disagree mike... edgar is way beyond sitting on a billowing fluffy white cloud in the bluest of blue skies Mongolian style observing the antics... merle
Edgar, It doesn't even matter to me whether the historical Buddha existed or not. But I still see you think meditation only consists of sitting cross-legged under a Bodhi tree. Mike Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPhone ________________________________ From: Edgar Owen <[email protected]>; To: <[email protected]>; Subject: Re: [Zen] Fw: peek a boo ... Sent: Thu, Feb 21, 2013 1:44:45 PM Mike, What bullcrap! How the heck do you claim to know what the Buddha did EVERY day until he died? You are projecting your attachment to a savior onto a historical figure about which very little is actually known... Drop this attachment too and you'll be a lot closer to Zen. If you meet Buddha in your head, KILL HIM! Edgar On Feb 21, 2013, at 2:49 AM, [email protected] wrote: >Joe, > >I'm completely on board with you. Even on the micro-level (say after a few >rounds of sitting zazen) you can feel the space between thoughts shrink if you >don't keep up the intensity. But once thru the gateless gate there's a kind of >'muscle memory' that makes coming back to the mat easier each time. I think it >was to Edgar that I previously pointed that Buddha maintained daily >meditation until the day he died. > >Mike > > >Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPhone > > > >________________________________ > From: Joe <[email protected]>; >To: <[email protected]>; >Subject: Re: [Zen] Fw: peek a boo ... >Sent: Thu, Feb 21, 2013 5:28:43 AM > > > >Mike, > >I say Edgar is right, though, that coming back is a hard part. > >Especially coming back from a long practice somewhere, and making your own >(interruptable) schedule, again. It takes balance (retaining it, and, yes, >reGaining it), and grace. Grace toward others and toward oneself. > >And/but, one must keep up practice, too, else what has become clear, and what >is light and healthy in you, becomes dull, and heavy and perturbed. > >One need not even have awakened on the long practice for you to nonetheless >"have to" take these few precautions, and protect and nurture what you have >clarified to some extent. > >Another approach is to practice not at all, and watch, day by day, the >centeredness and poise erode and disappear entirely. This is educational, >i.e., pretty painful. Yet I think it is of value to any practitioner, and >maybe more to anyone who feels they may some day teach other practitioners, >and practice with them: It will help all your "students" for you to know >exactly how it feels to be a beginner again, and see, for yourself, several or >many times, just how one does and *can* make some progress toward cleaning up >the mess, and be patient about it. One makes mental notes as one does this, >and can speak in clear terms with students about how they can do it. In other >words, you're not making up the advice by the seat-of-your-pants each time a >question is asked, or a demonstration must be made, or a suggestion offered, >but you have a rich store of experience of desperately painful times and >weightlessly glowing clear times behind you, not just once, but I won't say how many. > >Needless to say -- and I don't mind admitting -- I've taken both approaches >many times. At this point in time, I'm in a building-up phase again. Early >days of slim progress. A difficult Yoga! But the field is familiar, and I've >pitched no-hitters and hit home runs here before. > >Spring training in Arizona, > >--Joe > >> uerusuboyo@... wrote: >> >> Edgar, > >< Lose your head and gain the universe. > > > >
