Some passing thoughts

I live a comfortable life in my old age (I have no need for extra money).  I feel no personal compulsion or obligation to teach people other than by means of this blog.  I welcome friends (the black dragons) who have stood by me for many years; who have drunk from the same Dharma wine bottle as I.  They know the difficulty of presenting pure Mind, which is empty like space, to minds which, since birth, have been constantly stirred and fluctuating; minds which the Buddha says are maculate—not luminous.

I am not trying to mislead anyone.  What is the payoff for me in such a deception?  I spend a lot of time trying to publish this blog out of sheer compassion.  One day my corporeal body will be dead (don't worry I will still be around).  These words of mine will be all that remain.  An aside, most of the friends I have don't know I am a Buddhist or I have The Zennist blog.   People are free to conjure up whatever they want about this blog and its contents.  But for the most part, it is right if you follow traditional Zen literature, the Pali Nikayas and Mahayana literature.

The joy of doing this blog is that I can go back in time as a struggling student (yes, I remember those days) and help today's struggling students with such sound advice as, your teacher is not going to get a brace and bit, drill a hole in your head, and fuck Dharma into your brains.  It ain't gonna happen!  In other words, don't place too much value in teachers; they can only do so much.  They are not your savior.  If the teacher is awakened—sure, you will pick up his or her radiance and become blissed out.  That's good.  This means your karma is good.  But if this is as far as you go, like it says in the Dhammapada: you'll be like a cowherd counting the cows of others having no share in the sagely life.  You have to have some stock in the sagely life.  In the meantime, you're wasting time if you are running to Japan or China, or Nepal looking for Mr. Buddha.  It is much better to go into retreat away from the madding crowd, on your own, with your self.

But none of this is simple.  We have commitments to our job (future retirement) family and our partners.  Okay, I can buy that.  But a retreat can be for a few days, a week, several weeks or months.  The main idea is for you to be alone with your self.  Find some place in the woods.  Fire up the little rocket stove and cook your meals.  Walk and meditate.  Read out loud from a sutra or read the Awakening of Faith.  Do prostrations.  All the time you are doing these things you should be looking for pure Mind.  Just remember it is pure, like empty space, seemingly invisible.  You are half of it already, lady Prajña is the other half that you are looking for, this immaculate pure Mind.  You have to have faith in yourself only because, as I just mentioned, you are half of this Mind already—you just forgot what it looks like as an unconditioned object. 

Comments

[Me from Cali]

"I welcome friends (the black dragons)"

I'm just a chameleon-like dragonling with incidental incendiary effectiveness. Long way to go for me, and I’m running out of mortality.

[minx]

> I welcome friends (the black dragons) who have stood by me for many years; who have drunk from the same Dharma wine bottle as I. They know the difficulty of presenting pure Mind, which is empty like space

[Anthony G]

I don't remember how I came across your blog, but I've been hooked since.

Thank You.