The Disease of Self Indulgence and The question of truth.

"If you’re unable to arouse the Doubt when practicing Zen, you may fall into self-indulgent and wild ways. Meeting others, you sing, dance, and carry on. By the river and under trees you recite poetry, prattle and laugh. Swaggering about busy places regardless of others, you convince yourself that you’ve resolved the great matter. When you see a worthy teacher open a meditation hall, establish rules for the sangha, do sitting meditation, chant the name of the Buddha and other virtuous acts, you let out a scornful laugh and curse him. Since you’re unable to truly practice, you disturb others who are. Not knowing how to truly recite the sutras, worship or confess your faults, you hinder others who can. Unable to truly inquire, you interrupt those who do.

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You can’t open your own meeting hall, so you interfere with those who have. Unable to give a real Dharma talk, you interrupt those who do. Seeing a worthy teacher present a Dharma talk in front of a large congregation, you think up complicated questions and indulge in silly exchanges, giving a Zen shout or a slap. The worthy teacher recognizes such things as no more than ghostly spirits playing games. If he does not indulge you, however, you spread groundless rumors: “He doesn’t understand the Dharma principle – what a pity!” This is your wavering mind obsessed.

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Wuyi Yuanlai/ Dayi, Exhortation for Those Unable to Arouse Doubt, translated by Jeff Shore.

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Regarding "Zazen", I must also add, in Yuanlai's translated words:

"If you’re unable to arouse the Doubt when practicing Zen, you may develop an aversion to the world of conditions. Thus you escape to a quiet place and sink into zazen meditation. Empowered by this, you find it quite fascinating. When you have to get up and do something, however, you dislike it. This too is simply your wavering mind; it is not Zen.

But even if you enter dhyâna-absorption[禪定] without mind movement, it’s no different from the hinayana [小乘:“small vehicle” of self-enlightenment]. Any contact with the world and you feel uneasy with your loss of freedom: hearing sounds or seeing sights, you’re gripped by fear. Frightened, you become as if 26 demon-possessed and commit evil acts. In the end, you waste a lifetime of practice in vain.

All because from the first, you failed to arouse this Doubt – thus you did not seek out a true guide or trust one. Instead, you stubbornly sit self-satisfied in your quiet hole. "

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Zazen isn't a special, religious thing. Sitting down is fine. In moderation. Really?

Actually, somebody said: "everything in moderation, even moderation". Why?

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False words follow the true person and it becomes true. True words follow false persons and it becomes false. That's what I remember Joshu saying in, well, "Sayings of Joshu".

So who in this forum is "true"? How can you confidently say you are "true"? Is it only by experiences?

I know one thing: What's wrong with taking a step back and ask yourself if what somebody says here makes sense?

How do people verify what is "true" in Zen study?

Submitted March 14, 2023 at 08:02AM by justkhairul https://ift.tt/wrfVX36