RE: Zen, Seymour, Muriel.
Malcolm Lawrence (Malcolm@wolfenet.com)
Tue, 15 Jul 1997 16:45:38 -0700
>"Followers of the Way, as to Buddha-Dharma no effort is necessary. You
>have only to be ordinary with nothing to do -- defecating, urining,
>putting on clothes, eating food, and lying down when tired.
> fools laugh at me, but
> The wise man understands."
> --Zen master rinzai
To paraphrase an old Zen master I once read: When a Zen master is cutting
his grass, what he's really doing is cutting his grass.
It should be no surprise that the West has a lot to learn about Zen. Look
at the overwhelming canon of our literature and films ("trust no one") with
it's emphasis on plot and conspiracy and suspicion and motivations and
alibis.
How can anyone do anything anymore without not only thinking they should
have an attitude or an ironic perspective on what they're doing (which of
course immediately steals the enjoyment from whatever it is they're doing)
but anticipating someone nearby thinking: "Ah, so they TELL me they're just
cutting their grass...but I know they're REALLY concocting a plan to get
into my girlfriends pants/the job we're both equally qualified for."
...and therein lies separation, isolation, setting yourself against the
dharma. Competition with oneself is the only true way. Competition with
anything else, specifically measuring oneself against the achievements of
others, will only end up with you chasing your own tail around the tree
until you turn into butter.
Malcs