From the Discourses of Master Po Shan
When working on Zen, some people, owing to their incapability of raising the "doubt-sensation," begin to delve into books and words. They try to employ the sayings and teachings of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, rationalizing them to produce explanations of the koans. They ratiocinate about the koans instead of "boring into" (tsen) them. They resent being asked to answer koans too difficult for them to solve. Such people should find good teachers; otherwise, they will become demon-possessed, and no one can save them.
When working on Zen, some people, owing to their incapability of raising the "doubt-sensation," begin to suppress the arising of thoughts. When all thoughts have been suppressed, these people experience a lucid and pure serenity, thoroughly clear, without the slightest taint. This, however, constitutes the very root source of the consciousness which they cannot break through. This is the consciousness within the realm of life and death (Sangsara). It is not Zen. Their fault is that at the start of their Zen practice they did not work penetratingly enough on the Hua Tou: thus, the doubt-sensation did not arise. As a result they either suppress thought and become dead-void heretics, or, plunging into self-indulgent conceit, they mislead and cheat the ignorant, diverting people's faith and hindering their progress on the Bodhi Path.
This is from the same Discourse, but I wish to share it as I wish to draw upon Dogen to offer clarification on it (or, perhaps to clarify upon Dogen by comparison with it). The emboldened text is my doing for emphasis of it.
When working on Zen, the worst thing is to become attached to quietness, because this will unknowingly cause you to be engrossed in dead stillness. Then you will develop an inordinate fondness for quietness and at the same time an aversion for activity of any kind. Once those who have lived amidst the noise and restlessness of worldly affairs experience the joy of quietness, they become captivated by its honey-sweet taste, craving it like an exhausted traveler who seeks a peaceful den in which to slumber. How can people with such an attitude retain their awareness?
When working on Zen, one does not see the sky when he lifts his head, nor the earth when he lowers it. To him a mountain is not a mountain and water is not water. While walking or sitting he is not aware of doing so. Though among a hundred thousand people, he sees no one. Without and within his body and mind nothing exists but the burden of his doubt-sensation. This feeling can be described as "turning the whole world into a muddy vortex."**
A Zen yogi should resolutely vow that he will never stop working until this doubt-mass is broken up. This is a most crucial point.
What does this "turning the whole world into a muddy vortex" mean? It refers to the great Truth, which from the very no-beginning-time has existed latent and idle— it has never been brought forth. Therefore a Zen yogi should bestir himself to make the heavens spin and the earth and its waters roll; he will benefit greatly from the rolling surges and tossing waves.
The above "mud vortex" being called truth made me of course think of Samadhi, and the Ocean-seal... which brought to my mind what the Samadhi Ocean Seal is also called... which is? drumrolls... the mud seal!
Dogen in his Shobogenzo:
Though it is "not in east, west, north or south," it is "I come home with a fully empty boat, laden with moonlight." This true return is "immediately coming back home." Who could call it the conduct of "getting drenched"? It is realized only within the limits of the way of the buddha. We take this as the seal of "sealing water." Going further, we say it is the seal of "sealing sky"; or further, we say it is the seal of "sealing mud." The seal of sealing water is not necessarily the seal of sealing the ocean. Going further beyond this, there should be the seal of sealing the ocean. This is called the "ocean seal," the "water seal," the "mud seal," the "mind seal." Singly transmitting the mind seal, we seal water, seal mud, seal sky.
Submitted October 10, 2017 at 09:38AM by Dillon123 http://ift.tt/2gqYcis
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