Once awakened to the absolute our hero who is now called the Buddha returns to teach those who are capable of understanding him. As we might expect, his mission is not an easy one. Words can point us to familiar objects that we have seen since our birth. But how can words point to what we have no acquaintance with? Alas, few are capable of understanding what the Buddha is trying to reveal.
So fast forwarding to the present, a Zen master asks a group of people, “What are your thoughts made of?” They have no answer. He then asks them, “What moves your corporeal body to and fro?” Again, they have no answer. Now he tells them to go home and think about this and try to see, personally, what thoughts are made of in addition to what moves the corporeal body back and forth.
Some of the group after they leave the temple, won’t give this much attention. They have to get home to their families or see a friend. Some will work on it, but not for long.
Next week a few people return to the temple. They have no insight into the problem given to them by the Zen master earlier. Even those who really worked on the problem have little to say.
The teacher sits still for what seems like ten minutes. Then he asks the group, “Did you find out what your thoughts are made of and what moves your body around?” Everyone is quiet. The teacher laughs. Then he said, “Your thoughts blocked you, isn’t that right? including that body you are entangled with which you brought to the temple, right?” Nobody has anything to say.
The Zen master then says, “This is what clinging does. Let me explain. All of you cling to thoughts so much so that you can’t see what your thoughts are made of. It is the same with this corporeal body of yours that came out of your mother’s birth canal. Clinging to it as you are in the habit of doing, spiritually blinds you. The more you cling to it, the blinder you become.”
At the end of the day, I can assure the reader that this group will not awaken to what their thoughts are made of or what moves their body to and fro although it is the same thing. They cling far too much. They need to back off. And this is where meditation—plain old zazen—can help them where they learn to just observe their thoughts without clinging to them and immobilize the physical body standing back from it so to speak.
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