>This is why we must step off the top of that hunded foot pole of emptiness >into the world of an awakened everyday. Better yet - don't claim the 100 ft pole in the first place. Mike
From: Jue Miao Jing Ming - 覺妙精明 <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, 5 September 2011, 1:09 Subject: [Zen] Fwd: Re: [Zen Living] Supreme Vehicle Hello Siska, Below is a reply from Rev. Harvey in terminologies of Zen. Perhaps it will clarify some of the questions in your mind? jm -------- Original Message -------- Aha, Sensei, Indeed. It is transformation instead of elimination. The key of Chan practice lies in the way of "challenging & teaching & awaken" without ourselves. Too often we impose "our practice" onto others. In such case, we still are attached to dharma. I just loved your English. So much more depth in every word. As always, I found one new words I needed to look up from dictionary. Thank you for your sharing. jm On 9/4/2011 6:01 AM, Harvey Daiho Hilbert wrote: >With respect to all, >Good Morning JMJM, > >Thank you for the correction as regards your Order's hierarchy, although I >will continue to see you as a Master. > >It is true that to see oneself as one with everything, there is a danger we >will fall into a sort of quietism. This is why we must step off the top of >that hunded foot pole of emptiness into the world of an awakened everyday. > >In Zen we step back from that pole in order to work for the freedom of all >beings. We live in a world of two truths, the Universe is One and the >Universe is not one. Realizing the Vast Impermenance of all things does not >negate all things. > >Engaged practice, then, is a practice of going out into the world of the >relative with an Absolute Mind. How we walk, talk, eat, and touch become >teachers to those around us. Are we present? Are we kind? Do we practice >with a mindful heart? These are profound, but beginning beginning >steps, steps of a first order. A second order is more foundational. We >practice to address the conditions within which duality is permitted to >emerge. Notions of social stratification, distributive justice, and prejudice >must be addressed directly, challenged, and transformed. > >I say transformed rather than eliminated because these causes of duality >function for purposes that are usually righteous. The purposes of >stratifacation, unequal distribution of goods and services, and prejudice >often have more to do with fear and the consequent presumed need for self >preservation than anything about the targets of these efforts. The goal may >be righteous, but the method is problematic. > >When people have a "self" and fear the loss of things that support that "self" >they will do all manner of things to protect it. So, our practice (for >ourselves, as well as for others) is to cut through the delusion of a self, >show there is no need to protect a nonexistant self, and find ways to support >such a transformative process. Our methods include challenging, teaching, and >supporting people as they are in the everyday world. Bearing witness for >peace, and against hunger and violence are beginning steps, but key steps. > >In truth, Two and One are in support of one another. When we can live with >such an open eye, we know we have nothing to fear. Without fear, the >bodhisattva is free to engage the universe. > >Be well > >Rev. Daiho Hilbert, abbot >OCMZ > > >From: Jue Miao Jing Ming - 覺妙精明 <[email protected]> >To: [email protected]; [email protected]; >[email protected]; [email protected] >Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2011 11:08 AM >Subject: [Zen Living] Supreme Vehicle > > > >Good morning Sensei, > >Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I am just a practitioner of >Chan and not a master. A master in our school means someone who is >enlightened and has received "Buddha Heart Imprint", while I have neither. >Since Zen does recognize the Mahayana practice, then please let me share some >of the discussions we had recently in our school.... > >As we know, Hinayana is often called the Small Vehicle and Mahayana is the >Great Vehicle. And in China, the Chan is called the Supreme Vehicle. It >means that Chan could free everyone. > >It is true, when others are enlightened, we are enlightened. The danger of >this realization is the rationalization that we only need to work on >ourselves. If so, then we are only practicing Hinayana. We did not "do" the >circular track of Chan. > >The Mahayana practice is a practice, only when we leave our lotus and step >into the mud, could we than detach ourselves from the limitation of our >practice and our dharma. In other words, as we focus on the difficulty in >freeing others, could we then realize how limited we are in wisdom and energy >in resolving their karmic hindrance. Only then we could be motivated to >continuously surpassing our habitual practice, form and formless. In turn to >realize that "Dharma is not dharma. No dharma is dharma." > >Then we would know dharma is in every encounter. It is up to us to be one >with it. Only then we are liberated from the rationalization of our mind and >awaken to the fact that the One of Chan is the ALL. This realization occurs >when we journey midway into the freeing of each one, as a Supreme Vehicle. > >Too often we quit by rationalizing to ourselves that this practice is not for >everyone. Or the time is not right, or whatever excuses we place upon our >practice. If so, we have trapped ourselves into believing that our current >practice is the only path. The practice of Supreme Vehicle is every practice >in each moment, in each encounter, without self, without other, without >dharma, without form, without notion, etc. > >To free all beings is not to impose "our" practice upon them, but rather let >them awaken from within. The only way we could accomplish that is to speak in >their language in their mindset and help them to resolve whatever there needs >to be resolve in resources, mindset or life force. In other words, we needed >to be them and undertake their karma. Thus the mud is the lotus and lotus is >the mud and they both grow in tandem. > >To phrase it in beautiful labels, Mahayana is the journey for Bodhisattva, >Supreme Vehicle is the journey for Buddha, who is the one and all and us and >everyone. > >Thank you all for your attention, >JMJM >Head Teacher >Order Of Chan > >Learn the Basics of Chan Meditation... http://www.chan-meditation.org Chan in >everyday life... http://www.chanliving.org To be enlightened in this life... >http://www.heartchan.org To save our world... http://www.universal-oneness.org >On 9/1/2011 9:49 PM, Harvey Daiho Hilbert wrote: > >> >> >>With palms together, >>Good Evening Everyone, >> >>On the Zen Living list, Ch’an Master Jue Miao Jing Ming , asked me a question >>the other day. “Dear Sensei, Do you consider Zen a Mahayana practice? If so, >>what does Mahayana actually do?” >> >>While Zen is within the Mahayana tradition, it is not a Mahayana practice as >>I understand it. Student Rev. Shoji and I were discussing this question >>today and Rev. Shoji brought up an interesting distinction. He argued that >>Mahayana Buddhists aim at the Bodhisattva ideal to free all beings before >>they, themselves, enter nirvana. He points out that from a Zen point of >>view, self and other are one, therefore there is no one, but oneself, to free. >> >>Zen Master Seung Sahn argues in his Compass, that both Theravadan and >>Mahayane traditions have “roads,” but that Zen has not only no road, but no >>map, as well. The practice is practice realization as one. Path and >>destination are not two. >> >>These beg the question, however, “What does Mahayana actually do?” >> >>Mahayana does nothing. Mahayana is just a word. And we can see from the >>question that such things as words and concepts can create a hindrance. We >>could ask a better question, “What is Mahayana practice and what does it do?” >>The aim of the practice is to free beings, but how? >> >>Again, Master Sahn offers the Six Paramitas as “practice guides.” They are >>rather like the manifest value in the nexus between idea and behavior, rather >>like the term “Quality” as used in Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle >>Maintenance.” A Mahayana practitioner practices to make manifest the six >>aspects of our true nature in the hope that to do so will free suffering >>beings. >> >>A Zen practitioner, however realizes practice and life are one, that >>everything is already free, perfect as it is, but that we jail ourselves >>with our thoughts. A Zen practitioner notices and ceases all grasping: no >>attachment to ideas, desires, things, feelings, etc. >>A Zen practitioner is free and easy in the everyday world. His mind is free >>and his heart limitless. He recognizes all beings are likewise like this. >> >>Be well. >>Rev. Daiho Hilbert, abbot >>OCMZ > >
