter 20 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: Text and Commentaries

Index of English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching

Saturday, June 03, 2017

Sowing and Reaping the Ordinary

"This is the realm of true reality where you forget what is on your mind and stop looking. In a wild field, not choosing, picking up whatever comes to hand, the obvious meaning of Zen is clear in the hundred grasses. Indeed, the green bamboo, the clusters of yellow flowers, fences, walls, tiles, and pebble us the teaching of the inanimate; rivers, birds, trees, and groves expound suffering, emptiness, and selflessness. This is based on the one true reality, producing unconditional compassion, manifesting uncontrived, supremely wondrous power in the great jewel light of nirvana.

An ancient master said, "Meeting a companion on the Way, spending a life together, the whole task of study is done." Another master said, "If I pick up a single leaf and go into the city, I move the whole of the mountain." That is why one ancient adept was enlightened on hearing the sound of pebbles striking bamboo, while another was awakened on seeing peach trees in bloom. An ancient worthy, working in the fields in his youth , was breaking up clumps of earth when he saw a big clod, which he playfully smashed with a fierce blow; as it shattered, he was suddenly greatly enlightened. One Zen master attained enlightenment on seeing the flagpole of a teaching center from the other side of a river. Another spoke of the staff of the spirit. One adept illustrated Zen realization by planting a hoe in the ground; another master spoke of Zen in term of sowing the fields. All of these instances were bringing out this indestructible true being, allowing people to visit a greatly liberated true teacher without moving a step.

Carrying out the unspoken teaching, attaining unhindered eloquence, thus they forever studied all over from all things, embracing the all-inclusive universe, detaching from both abstract and concrete definitions of buddhahood, and transcendentally realizing universal, all pervasive Zen in the midst of all activities. Why necessarily consider holy places, teachers' abodes, or religious organizations and forms prerequisite to personal familiarity and attainment of realization?"

- Yuan-Wu, The House of Lin-Chi, "The Five Houses of Zen," translated by Thomas Cleary, Shambhala Press, 1997, p. 58.

"I did however used to think, you know, in the woods walking, and as a kid playing the the woods, that there was a kind of immanence there - that woods, a places of that order, had a sense, a kind of presence, that you could feel; that there was something peculiarly, physically present, a feeling of place almost conscious ... like God. It evoked that."
- Robert Creely, Robert Creely and the Genius of the American Common Place, p. 40

"The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
speaks to me.
The faintness of the stars,
the trail of the sun,
the strength of fire,
and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars."
- Chief Dan George

Zen Poetry

Buddhism

Haiku Poetry

Gardening and Spirituality

Cloud Hands

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Why Did the Bodhidharma Walk So Far Away?

Saturday, September 07, 2024

What Transcends Lao Tzu?

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Simple As: 0123456789 ...

Related Links, Resources, References

Saturday, April 22, 2023

The Roshi's Clapping Cell Phone

Related Links, Resources, References

Saturday, April 01, 2023

How Could He Make Up His Mind

Friday, February 24, 2023

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 20

Saturday, June 03, 2017

Sowing and Reaping the Ordinary

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