Zen practice as pragmatic exercise?

Joshu Family Practice: Not having anything inside, not seeking anything outside.

Example: Let's use dragons. I love dragons.

Using your IMAGINATION, imagine there are real flying, fire breathing lizard creatures (Or mind-numbingly massive desert worms for you DUNE fans [Guilty]). Then say to your dumb self, "Dumb self... there ain't no such thing as dragons" while you burrrrrrrn with desire for dragons to be real. It keeps you up at night and claims your dreams. Your mind has no peace. What to do?

This is where Joshu comes in with Grandpa's kindness.

Grandpa Joshu says, "Let's have and then correspondingly not-have a dragon universe and see if we can't create some space around this dragon thing".

1) [Having X] There's the fun of thinking about dragons being real (Amerrrrrica! F### yeah! -- Southpark The Musical).

2) [Not Having X] There's the no-fun of thinking of no dragons (ie. reality ie. The Suck).

3) [Not Having Having X] There's the no fun of not even considering "dragons".

4) [Not Having Not Having X] There's the euphoric blissful fun of not even considering the consideration of no dragons (Dragons!).

Next let's try seeking.

1) [Seeking X] Where dem dragons? Why no find?

2) [Not seeking X] Don't care about dragons. Not looking.

3) [Not Having Seeking X] I am not seeking dem dragons and that's ok (really not ok).

4) [Not Having Not Having Seeking X] Release from the search, open to the possibility of dragons.

It's kinda silly, huh?

Some of the ancients used the circle as a "not-have" expedient instruction tool to show how to not-have about any and all specific ideas that people would come to discuss.

tl;dr: Where are all the dragons hiding?

He ceased thinking of sages and others and dragons arose roaring from their hibernation. -- A thank you note to the author/compiler of the Mumonkan

Submitted January 13, 2019 at 09:37PM by -johnjones- http://bit.ly/2M61NkV