Zen Texts (BDK English Tripitaka)

Great!

This is a wonderful book. i particularly enjoyed Huang Po's teachings on the one mind, but i also thoroughly enjoyed the Tendai monk Esai's recommendation of zen for protecting the nation. Beautifully presented in this typical BDK hardback presentation: a treasure. Huang Po over and over again states the importance of relinquishing all words and thought in order to see, hear and perceive. to drop all concepts/views/thoughts about things and just see/hear/perceive. perception is the mind and ordinary perception at that. having said it is normal mind... one cannot perceive ordinary mind unless one is able to suspend thought and just see, just hear ordinary life. most people cannot suspend thought, but are trapped in words/thoughts.perception/mind can be illustrated as the dharma eye. two zeros, a larger zero containing a smaller zero with a point at its centre. emptiness of emptiness, or absolute zero containing a point (1). the zeros and 1 interact in order to produce perception. the Dharma eye represents a buddha.i have been thinking about simple uncompounded 1. it is unchanging, and unconditioned. 1: it cannot be added to nor taken away from. were it purely empty it would be dependent, but in-fact it is independent, residing at the core of emptiness of emptiness. generating emptiness and emerging within emptiness. it has no needs, nor wants. it is similar to Ideal 1, but unlike ideal 1 exists as a multitude of Buddhas. Ideal 1 is only 1 and there is only 1 ideal 1. simple uncompounded 1 is similar to ideal 1 in that it is uncompounded, but unlike ideal 1, it exists within zero of zero. ideal 1 cannot be represented figuratively because it only exists in 1 dimension and has no extension. it is timeless, formless and shapeless. ideal 1 does not exist. if it existed it would have being and would therefore have extension. simple uncompounded 1 is similar to ideal 1 especially in that it is unconditioned, but simple uncompounded 1 can be illustrated as the Dharma Eye/perception whereas ideal 1 can only be said to be 1. the only thing that can be said about ideal 1 is that it is 1. if we say that "ideal" 1 is God or Buddha we have tried to extend or describe it. ultimately it can only be said to be 1. simple "uncompounded" 1 can be described as buddha or perception, where it interacts with sunyata sunyata. absolute zero. we know that sunyata is not nothing, nor anything. sunyata sunyata is the absence of emptiness and form. it is within that non state that one finds simple uncompounded 1. most people stop there, but Christian monks and some zen practitioners have seen the pupil of the eye, the speck in the dharma eye.in nature every 'one' is compounded. that is every singular object is a collection of smaller objects such as a person is comprised of organs and cells. but a buddha is not compounded in his fundamental state. in nature every 'one' is compounded: it has an inside and outside, top and bottom, simple uncompounded 1 has no attributes except 1, unbeing 1. because this is the case a buddha is independent and not affected by causality. he is unconditioned. it is the same with perception. the point at the centre of the eye enlightens the emptiness of emptiness in which it resides. ideal or simple one has inside as outside, as top, as bottom, as front as back, as particle as field. only one dimension.it is possible to find emptiness of emptiness existing in virutue of its non being, without 1 at its core (but that zero containing a smaller zero is not ultimate). simple uncompounded 1 arises within sunyata sunyata. the first time i saw the Dharma Eye depicted was in a wonderful mosaic of the saint Vitalis in his basillica Di San Vitale in Ravena, Italy. his garment in the mosaic is covered in little dharma eyes, much like the mouches volante/ eye floaters that i see in the field of my sight... little eyes (cells) in varying degrees of development.another way of reading the Dharma eye is as the eye of God. the outer zero representing the nameless formless wordless nature of God, the inner zero representing Being/form/suchness as it is and the point at the centre Gods absolute 1ness (In the Biblical book of Galatians Chapter 3 verse 20, we are told that "God is one."). we can talk of the mind of God, or of the mind of Zen. it makes little difference. nature, being and 1, which as a single eye is one and the pupil in particular is a special unique and distinct 1.its worth noting that i can speculate on these things, but i suspect that only God really knows what is going on. zen silence can seem very wise. there are many reasons for embracing it. especially since one cannot perceive whilst one is thinking. if however all is not emptiness and there is a discrete 1 at the core of things (not a self), an independent existence at the root of perception and existence and even God as its consummation and fulfillment, as its functioning and truly seeing... then there should be some, perhaps very little room for speech and words/thought.as for zen, it avoids words and scriptures in its purest form and relies on direct perception. "my eyebrows are horizontal and my nose is vertical". perceptual perceiving and not linguistics, not words. if you come to recognise your own mind, you may well be aware of the mind of God, you are certainly aware of the Buddha mind (and this mind is the whole purpose of Zen/Chan). buddhist meditation on ones breath, mindfulness and just resting are the best forms of meditation that enable suspension of thought in daily life and so enable a person to become aware