Lost Coin Class Notes August 26, 2008

Updates:

Retreat - Jakai will be held on Saturday, so others may attend.

Thursday, Sept 11th will be a discussion about Jakai at Joan's house.

Daniel will be out of town on Thursday, Sept 4th

Daniel will be looking at a pace for us to meet at the Old Farm.  Anyone
that would like to help locate a new place is welcome.

Zen Koans

Those studying Koans need to contact Daniel if they would like to speed up the practice.

Koan means a public record or the law.  In the old days the Japanese would place banners up, like 'don't spit in the street'.  Then, Zen Masters used them for discussions or battles to test each other.

Look at the exchange and look at it intuitively.  Best done when sitting to reach the 'unified way' of the world as 'one'.  Move between the relative and Absolute, so you can move between and see the shades.  The ideal Zen character is like Darwin's ideas of survival, adaptability, equanimity, ability to flow in different positions, sensitive to others, like a good sailor feels the shift of the wind.  Not Bruce Willis - but could be Bruce Willis at a given moment.

Old Koans are stinky or grandiose

Newer Koans are understated elegance, mot lectures and more like music

Daniel read a Koan from the book:

The Gateless Barrier - Zen Comments on the Mumonkan by Zenkei Shibayama

~I was not able to write fast enough o get the exact Koan but here is
what I got~

A monk (adept or student) once said to a Zen Master: Shakymunie did zazen on the bodhi (truth) seat for 10 kalpas ( a really long exaggeration of  time, one kalpa is the time it takes for an angel that appears every 100 years to wear down Mt Everest with her wing) but he didn't attain enlightenment.  Why did he not attain enlightenment?

The Zen monk responded simply.

The discussion of the koan points out that you can't attain enlightenment, you already have it, you realize its existence. Realization is every moment of your life, that's why you can not attain it.

The light is already shinning.  If you look somewhere else you can't see the light.  The more you chase it the more it eludes you.  Our search takes us away.  Appreciate every instance of your life as enlightenment. It will make a difference in everything you do.

Enlightenment doesn't mean you will be happy all of the time, not a date with Paris Hilton.  Can't grasp enlightenment...

A Sage gets it and then grasps and becomes and ordinary man again.  We do this over and over.... Step in!

NEVER TRY TO BECOME WHEN YOU ALREADY ARE.  At the same time you can't grasp it.  Practice starts when concepts stop.

 'Realize that we are Jesus Christ' would be an acceptable statement in the Mormon Church.

Intensely Becoming and Letting go are the same thing.

Drop the body and mind - the concept of yourself as just a body and mind.  You see your absolute unity with the universe.

Sitting - let go of what ever comes up

Develop appreciation of one's life in the moment.

Sitting in the woods beneath a tree with can have three conditions:

1.	you'd be happier under a better tree

2.	you have no desire to get up and go anywhere

3.	you appreciate the tree you are under and at the same time you have the thought to go somewhere else

 Most of us are living with condition #1

So you can really realize that there is noting to attain.  Don't get
stuck in the literal understanding

Roshi said - poco en poco (little by little)

There is nothing to understand.  Everything is already completely as it is.  You can only grasp with Practice.

The great way or Tao is simple - just avoid picking and choosing this & that.  It's enough to ask the question and make your bows and retire. Answer is - Not picking and choosing is picking and choosing.  Clarity is not being lost in thought.

When you have to pick and choose then just pick and choose.  If you are one with the universe, you aren't picking and choosing.

Keep a perspective on our mechanical norm.  Have a high degree of sensitivity of others.  In disputes with others, Daniel is more likely to look at his part part.

Realize your oneness with the world.  The correct position depends on what is happening.

We all still have our personality.  Our natural substance is like water which can mix with anything at he the appropriate time, where we can move freely into a situation.  Trying to be one with spirit, the one can manifest as the many.

The ability to not be stuck n your mechanical patterns.  Don't try to nail it down too much.  When you think you are somebody you are stuck. When you see you are no body, you can be somebody.

You don't need to understand a change of state.  Once you practice enough it becomes natural.  Practice transcends intellection, like playing tennis or climbing.  If you drink too much you become stupid. Practice smoothes out the rough edges.

You are all unique but not better or worse than others.  We are all special.  We don't see the special and notice because we always wanting something else.

What we pay attention to, is what you will become.

Look at indecision (when you don't know what your want) vs. fear.

Most of us or many of us grew up with parents that were crazy.  We are all a little crazy.  Learn to abandon the things we were taught and become an orphan.

This week focus on - Concentrate on sitting and stopping the mind.  When lost in thought make a conscious effort to halt your thoughts.
