Total Freedom
17/01/25 16:10 Filed in:
Unborn Mind "We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time. . ." (poem continues)
Yes, i arrived from the place i'd started and knew the place for the first time. Knew Home! Knew: beyond, beyond beyond.
"A layman (asked): What happens when you become a Buddha? Where do you go? Bankei (answered): When you become a Buddha, there isn’t any place to go. You’re already everywhere, reaching even beyond the universe itself. If, on the other hand, you become something else, there are indeed plenty of places for you to go." – From the book, Unborn,
Translated by Peter Haskel and Yoshito Hakeda. eBook printed by www.groveatlantic.com.
Self portrayed picture of Bankei Roshi exists, did the best as could be done
Before the unborn mind eradicated my reality and replaced it with emptiness/thusness, (thusness directly seen/experienced only; but, remains forever unknown, I often read/reread the satori experiences of eight individuals from the book, The Three Pillars of Zen by Roshi Philip Kapleau.
This image captures the essence of The Three Pillars of Zen,
Those different enlightenment experiences kept me going on to sit (do Zazen) for forty years. One thing the experiences taught me was that the quality/depth of the satori differs from individual to another – not unlike picking mushrooms: some only find one or two; others discover an basket full and am able to pass on their bounty, after giving gratitude and returning a present back to the earth – See First Nations rituals that bring them closer to Gaia.
Take only what's needed. Leave enough for grow-back to occur. Give gift back.
The same ritual applies to being given self-realization – Give back, what you can with humility, with deep gratitude for what's been given.
Hey peoples! did&do i ever know the Global Way ruled by economics/money. I got drunk on enlightenment and arrogantly tried to tell the whole world, who really didn't give a shit. Even though i was told to keep quiet for nine years at the moment of seeing/experiencing directly, i kept on yapping; the result, i kept on taking a long walk off a short pier. Now, after thirteen years, a little wiser and much humbler individual.
"We must be silent before we can listen; we must listen before we can learn; we must learn before can prepare; we must prepare before we can serve; and we must serve before we can lead." – William Arthur Ward.
Yeah! Yet, here i am 13 years later still shooting-off my mouth
Anyways, to get to the point, what was it now, oh yeah, may i offer my experience, as it might be an inspiration to you to not give up but know: The Buddha, the Patriarchs, the Bodhidharma, various Bodhitsatvas over a couple of centuries, and i did not lie to you.
After doing Zazen (code word, "sitting") for just over forty years, stood up to stretch, just after the noon hour, walked over to the second story window, and looked out. Suddenly all the bejeebers kicked out of me; moved to the edge of the universe; space could not contain the unborn mind/thusness; the universe split apart!
Simultaneously: past preconceived notions; sacred beliefs; truths imbedded by society, schools, friends, parents seemed to throw-up from my mind; and, first/second chakras destroyed, third chakra found a huge hole blown thru it. Result: Fear defunct/gone; knew total freedom; found peace at last; finally found Home, and started to weep softly – Word of poet, T.S. Eliot from the book, The Four Quartets, rushed in:
"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time. . ." (poem continues)
Yes, i arrived from the place i'd started and knew the place for the first time. Knew Home! Knew: beyond, beyond beyond. Thusness, (forever unknown but was/can be experienced) always been there, the unborn mind changed Reality forever but knew the experience could/possibly would grow wider & deeper.
Balls in your court now!
Chose her. She's slightly better looking than me.
Finally, The Way. You can go thru the task of sitting but easier path is just listen to me of the Buddha Mind sect: merely focus on the unborn, untainted, mirror like, all illuminating mind you were born with. The moment you "Think", unborn mind get clouded over – merely let all thoughts go! Try focusing on unborn mind, only, for thirty days. Really, sitting, chanting, bowing, and other extra-curricular activities not necessary. Just focus on unborn Buddha Mind alone.
In Meta, Spiritual Quest,
al
P.S.: Metaphor – You are very akin to the apple. You will not fall from the tree no matter how hard you try. When circumstances come together perfectly, when ripe, and only then, will you fall from the tree. The metaphor falls apart a bit, because your preparation, the sitting, the chanting, the reading, all aid in leading toward you awakening; but, working with an Adept, with direct experience, much better, because the unborn mind person can answer your questions directly; can lead you lead toward dharmas/readings suited to you, and can, thru direct transmission, recognize you're immediate state of mind (enlightened or not). By being able to do so, can/will confirm the reality of your experience of the unborn. Met many, who think they've found Nirvana, only to be told they've found Maya/illusion.Tags: unborn mind, Buddha, Buddhism, slef-realization, Tao, The Way, Roshi, First Nations, Meta, Adept, Bankai, eBook, spiritual, Meta-Siritual
