The Essence of Zen

From the analects we have the tale of a monk who approached the master asking "what is the essence of Zen" the master answered "you ask at a time when I am washing my feet."

Meditation is not an end in its self any more than a cocoon is an end in its self. Meditation trains the consciousness to be silent in order that awareness may find primacy. It does not happen over-night, but eventually awareness becomes the seat of the identity. This is a genuine metamorphosis, and this is the realization of Zen.

I have often used the analogy of "seeing in the infra-red" to describe the difference between Zen mind and ordinary mind. No amount of theorizing or parroting catch phrases will quicken the spiritual vision. Meditation is the door, meditation is the key, meditation is the way: the clarity of being which evolves within one. . . this is Zen.

The Collective Unconscious

Much of what we say "I" to is simply the voice of the "Collective Unconscious". We don't hear much these days about the collective unconscious, but when the observation was first made by theoretical psychiatrists in the early 20th century it was very controversial and quite shocking. The core observation is that the foundation of personhood is a genetically constellated preprogram that determines our responses to the challenges of everyday existence.

The "Ten Bulls" of Buddhist lore is no less than a "pre-science" awareness of this same simple fact.

An element of popular spiritual fandom is that enlightenment happens to people. . . it's not that way at all. . . people happen to enlightenment.

Awareness innocently trapped in the nature of the animal believes it's self to be it affective states.

A Different Kind of Animal

Recent research has found physical changes in the brains of meditators.

Meditation is not merely an enrichment of one's everyday mind: meditation will make one a different kind of animal.

Madness

It seems to me that any objective observer would have to describe the world of humanity as characterized by madness. The kinds of regional and philosophical differences that cost individual human beings their lives, their peace of mind, and any future for their children (desperately important to any given individual) simply reduce to madness.

The machinations of politics in the service of neo-feudalism and a baroque set of ideologies co-opts any rational social discourse. When the ship goes down the last people to get wet will be the ones on the bridge....but they'll go down with the ship just the same. It seems to me that the most important spectrum of humanity to influence is the influential. But like children at the carnival...they've lost track of the certainty of time.

"I can drill all the holes I want in my end of the boat because it's my end of the boat"

This is madness.

Varieties of Certainty

Without some foundation of certainty animal existence would be impossible: the certainty of clover for the rabbit: the certainty of rabbits for the fox: the certainty of people for politicians. These varieties of certainty are fairly simple and straight-forward, but what of the personal categories of certainty. What of those categories of certainty that are personally constellated and have no objective existence except within the confines of individual minds.

Certainty is a dangerous fallacy except in cases such as gravity and similar self-evident objective facts. One thing we can be certain about is that people everywhere are certain about things that no-one really knows. And if we look for black and white answers to colorful questions there is no answer that will satisfy with any certainty.

The colors of being do not require certainty: the colors of being require resilience. Resilience is capable of discerning the shape of things, and resilience is inevitably impeded by any predisposition to certainty.

That resilience which makes possible a crystalline perception of reality is highly improbable outside of the practice of meditation.

Awareness of Mind

There are those who, though schizophrenic, because they are aware of being schizophrenic are able to lead somewhat normal lives. Granted these individuals tend to be quite intelligent, but the point is that awareness is capable of achieving primacy over mind. This is an analogue to the intoxication of animal mind and the capacity of transcendental awareness.

Animal mind is not an enemy any more than a great wave is an enemy. One can be tumbled and drowned, or "catch a wave and you're sit'n on top of the world." The wave is a primordial form and a source of energy.

Though it is inevitable that the awareness which is the essence of all creatures experience the intoxicating sway of creature-hood, it is possible in some cases that awareness awaken to the relation of the wave to the water: of Mind to Awareness. A mind infused with awareness is a very different kind of creature, and the difference is meditation.


Zen

. . .  zen

Take It To the Limit

There is no limit to the possible.

With the possible exception of the inevitable