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Thread: Meeting the self

  1. #1

    Meeting the self

    Today during my sit I had a realization. That I am actually alive. Funny really. We all know that we are living and breathing, but to actually sit in silence and truly allow myself to feel and see my body, fell and see my mind, was very beautiful. It was like meeting my self for the first time.

    In a way we all want to be someone else. The enlightened version of ourselves, the wiser, richer, smarter version of ourselves. But this practice is making me realize that all those things are not going to be of any use if I can't accept myself fully right now.

    Instead of trying to change myself, I am starting to slowly open up to myself, more accepting of myself. No need to change anything, just accept.

    No real point to this thread just wanted to share.

    _/_

  2. #2

    Re: Meeting the self

    Seiryu - What is this self?
    m

  3. #3

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by michaeljc
    Seiryu - What is this self?
    m
    I don't know. But I'm OK with that. For me its not about knowing or not knowing. Its more about completely merging with your experience.

    Although I might be wrong there...

  4. #4

    Meeting the self

    Thanks for sharing Seiryu!

    “The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.”
    Thich Nhat Hahn

    Gassho,
    Pontus

  5. #5

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Seiryu
    Quote Originally Posted by michaeljc
    Seiryu - What is this self?
    m
    I don't know. But I'm OK with that. For me its not about knowing or not knowing. Its more about completely merging with your experience.

    Although I might be wrong there...

    Seiryu -
    To which self do you refer?
    m

  6. #6

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by michaeljc
    Seiryu -
    To which self do you refer?
    m
    To which self do you refer?

  7. #7

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Seiryu
    Quote Originally Posted by michaeljc
    Seiryu -
    To which self do you refer?
    m
    To which self do you refer?

  8. #8

    Re: Meeting the self

    Being so limited in what one can do
    One dwells in the god self
    For those without god the universal self will do.
    for those without words no self will do.

  9. #9

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich
    Being so limited in what one can do
    One dwells in the god self
    For those without god the universal self will do.
    for those without words no self will do.
    No one to do any doing
    No where to dwell
    Originally nothing
    What is there to say?

  10. #10

    Re: Meeting the self

    These two poems were written a long time ago on a dusty wall of a Chinese monastery, do you remember?

    The body is the bodhi tree,
    The mind is like a clear mirror.
    At all times we must strive to polish it,
    And must not let the dust collect.

    Hui-neng writes the following verse:

    Bodhi originally has no tree,
    The mirror(-like mind) has no stand.
    Buddha-nature (emptiness/oneness) is always clean and pure;
    Where is there room for dust (to alight)?

    And of course, both are right :wink:


    gassho


    Taigu

  11. #11

    Re: Meeting the self

    A few years ago, I was having a conversation with my boyfriend when suddenly it felt as if an invisible curtain between me and my life had dropped. Then the feeling passed.

  12. #12

    Re: Meeting the self

    Hi sonofrage

    What merit have I gained from all the support I have given buddhism?

  13. #13

    Re: Meeting the self

    "None whatsoever. These things are shadows. Real merit is wisdom.” :wink: :lol:

  14. #14

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Taigu
    These two poems were written a long time ago on a dusty wall of a Chinese monastery, do you remember?

    The body is the bodhi tree,
    The mind is like a clear mirror.
    At all times we must strive to polish it,
    And must not let the dust collect.

    Hui-neng writes the following verse:

    Bodhi originally has no tree,
    The mirror(-like mind) has no stand.
    Buddha-nature (emptiness/oneness) is always clean and pure;
    Where is there room for dust (to alight)?

    And of course, both are right :wink:


    gassho


    Taigu

    The fifth Patriarch must have been in a hurry to fine his successor.
    Both Poems only present part of the whole.
    If you were there that night,
    what would you write that would bring it all home?


    P.S
    Couldn't resist :twisted:

  15. #15

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Seiryu
    what would you write that would bring it all home?


    P.S
    Couldn't resist :twisted:
    The Bodhi body originally is has the no bodhi tree tree,
    The mirror mind (-like is mind) like has a no clear stand mirror.
    At Buddha-nature all emptiness times oneness we is must always strive clean to and polish pure it
    And where must is not there let room the for dust dust collect to alight .?