of their ordinary perception/mind.if we consider the One Mind, we see that it is depicted by the Dharma Eye: zero within zero (absolute zero/shunyata shunyata) and a point within the inner zero. one resides in total zero, this is why it is so well hidden. And yet we see the point on a buddha's forehead which symbolises his One hood. Dependent origination is provisional, it is actually an illusion some have said. it is because all things are apparently empty that they are dependent and without self; and yet this 'all things' is not. A buddha cannot be dependent because at his core he is one. a buddha is independent and unconditioned by virtue of being one. if buddha were empty he would be conditioned. take the cup analogy, it is only empty until filled, and so we can say analogically that emptiness also is dependent and conditioned; however, the 1 hood of a buddha is not empty. when we say that there is no dependent origination we mean that all things are empty, only emptiness, without arising and ceasing, without coming and going, without birth and death... only empty. however, emptiness is conditioned and if a buddha were seen as purely emptiness we would miss that at heart she is one. it is because she is one that she is independent and unconditioned. simple uncompounded one... like the silver of a mirror. one. one and yet reflecting all... light, dark, all colours, shades and tones. we must consider that emptiness and emptiness of emptiness are products of one. it may also be possible to say that one is a product of sunyata sunyata. the one mind is a product of one and is one within zero of zero, and yet one total eye. this is the dharma eye (The Shobogenzo of Eihei Dogen and the Great Eye of Nichiren. i would like to introduce the dharma ear: a spiral, representing freedom of intellect, but not as direct as the dharma eye. we can say that the spiral represents the relativity and freedom to choose any or all of the four tetralemma (is, isn't, both, neither), but the dharma eye with its emptiness aspect rejects all assertions of the tetralemma and truly says that all 'things' are empty. one is not a thing since it has no extension nor therefore existence, we cant even say it is. all we know is that it resides within absolute zero. i do wonder whether the simple uncompounded one of a buddha is identical with or just an expression of the Ideal 1. the only truly unique 1. And that somehow it retains its integrity. my reason tells me that uncompounded simple one is not identical with ideal 1, which like simple one is only 1, but one alone.Some more thoughts. awareness is self aware, self awareness is awareness. awareness is 1. some people dont like to talk about 'self' awareness because if you take away body, perception, feelings, senses and consciousness: where is self? i can understand that. since all is empty (except mind), there can be no self and therefore no self awareness... only awareness. raw awareness. personally i dont like to talk about 'self' awareness. only the basis of mind. only awareness. without I, me or mine. Actually awareness is not a collection of aggregates. awareness is simple uncompounded 1. because it is uncompounded, not made of parts and bits, simple uncompounded 1 can never fall apart, nor decay. it is not subject to change because it is simply 1, wherever it is found... as a buddha or whatever. however "ideal" 1 is the simplest and most complex thing of all, not being a thing it is just 1. this 1 is the inspiration for awareness. it is awareness? it is the mind of God, the mind of buddhas, the mind of mortals and the mind of all things, sentient and insentient. Uncompounded means that awareness cannot fall apart or decompose; it is unconditioned/unchanging. simply 'singular' (see Kazuo Tanahashi), simple 1, it is eternal, and yet is one dimensional and therefore outside time; as well as impinging upon it. The ideal 1 is even more simple than the uncompounded simple 1 of the Buddhas/awareness. it is the simplest and most complex of all. all that can be said about it is: 1. Awareness gains its potency by virtue of ideal 1. it is because it is uncompounded that we can say it is unconditioned. Awareness is like the silver of a mirror. it reflects all that comes before it and is 1 in nature. though not being a nature, being only 1, yet not being. because it is uncompounded and unconditioned it cannot be changed. it is not subject to change. it can neither be added to nor taken away from. it remains simply 1. this is why the simple uncompounded position of a buddha is unconditioned and cannot change. There is only one ideal 1. no condition can add to nor take away from it. it is one dimensional. Ideal 1 is the inspiration for and root of awareness. 1. If 1 were I, ME or mine, it would have extension and no longer be simple 1. to speak of a self it to complicate what is simply 1. the simplest and purest thing i can think of.it is by virtue of the Ideal 1 that simple uncompounded one subsists as buddhas and others, and it is by virtue of ideal 1 that every individual is distinct and unique, regardless of whether or not they have a self. every one/1 is unique, every thing is 1 and subsists through 1. even space is cellular (as seen in the 'flow' of space). i have seen this, like little citrus cells in an orange. all is 1.the Kegon/Avatamsaka school say: All in all, all in one, one in all and one in one. That's how i see things. And perhaps: "All in mind, mind in one, one in mind, one in one." The eye is One, the pupil of the eye is 1. Awareness/perception.i hope this is helpful, best wishes, Tom.