Thanks,
Chris Austin-Lane
Sent from a cell phone

On May 22, 2011, at 9:42, "empty0grace" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I would say based on both my experience and the teachings that I have 
> observed, that amorality is very close to immorality in that without the 
> clear presence of moral rectitude there is nothing to prevent immoral 


I have to disagree. Moral rectitude untrammeled by thought is just catching 
some falling ice cream scoop in the air before it hits the floor or seeing the 
couch and not stubbing the toes this time, or sharing the last cigarette or 
what ever the moment demands. Seeing some 'other' person and not noticing the 
'other' but the unity that holds both seer and seen. 

Moral rectitude that thinks it is moral often is terribly screwed up for the 
'recipients.' trying to force the mind into not creating negative thoughts 
often creates a worse back lash; far better to allow what ever thoughts arise 
to just be themselves. 

> The natural condition of the mind is immoral: greed, hatred and delusion are 
> our birthright as human beings, not Buddha nature, which really does sound 
> like a religious assertion to me. 

Zen in my experience often claims that the natural state of the mind is a clear 
open container, which we muddy diligently with believing our thoughts and being 
unwilling to set aside our desire for reality to be other than it is. 


> What you see, is what you get, and what we see when we look inside is greed, 
> hatred and delusion (unless you cultivated the eightfold path).

I doubt any human has looked inside and found all bad thoughts. 

------------------------------------

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