Exhortations for Those Who Don’t Rouse Doubt
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The Disease of Putting on Airs
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If you’re unable to rouse doubt when practicing Zen, you may feel annoyed by the restrictions of the sangha. Some may want to go deep in the mountains where there’s no one around. For a while they may be satisfied there, closing eyes and unifying mind with legs in full lotus and hands in grateful prayer. After a few months or years, however, they find themselves lost. Others, after sitting only a few days, turn to reading books and composing poetry. Self-indulgent, they shut the door and doze off. From a distance they seem dignified, but up close their decadence knows no bounds. Others are like juvenile delinquents greedily sneaking around, neither knowing shame nor fearing karmic retribution. Putting on airs and speaking as if they knew, they deceive the unwitting: “I met a great teacher! He transmitted the Dharma to me!” and so on. They herd the unwitting into their flock, then keep company with them or even make them their disciples. They act Zen-like and those under them follow suit. Unaware of their errors, they do not even know to reflect on themselves or feel regret, to seek out a worthy teacher or Dharma friend. Reckless and arrogant, they spread terrible lies. They are really pitiful. Recently, some have grown weary of the sangha and now seek out their own living quarters. It should send shivers up their spines!
If you are to genuinely seek the Way, I trust you’ll drop such notions. Then you can inquire together with others in the sangha, and work together to keep an eye on things. Even if you cannot realize the Way, at least you will not fall into such corrupt paths. Practicing the Way, you must beware of these dangers.
- From Boshan’s "Great Doubt: Practicing Zen in the World", translation by Jeff Shore
Jungle_Toad’s commentary:
When you provide your own commentary on the writings of the Zen masters are you just showing off your understanding, or are you vulnerably opening yourself up to dharma friends who might highlight your blind spots? When you make a critical comment to another member of this forum, are you trying to prove your superiority (and conceal your ignorance), or respecting him or her by helping them realize their errors? When you cheer on and up-vote a respected member of this subreddit, are you trying to coast on their referent power and cash in their social capitol to cover your debts, or are you genuinely impressed with them? When you don’t respond to an instructive comment from a Dharma friend, is it because you were embarrassed and spurned when your ignorance was highlighted, or because you simply neglected to reply or felt no need to respond? How do you know how to recognize a “great teacher” or a “dharma friend” if you aren’t one yourself? Will you fake it until you make it, or just fake it?
Submitted November 13, 2019 at 05:32PM by jungle_toad https://ift.tt/34YZKHC
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