    Clearer now?

  16. #16

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Amelia
    A few years ago, I was having a conversation with my boyfriend when suddenly it felt as if an invisible curtain between me and my life had dropped. Then the feeling passed.
    :wink:

  17. #17

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo

    The Bodhi body originally is has the no bodhi tree tree,
    The mirror mind (-like is mind) like has a no clear stand mirror.
    At Buddha-nature all emptiness times oneness we is must always strive clean to and polish pure it
    And where must is not there let room the for dust dust collect to alight .?



    Clearer now?

  18. #18

    Re: Meeting the self

    Being, just allowing ourselves to stay still with our body and mind as one, is one of the greatest gifts ever.

    Always there, but seldom understood.

    We want this and that. We fight and strive to change and upgrade, to climb proverbial ladders... and at the end it all seems so simple and silly when we taste emptiness.

    Enlightened thread indeed.

    Thank you all.

  19. #19

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo
    Quote Originally Posted by Seiryu
    what would you write that would bring it all home?


    P.S
    Couldn't resist :twisted:
    The Bodhi body originally is has the no bodhi tree tree,
    The mirror mind (-like is mind) like has a no clear stand mirror.
    At Buddha-nature all emptiness times oneness we is must always strive clean to and polish pure it
    And where must is not there let room the for dust dust collect to alight .?



    Clearer now?
    My head just exploded. Or maybe it was the head that I usually put on top of mine. Is this my head???

  20. #20

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Kaishin
    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo
    Quote Originally Posted by Seiryu
    what would you write that would bring it all home?


    P.S
    Couldn't resist :twisted:
    The Bodhi body originally is has the no bodhi tree tree,
    The mirror mind (-like is mind) like has a no clear stand mirror.
    At Buddha-nature all emptiness times oneness we is must always strive clean to and polish pure it
    And where must is not there let room the for dust dust collect to alight .?



    Clearer now?
    My head just exploded. Or maybe it was the head that I usually put on top of mine. Is this my head???
    By coincidence I have just read a nice expression in a letter from a friend from China:

    It is easy to find a sparrow but hard to see an eagle

    m

  21. #21

    Re: Meeting the self

    Or rather...it is easy to look for an eagle but so hard to really see a sparrow...

    Gassho

    Taigu

  22. #22

    Re: Meeting the self

    Quote Originally Posted by Taigu
    Or rather...it is easy to look for an eagle but so hard to really see a sparrow...

    Gassho

    Taigu

  23. #23

    Re: Meeting the self

    I went all the way to Norway looking for an eagle... Eventually I found it:



    On the way home, I was just going to test a friend's lens and directed it at the first living thing I found. And for the first time saw the beauty of the anonymous little swallow:



    Gassho Rev Taigu,
    Pontus

    Attached files

  24. #24

    Re: Meeting the self

    that's an arresting image of an eagle -

    Oh for the physical strength of the eagle and the humility of the swallow within my mind.

    Gassho

    Willow

  25. #25

    Re: Meeting the self

    Thank you Seiryu for sharing your thoughts.
    Since we're posting the sayings of the ancients, I feel this one is appropriate

    To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualised by the myriad things.
    Dogen

  26. #26

    Re: Meeting the self

    Hi Seiryu,

    I doubt I'm touching upon anything new and exciting here but I feel it's worth mentioning in relation to what you said. It is important to accept yourself, it's also important to notice if there is a arrow stuck in your leg and pull it out, or in my case recently, recognizing that I had a horrible diet that was pretty much messing with my ability to even think clearly. As I see it the I is a collaboration of habbits. Some beneficial, those formed out of sincere desire to really really do "good", as closely and thoroughly out of love as possible and not abandoning judgement..and those reactionary ones. The latter ones seem to be the ones that need to actively be recognized, a certain degree of calmness needs to be fostered to commit a action that goes against one created in a reactionary "map solidifying" way, the "beneficial" ones aswell, killing people with love is as misguided as killing them with hate...

    Cheers,
    Greg

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