Welcome to the teachings of the Mushin Ryu Nikki, which translated means Empty Mind School Journal. The Mushin Ryu Nikki is a collection of thoughts, observations and shared teachings as presented by the Wayfarers of the Boundless Mind Zen School and the Empty Mind Zen Center. The purpose of this journal is to connect like minded individuals who understand their Zen practice to be a continuing journey beyond standardized Zen practices and independent of sectarian differences.
Gerard San It is truly good to see you on the blog. You're right this post is close to the Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent Keith so I thought I would post them here.
THE PARADOXICAL COMMANDMENTS
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Those who see worldly life as an obstacle to Dharma see no Dharma in everyday actions; they have not discovered that there are no everyday actions outside of Dharma.
Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253)
To be remembered each time we hang in desperation because we imagine we have no enough spare time to learn... very usefull for me I must admit!
It easy sometimes to see our life as to hectic, to noisy and busy to have a meaningful practice. We are often told that we have to escape to the mountains, away form everything and practice in solitude in order to achieve enlightenment.
Nothing could be farther from the truth, as Dogen said if we fail to realize that the living Dharma is everywhere then all we will ever achieve is peaceful time spent in the mountains and hell when we return to our lives in the city.
We are already Buddhas, enlightened beings, we will find nothing in the mountains that we ourselves do not bring. What separates the mountains from the valley is all in our mind as is the obstacles we see in our worldly life.
This is something I'm only begun to experience and truly understand in the past few weeks-- there should be no separation between when I am on the zafu and off of it-- in fact, zen isn't really be zen if it is ONLY on the zafu-- that would be mere escapism.
I've understood this in the past, but now I'm just beginning to get a bit more of an actual taste of it, which is a different thing altogether!
I had always heard that the definition Zen was "NOW" and while I don't think this is wrong I do have a slightly different definition. I tell my students, and keep reminding myself, that Zen is Everything within this moment.
Years ago when I first became a "Zen Master" haha, I would sit for hours and thought I was really doing something but that was my practice and it didn't extend past the cushion. Then I started to break up my sitting with Kinhin (walking meditation)
I realized that even when we sit our focus is on movement. Movement of breath, position of body. so it seemed natural to me to take my practice away from the cushion. For me Iaido,Tai Chi, and Yoga, are the practice of movement and breath working together and your mind has to be right here in order to do them properly. Adding things like the Kinhin, Tea Ceremony, Oryoki and just resently the incense ceremony (which I started just to learn it but now has become part of my daily practice) teaches us that we can keep the meditative mind with us in all we do. Meditation shouldn't start when we sit on the cushion nor should it end when we stand up. So for me combining movement with my practice has helped me to combine my practice in movement.
To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness. Confucius
Sometimes it's not easy to remember to stay in the moment. Sometime it's hard not to get caught up in all the distractions that are happening all around us and in our minds.
Very closed to the paradoxical commandements...
ReplyDeleteNice to be back, my friend!
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” Chinese Proverb
ReplyDeleteGerard San It is truly good to see you on the blog. You're right this post is close to the Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent Keith so I thought I would post them here.
ReplyDeleteTHE PARADOXICAL COMMANDMENTS
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
Those who see worldly life as an obstacle to Dharma see no Dharma in everyday actions; they have not discovered that there are no everyday actions outside of Dharma.
ReplyDeleteDogen Zenji (1200 - 1253)
To be remembered each time we hang in desperation because we imagine we have no enough spare time to learn... very usefull for me I must admit!
"Let's fight for an empty mind,
ReplyDeletebut let's fight against empty hearts".
Angkor Gerard
It easy sometimes to see our life as to hectic, to noisy and busy to have a meaningful practice. We are often told that we have to escape to the mountains, away form everything and practice in solitude in order to achieve enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteNothing could be farther from the truth, as Dogen said if we fail to realize that the living Dharma is everywhere then all we will ever achieve is peaceful time spent in the mountains and hell when we return to our lives in the city.
We are already Buddhas, enlightened beings, we will find nothing in the mountains that we ourselves do not bring. What separates the mountains from the valley is all in our mind as is the obstacles we see in our worldly life.
Some zen master said: "The only zen you'll find on the top of mountains is the sen you'll bring with you"...
ReplyDeleteThis is something I'm only begun to experience and truly understand in the past few weeks-- there should be no separation between when I am on the zafu and off of it-- in fact, zen isn't really be zen if it is ONLY on the zafu-- that would be mere escapism.
ReplyDeleteI've understood this in the past, but now I'm just beginning to get a bit more of an actual taste of it, which is a different thing altogether!
~josh
I had always heard that the definition Zen was "NOW" and while I don't think this is wrong I do have a slightly different definition. I tell my students, and keep reminding myself, that Zen is Everything within this moment.
ReplyDeleteYears ago when I first became a "Zen Master" haha, I would sit for hours and thought I was really doing something but that was my practice and it didn't extend past the cushion. Then I started to break up my sitting with Kinhin (walking meditation)
I realized that even when we sit our focus is on movement. Movement of breath, position of body. so it seemed natural to me to take my practice away from the cushion. For me Iaido,Tai Chi, and Yoga, are the practice of movement and breath working together and your mind has to be right here in order to do them properly. Adding things like the Kinhin, Tea Ceremony, Oryoki and just resently the incense ceremony (which I started just to learn it but now has become part of my daily practice) teaches us that we can keep the meditative mind with us in all we do. Meditation shouldn't start when we sit on the cushion nor should it end when we stand up. So for me combining movement with my practice has helped me to combine my practice in movement.
To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.
ReplyDeleteConfucius
"...reminding myself, that Zen is Everything within this moment." Jizo Hodo
ReplyDeleteEach time you forget this, you loose a pearl from the oyster...
Sometimes it's not easy to remember to stay in the moment. Sometime it's hard not to get caught up in all the distractions that are happening all around us and in our minds.
ReplyDeleteI guess thats why they call it practice.
Let's remember that we took refuge in the triple gem, and the third one, the Sangha, is an important help to live our practise.
ReplyDeleteNo one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
ReplyDeleteBuddha