The Record of Linji - What do you search for?

“You, good brothers, what do you search for? The one listening at this moment to my sermon depends upon nothing. He is the one who is real and vital and lacks nothing. If you desire not to differ from the buddhas and patriarchs, you must observe it as it is. Do not harbor a doubt about it!“

Your mind which differs not in attitude each moment, that I call the living Buddha. If your mind differs in attitude each moment, that differentiates your performance from your essential nature. But if your mind does not differ in attitude, your performance will not differ from your essential nature.”

🍑 👨‍🦲 : My main man Linji has been gathering dust in r/Zen lately so I thought f#$% it, bring him out. So fellow users of r/Zen, what are you searching for?

Linji here says "If your mind differs in attitude each moment, that differentiates your performance from your essential nature", but what is the meaning of this? Does he mean that if your behaviour isn't peaceful and pleasant in accordance with the views of others that you are obstructing your essential nature?

It seems Buddhists and religious folks would love to have you feeding into that view because then that would mean you need practice, and that means you need a teacher, which means you need a hierarchy to instruct you by their authority of rank and that you are only capable of awakening to your inherent self on the basis of their approval alone. How is that freedom?

I don't believe it one bit. What nonsense! Rather it seems far more reasonable that whatever attitude is apparent before you, you are not in opposition to it. Self agreeing with self, how then can confusion and doubt remain? How can this not be knowing yourself?

Angry? Angry Buddha! Sad? Sad Buddha! Joyful? Joyful Buddha! Irritated? Irritated Buddha! Lying? Lying Buddha! Honest? Honest Buddha! Deceptive? Deceptive Buddha! Religious? Religious Buddha! What does this imply? It implies you're already free!

So what is the problem? Well..do you pose there is a problem? That is upto you. All that is required is to not be against who you are. Don't deceive yourself. Who is the one whose mind is in accord with their performance? A free man! A man of no concern!

Now f#$% off you shitheads! 😂

^{and have a good day if you'd like.}

Submitted June 19, 2020 at 01:23AM by HoboStevelrwin https://ift.tt/37FVm2E