So in his collection of lectures, specifically in Seeing Mind, Foyan is very direct on the topic of enlightenment. So direct, it may just be possible to take this one lecture to heart and do away with everything else.
I will settle something for you right now: the ultimate rule is
to see your own mind clearly. This is what Buddhism is, as far
as I am concerned.
Foyan in Seeing Mind, Instant Zen (Cleary trans.)
So what's with all these complications? If laymen over 10 centuries ago could prominently realise enlightenment outside of monastery gates, why should the men and women of 2020 be bound to 2.5 millenia old devices and rites? Just to learn a new language and belong to a special club? Respect tradition, sure. But you don't drive to work in an ox-wagon either.
No beads, no chants, no incense, no temple, no robes, no statues, no sutras, no sastras, no mudras needed. A cup of tea, maybe, to keep the demons at bay.
In this spirit, I will dot point and paraphrase Foyan's Seeing Mind lecture in modern language, Cleary's translation of the original can be found in the link above and we can of course debate the wording. In fact, I'll welcome any constructive input because I am a fellow seeker with you.
Foyan's Ultimate Zen Guide, 2020 Edition
With my hopeless comments in superscript.
- Do not employ rational thought.
Foyan is clear about this enlightenment thing not being found in thoughts. One cannot think one's way there, not in 1000 years of cleverness. I doubt anyone can lay claim to the opposite, so it is probably best to put this form of seeking to rest once and for all. If it means to stop engaging with more and more content, then this may be the discomfort that is required. As they say, only a madman keeps doing the same thing expecting different results.
- Do not inadvertently think that merely not taking a stance or having no opinion counts as that.
Any cognition and metacognition about not thinking is missing the point, even if done for another 1000 years. We should not cheat ourselves that way just because it is our modus operandi. "Oh, I'm not thinking!", he thought to himself. Counting breaths is like counting sheep.
- Realise what 'thought and rationalisation' is and is not.
Some people I spoke to are convinced that their whole existence is accompanied by thought, that they cannot not think. One useful exercise can be to just look at any object and explicitly wait for the next thought to arise, like a cat watching a mouse to emerge. This does not mean to stop breathing, or seeing, or existing, clearly there are spaces in-between thoughts in which one can dwell in pleasant, unforced comfort. These spaces can be expanded. Try it during menial activities and it becomes clear that function is not impeded. If one can think about office disputes during carrot chopping, one surely will be able to dwell in the in-between-thoughts space whilst doing so. Make sure to keep your tongue at the roof of the mouth though...just kidding.
- Seeing your mind is what you are trying to do when pursuing enlightenment, nothing more.
Life, the universe, consciousness, these are mystery and marvel enough. Mind blowing stuff. Give us Moses or John Hancock and we'll get used to them soon and yearn for more. So it is with enlightenment, wouldn't it be just so dandy to levitate or pulse in a bright orb of energy, see everyone's aura and obtain cat elegance. Try lucid dreaming if you're into that. Here, we are concerned with seeing the mind! What did Foyan say about rational thought? Expectations fall under this, right?
- You can't see mind with mind.
Mind cannot see mind like the eye cannot see itself. Foyan already told us that thoughts are not the key, and he reinforces it again by saying it is a realm apart from thoughts. How could you learn about your eye without being able to use the same eye to look upon itself? You could realise its function in the act of seeing. You could look into a mirror and see its form. How can this be transferred to a study of the mind? How can its function be realised, where can it be reflected as in a mirror? Looking inside the toolbox, only awareness is inside, packed in laser cut foam.
- Do not let anyone, including yourself, deceive you.
Be wary of people setting expectations regarding enlightenment 'experiences'. Chances are, they want you to admire them. If they wanted to help you realise, would they do this to you by hindering your efforts with more rationalisations? In my opinion, that's exactly what our beloved Zen Masters are good at. They don't lead you further away with the things they say. It's also how one can immediately detect those whose work it is to lead us by the nose to advance their own agenda. Don't even listen to my crap right now. Foyan tells us that we don't need anymore than ourselves, so let's be independent. If we are still craving more specific direction, another saying that makes it clear, this, too, is an obstacle to overcome. Now, animate and inanimate things are all you and your teacher at the same time.
- Be attentive, examine closely, do not rush.
Be attentive, examine closely, do not rush.
Fire away!
Submitted September 28, 2020 at 12:23PM by Coinionaire https://ift.tt/3ibr4Zf
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