The Zennist

The beyond

Natural transcendence, of which many are aware, is the sense that whatever we perceive is limited and transitory. This is especially true of our thoughts or of what we might conceive. As yet, we haven’t directly comprehended what is beyond the limited and the transitory. We have only witnessed our body which is limited and transitory to which we are attached by desire which causes suffering.

For ordinary people, there is no beyond. Yet, ironically, they are the immediacy of the beyond (i.e., the Buddha-nature) which, thus far, is only cognizant of the transitory, hence, the idea of natural transcendence.

To transcend natural transcendence is to assimilate into the beyond (nirvana) by which one knows this is the ‘beyond’ and this is the ‘transitory’.

Truly nirvana

Every spirit makes its house, but afterwards the house confines the spirit. — Emerson, The Conduct of Life

I would like to comment on these two verses (153 and 154) from the Dhammapada which are said to be the words that Gautama the Buddha uttered upon his awakening.

I have run through a course of many births looking
for the maker of this dwelling (gahakaraka)
and finding him not; painful is birth again and again.

Now you are seen maker of this dwelling! You shall not build this dwelling again!
All your rafters are broken, your ridge pole is destroyed.
Attaining unconstructed Mind; I have attained the end of all cravings.

The term “dwelling” i.e., gaha, when we consider that gaha can also mean to “seize”, “hold” and “grasp” as in glomming, it becomes apparent that the “maker of this dwelling” is really the desire-maker. The desire-maker is none other than mind grasping after its own creations, who becomes thus entombed in one of its constructions (i.e., embodied). For mind to become confined this way is really the horror of rebirth since mind is always limited; never realizing its fullest powers.

As long as we fail to cognize unconstructed, pure Mind we are deeply beset with craving which is like a vexing incompleteness (avidya); that takes hold of us as if we were missing something profoundly vital and necessary. This vexing incompleteness is very much like a craving or thirst that no matter how much we drink we can’t seem to slake it.

More fundamentally, mind’s cravings or desires are really the drive of mind to converge with itself—not its constructions. The problem, therefore, is not desire, itself, but that mind desires what cannot end its incompleteness. Indeed, as long as mind continues, ignorantly, to chase after its constructions, as if one might actually be itself, it remains bound to the wheel of samsara: the course of many rebirths.

It cannot be overly stressed that craving or desire is the natural result of mind that doesn’t know of its pure unconstructed nature. The religious temperment that tries to crush out all desires will never succeed. Desire, it can be argued, is a necessary drive that if we stop glomming on to things (in the way of constructions) mind will eventually realize mind and become pure Mind, which is perfectly unconstructed. Another way of looking at this is that any mind construction is always less than mind itself. So how can mind be content with what is always less than itself?

If, therefore, mind trains itself not to be bewitched by mental and physical constructions, as it were, not to seize them, then desire becomes, logically, a desire towards unconstructiveness. This becomes, too, the correct roaming or path (marga) since it purifies (mriga). And so it follows that attaining unconstructed mind is, at the same time, the completion of desire which means all desires end. This is truly nirvana.

Derivative reality

The human world is a derivative reality otherwise called a reality that is “dependently arising” (pratyityasamutpada). This reality ever changing and a source of suffering when we are unable to decouple from it. The foundation upon which this derivative reality depends is the dharma which is not derivative. This is what the Buddha sees during his awakening. Of this dharma the Buddha describes it as being, “profound, of deep splendor, difficult to see, difficult to understand, incomprehensible, having the incomprehensible as its scope, fine, subtle, the sense of which can only be understood by the wise” (Catusparisat Sutra).

By entailment, dharma is nirvana and this nirvana is realized in the very self (pratyatman). This very self is what the Five Aggregates are not, although we treat the aggregates (skandhas) as if they were our very self. For example, form (the first aggregate) is no more our very self than is feeling (the second) or any other of the aggregates such as sensory consciousness. This is all part of derivative reality. But self is not part of derivative reality.

What makes our true self or Buddha-nature seem like it is the Five Aggregates is the phenomenon of attachment; of falling into sympathy with what we are not. Although we have never, in truth, been in bondage, it seems like we are. And until we give up our confusion as to what is derivative reality and what is not, we shall continue on the illusory wheel of samsara being unable to decouple from it.

Buddha Boy is the Buddha

It was just reported on CNN that the so-called "Buddha Boy" is performing all kinds of miracles. Sitting in the roots at the base of a pipal tree by the Indian border in Nepal "Buddha Boy" has declared that his name is Maitreya The Awakened.

He gave a small sermon about an invisble sun that produces our material sun. According to him this sun is instantenous; not subject to the limitation of light speed which is the speed limit of matter. According to Buddha Boy this sun will, eventually, become more powerful than the visible sun and free us from suffering. It will radiate rays of compassion he said.

Buddha Boy also said that he is connected with this invisible sun who he called Dipamkara Buddha, the light-maker, which has baptized him. He said the goal of all Buddhas, including himself, is to save all beings and it is only through this invisible sun that it is possible.

In his former life he said his name was "Ram Bahadur Bomjon". He said he did not have the light of a real Buddha yet, and just recently became engulfed by it, and through it, now understands how the universe works.

Many who attended his sermon saw flying discs overhead which looked like space craft. Some people were noticeably frightened when one space craft that hovered some 50 kilometers over Buddha Boy sent a beam of blue light to coil around him like a great serpent. It was truly spectacular.

At any rate, happy April Fool's Day. I couldn't resist a joke (or is there some truth to this?)....