The point at which our imagination is free to roam is when it is stoned (being under the influence of a drug). Back in those days (the 60s) we shared a collective stoneness. It transported us to the altar of the diamonic. We chose sex and eros. This was eventually followed by anger and rage—you could even say a desire for power (control).
This was not the end of our journey. Without really knowing it we have entered a hell.
There is one more lesson we must learn which we haven't learned yet. You cannot attach and then let go — you must learn to transcend. This is what the Buddha really taught us. When Siddhartha began his quest for enlightenment it was to put an end to suffering but also the disturbed mind which allowed itself to get entangled in illusion.
But transcendence is not so easy, one must first intuit the transcendent. The idea of a worldly, conditioned refuge is absurd. Only the transcendent is the refuge.
When the transcendent is intuited then one can begin the Bodhisattva’s path of transcendence. The Bodhisattva can distinguish the atman from what is not the atman (anātman). (Anātman can mean what is not spiritual, that is, something different from spirit like the corporeal which is not transcendent.) In light of this but his words ring clear: “Abandon desire for whatever is anātman” (SN 22:68).
But to speak frankly, Buddhists today whether in Asia or the West fail to understand this simple message. The Buddha is asking us to abandon the unreal, what is not spiritual, the false, appearances, etc.
It is difficult for most youths today getting hold of good Chan literature. If anything this is much reflected in most social forums online.
In my view the best "official" presentation of Chan Buddhism online is offered by Stanford University.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/buddhism-chan/#
Posted by: John F | December 03, 2021 at 02:57 AM