#3


23/02/2000

In this issue:


Zen thoughts
Short conversations
A koan from Lotos


Brothers, if I shall hurt you, I'll do it regretfully.

Zen Help

Weekly Internet magazine
Chief editor: Klein

klein@zen.ru

  

Zen thoughts

 

The main program

The main program is VERY simple: Determine if it is real or not. If it is not real - delete. If real - 1. mark it. 2. determine the urgency. If it's urgent - react (respond) quickly (and at your full capacity, of course). If it's not urgent - dig in slowly - than react. The end. :)))

A problem and a contradiction

A "contradiction" appears only when your mind contacts with a thing or a process which exists objectively, i.e. exists by itself, separately from your mind. There are no contradictions outside your mind. The rising of contradictions is a result of the mind's work.

A "contradiction" becomes a "problem" when your mind is EMOTIONALLY involved into the contradiction and starts to "stir it up" it, i.e. to increase the emotional involvement.

If your mind is able to stop (to cut short) the increasement of it's own emotional involvement into thinking the contradiction over, the "problem" immediately turns into a "task".

This is called - controlling your mind. :)) And who is controlling your mind? :)) Can you guess? :)))))))))))))))))))

Gaining nirvana without abandoning the passions (from "Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra")

In "Gaining nirvana without abandoning the passions" the main point is that 99,9% of the Buddha Teaching followers think that you have to come to the Top of the Path wizened as a leaf, indifferent as clay, motionless as a log and joyless as they are themselves. Even the joyful example of Buddha himself cannot prove the opposite to them.

"Gaining nirvana without abandoning the passions" - this is an exaggeration. But this is a right exaggeration. It's a kind of simplification. In order to describe it better. To accentuate. :))) In "The Battle for Tibet" my opponent says: "cut off the laughter, cut off the thinking" and so on. They are all chatterers. Stay alive and full of power, but gain nirvana at the same time. Have the full spectrum of emotions, but gain nirvana - this is the meaning of that saying.

However, it must go together with a subtle and right ("right" is a specific term in ch'an) understanding of whAt is "alive", whAt is "full of power", whAt are "emotions", whAt is "the full spectrum", whAt is "emotion control", whAt are the "types and levels of emotion control" and so on. And besides it must go together with the understanding of  "Gaining nirvana without caring of your gaining it". To hell with nirvana! And that's all - the circle is enclosed! :))

So, what keeps you on the Path in this case? What is the purpose? Moreover, the MAIN QUESTION is - what is the sense of it? - Ha-ha-ha!!! But you do not care about THIS either! :))))))))))))))))))))))

So. If you don't care even about nirvana, if you don't care about the sense - can there be any passions? where might they come from? I want to repeat it once again: The one who wants to gain nirvana will try to abandon the passions, because - WHAT is nirvana if not the absence of passions? :)))) And he will care about it and he WILL BE ANXIOUS about achieving this great goal. Can it be otherwise? If there is a goal - there will be passion! Therefore, he will never gain it.

And vice versa. The one who stands on the Path but does not abandon the passions, thus closing the door to nirvana for himself (this is what "buddhists" think), and doesn't think about nirvana, thinking: why should I need it - he will not be attached to purposes and to all that fuss around nirvana - and he will gain it. But it will not be nirvana of the wizened and half-faded ones. It will not be "nirvana" at all :)) There is no nirvana. :))))

Do you understand? Do not even think about nirvana! Then you will gain it! Ah-h-ha, you still want to gain it?! - There is no nirvana for you! :))))))))))))))))) That's all!!! - no nirvana! :))))))))))))))))

You want me to give a definition of "nirvana"? :))) You want too much from me... :)) Read the formal definitions of European researches for now. :))))))))))))))))))))

The problem of "making a mountain out of a molehill"

It's enough to stop "making a mountain out of a molehill" for a person to get read of the problems at all, i.e. to reduce the USELESS loss of energy, caused by the problems, from 100 (or 50) percent up to 1 or even 0.1 percent, i.e. to make the USELESS loss of energy several dozen times less, which is certainly a very significant salary rise. :))))

It's enough to get rid of "making a mountain out of a molehill", then problems stop to emerge, almost completely. "ALMOST completely" means the "problem of having problems" is solved with an approximation, but this approximation is very close to the precise solution.

Don't make a mountain out of a molehill! :))) A mountain always originates with a mole digging. But a "problem" and a "task" (even as big as a mountain) are different.

But still after you have even forgotten that "we have only one problem - making a mountain out of a molehill" passions still stay for a long time. You don't make mountains out of molehills, but there are more than just molehills in the world!

