02 Jun

Posted at 17:24h in Observations, Way of Way

The Gateless Gate is a 13th century book compiling 48 koans (paradoxical anecdotes or riddles used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and provoke enlightenment).  The title, The Gateless Gate, is itself a koan, a paradox; how can a gate be gateless? As the aim of The Gateless Gate is to guide our way to enlightenment, the gate is what separates us from enlightenment. As gates are manmade, it is our self that artificially separates us from enlightenment. That is, there is no barrier or obstacle to transcend, no separation between the seeker and the sought. Access to enlightenment is gateless as enlightenment is right here right now; though we fail to realize this simple truth as we perceive a gate (duality) between who we are and are not and seek a conceptual understanding of enlightenment which is the antithesis of enlightenment; as enlightenment is beyond the limitations of language, concepts and logical reasoning. The title of the book is explained: "The Great Way has no gate. A thousand roads enter it. When one passes through this gateless gate, he freely walks between heaven and earth." "The Great Way" is the way to liberation (awakening and ultimately enlightenment) from the prison of the self or mind which is the foundation of the self. The mind creates descriptions, generalizations and stories that frame our experiences in the now, precluding us from experiencing the now as it is. This frame is the gate. Liberation dispenses with the gate as we realize the gate is an illusion created by mind. The illusion is the duality of the mundane (earth)  and the divine (heaven). Enlightenment is the realization that the mundane is the manifestation of the divine. Heaven is where everything is one and before time begins. Earth is where every-thing is what it is whatever it is and ever-changing. The Great Way dispels us of this duality; hence, it "has no gate." "A thousand roads enter it" indicates that there are numerous approaches or paths that can potentially lead to enlightenment; that different individuals have unique dispositions and may resonate with different teachings or practices. "When one passes through this gateless gate, he freely walks between heaven and earth" means that upon liberation one gains the ability to move freely between dualistic concepts such as heaven and earth, self and other, subject and object. This implies a direct experience of interconnectedness and non-duality, where all distinctions dissolve. The Great Way leads us to enlightenment, the realization that we are one with everything. It is characterized by wisdom and compassion. As one with everything, we can view the universe from infinite perspectives which is the essence of wisdom. Moreover, we treat everything as we wish to be treated (compassion) as everything is us....

31 May

Posted at 10:48h in Observations, Way of Way

"Does a dog have Buddha nature?" is the first and perhaps most famous of 48 Zen koans compiled in the early 13th century in The Gateless Gate. To the question, the Zen Master Zhaozhou responded: "Mu." Mu means "nothing." However, as mu is pronounced "moo," the sound a cow makes, it may also be a fitting response. A dog is a dog and Buddha nature is Buddha nature. Each is an independent concept, yet interdependent as they are temporary and ever-changing manifestations of one thing: nothing. Nothing is what everything is before it is what it is whatever it is and before time begins. As temporary and ever-changing manifestations, mu (nothing) can be said about a dog and Buddha nature. However they are described, they are different (though perhaps not apparently so) by the end of the description than they were at the beginning. In contrast to a dog or Buddha nature, which are concepts that undergo gradual transformations, the sound of a cow ("moo") represents rapidly changing vibrational energy. This perceptible change serves as a reminder that time is responsible for bringing about changes and highlights the inherent futility and absurdity (as the sound of a cow seems unrelated to a dog and Buddha nature) of attempting to provide a definitive answer to this koan....

30 May

Posted at 10:15h in Observations, Way of Way

Bell ringing in the empty sky bouncing sound awakens me to time passing.   The foregoing was sent to ChatGPT which took it upon itself to respond by writing a Walt Whitman style poem; very flowery, in contrast with the stark haiku style. The bell ringing in the empty sky, Its bouncing sound reaching high, Awakens me from slumber's embrace, To the passage of time's relentless chase. Its echo reverberates through the air, A melodic reminder of moments rare, Each toll a tick on life's grand clock, Marking the rhythm as hours unlock. In solitude, the sound finds its way, Piercing the silence, night or day, Reminding me of the world's ceaseless flow, As time marches on, fast or slow. The empty sky holds no bounds, Yet the bell's resonance knows no grounds, It calls to me, a gentle plea, To embrace the moments, wild and free. For in the emptiness, the sound takes flight, Guiding me through the darkest night, With each ring, a memory is born, As time moves forward, and I'm reborn....

27 May

Posted at 10:15h in Observations

The British-American author and journalist Christopher Eric Hitchens (1949–2011)…once recounted a story about Chou En-lai, who served as the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China from 1954 until his death in 1976. According to Hitchens, Chou had been invited to speculate on how the course of history would have been altered if, say, Nikita Khrushchev had been assassinated instead of John F. Kennedy. Chou’s austere version of Marxism made him dubious about the importance of things like sheer accident and mere individuals. But in this instance, he was prepared to allow that things might have been different. How different? “Well,” said Chou with complete gravity, “I hardly think that Aristotle Onassis would have married Mrs. Khrushchev.”...

26 May

Posted at 10:18h in Observations, Way of Way

The Transition is the third and last act in the play of life, "Terrific." The Transition is the way of the soul from its manifestation as our bodily form to its essence, as it was before it manifested. The soul is every-thing before it is what it is whatever it is and before time begins. As the soul is eternal, those who realize their identify as soul never die. As the soul's manifestations are temporary, those who identify with the soul's manifestation, their bodily form, surely die. Moreover, whether we identify as soul determines our experience in the play of life. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism talk of endless cycles of death and rebirth. This is not about who we were before we were physically born. It is about every day as a life in a day, not a day in a life. As such, in our physical lifetime we go through thousands of daily deaths and rebirths. In rebirth, we are reincarnated as the person we were last lifetime, yesterday, with that person's memories and stories which frame our experience in the play of life. That's karma. Karma precludes us from experiencing reality as it is, all a temporary manifestation of the soul. Much due to our needless desires generated by our karma, each lifetime is fraught with suffering; when we are not grateful and happy that we have all we need. However, we can free ourselves from this suffering by realizing our ultimate purpose in life, to escape from the prison of endless reincarnations by realizing our soul or divine consciousness. This is Nirvana. Gratitude and freedom from the karmic prison into which we are reborn are the foundation of unity with the soul, enlightenment....

25 May

Posted at 10:15h in Observations, Way of Way

The two letters in the Hebrew word for "life" have a numerical value, in terms of their sequential order in the alphabet, of 18. Consequently, life and 18 are viewed as equivalent. As such, monetary celebratory gifts between Jews for various rites of passage (birthdays, weddings, holidays, etc.) are often given in multiples of 18 ($18, $54 (18 X 3), etc.), implying a celebration of life. The number 18 reveals two aspects of the nature of life. "1" suggests that all that's alive is one thing; that is, all living things do not have an independent existence, but are interdependent manifestations of one thing. Upon realizing we are all one, we treat what are seemingly others as we treat ourselves. That's compassion. Moreover, our oneness with others allows us to view the world from the perspective of others, not just that of our self. This is the essence of wisdom. The graphic form of "8"  is continuous, having no beginning and no end; that implies life is eternal. Thus, while our individual lives come and go, when we realize we are not our self but life itself, we live forever....

24 May

Posted at 10:15h in Observations, Way of Way

Enlightened, we are one with the soul and its manifestations. The soul is what every-thing is before it is what it is whatever it is, before time begins. Every-thing is a manifestation of the soul.   The Tao is the harmonious and intuitive way to enlightenment. Funny is the mind that seeks enlightenment, as the mind is what hides the soul....