Self-censorship

Self-censorship appears not because you are afraid to say too much, so that the enemies may use it, but because you are afraid to make a fool of yourself. Throw it away! Do you remember the ch'an saying: "I shed the skin, only the essence remains". Is there any other way to enlightening? No other way. Another saying: "Not a piece of tile to cover my head and not a fucking piece of earth to stand on". This is also - no, it is not about the self-censorship:)), it is about being "afraid to look like a fool"."Everything is thrown out - I'm naked", it says. "And not afraid to look like a fool" :)))) and "afraid to look like a fool" - is also thrown out. C-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y naked :))))))

A miracle

I forgot to tell you. A miracle :)))))) I have put my photo sized 103 by 133 pixels in ExtraSchool. I have chosen this size without any reasons - just had my photo made, then measured it - and got 103 to 133... :))) So, that's it... And then I put your photo on the Photoshop's desktop, looked at it, evaluated the asymmetry of the picture as well as of your ears, for example... :)))) - And I liked it. So I thought I would not cut or trim anything; everything is already fine and cool. And what do you think? I chose "Reduce image size" and in the "width" field I put 103. Photoshop proportionally reduced the height of your photo. And whAt do you think it showed in "height" field? :))))))))))))) Right! Exactly 1-3-3!!!! :))))))))))))) Regards to you!!

Courage

Love is impossible without Courage.

A trap

Your hurricane is sweeping me away. There's only one thing that saves me - I do not want to pose myself as a Teacher. You will not catch me at this :)))

 

Short Conversations

 

The true reason

- The problem is the following. I'm thinking about leaving the home - because of a petty tyrant :))), do you remember, in Castaneda's book? Well, actually I am not an easy person either... :)))))

- Do not deceive yourself (and me also) :)))) - you are not "going away from the tyrant"... :)))))) - there is another reason for your "thinking about leaving home"... :))))) So?! What is the TRUE reason, you wiseacre!? Ok, I'll prompt. If you have a piece of your brain cut off - may be just a little one... :))))) - you would live on in clover with your "tyrant".... :))))))))))) The reason!!!

Solving a problem is a process

- But you've said that all our problems are solvable... Everybody says so... But how?

- Don't get so downcast! Firstly, the initial information is needed. Secondly, it is necessary to start - to organize! - the process of solving the problem. Solving a problem is a process. A process which has a beginning, an end, duration, stages and so on. This is why the "firstly" point is important. :))

Duality and uniqueness

- U-h-h, I see, problems just do not exist! As soon as you bring duality to uniqueness, all that you saw before just prove to be different sides... Or I am wrong?

- But what to do before it happened? "To bring" is an is a state-of-the-art technique. But until you master it - what can you do? :)) Do not turn into a "theorist", please... :))

A godlike being or an ape full of instincts?

- Can an outstanding godlike being, which aspires to spiritual search and has magic abilities and unlimited resources and capabilities to implement absolutely all aspirations and wishes, be self-centered, lying, guileful, and fucking irresponsible, careless, dishonorable towards the people, non-generous, ignoble, with low instincts and vices, which he sometimes realizes, can he be junmping from the mean state to the high state and back with maximium amplitude and without staying for a suffucient time in either state?

- Yes, he can.

- I think he cannot: either a godlike being or an ape full of instincts.

- Everyone is a godlike being. :))) Even an ape full of instincts. Read "Mumonkan" - "Joshu dog" and so on... "The mind's basis" of any person - is Buddha mind. "See Buddha in everyone..." - read the "Ch'an sayings". By the way, Jesus Christ never called himself the Son of God. He called himself the Son of Man. That means - God manifestating himself as a human being. As well as Mowgley, for example, was a member of a wolf's family. It's more or less like this! :)))

- To what subclass can such a being be ascribed?

- To the subclass "Dart Weirder +". One might quit the Path at any point of it. At any level of his evolution. The higher is the level at which you quit, the closer you are to the description that you have given. .

  

A koan from Lotos

You are too serious!

Once Klein said: "Lotos! Come to your senses! :)))) You are too serious! :))))". "If only my former school teacher could hear you!" - Lotos answered. - "I ran into her lately, in the street, and she said:

-   Well, where are you hurrying?

-   To realize myself - I said. She nodded, well, it is clear, like anyone does...

-   Do you study anywhere?

-   Yes, I do! - She just turned shining with joy :))))) Great, she thought, this guy has grown more reasonable :))))

-   But where?...

-   I am learning from Life, Mrs Smith! - she waved her hand dismissively :)))

-   Well, really! You're still making the same lightharted jokes! - and on this note we parted :))))

 

To the reader

Dear reader! How are you? - comprehending already? :))) So why are you keeping silence? :))) Why don't you manifestate yourself then? :))) Do you remember, that without "manifestating" - there's no "enlightening"? Write! And send it! All the best and great to you! Kl. :))))) 


Translated by Stas, VT, and Anya Zykova.

 

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