a post

Defend Soto Zen? No
Latch on to Soto Zen? No
Use Soto Zen? No.
Give Soto Zen a name? No.

Forget about Soto Zen? Yes.

A simple and straight forward experience of one's true nature with nothing to add or take away? Yes.

Give up Soto Zen. Then "that" is Soto Zen (or "not").

Sitting has no name. It is an action. Just like every moment is the same.

Until you realize forgetting Zazen, you will be relying on faith and trust. Faith in the teacher and teachings. Not proclamations, exclamations and differences: "This is the one true way. Do this. Do that. Learn this. Learn that.", but instead encouragement "You must find your way. I can not give it to you, but I know it's there" Nothing speaks more about this then the simple act of sitting and forgetting Zazen.

A Zen teacher is not a Guru, a Sensei, or a Roshi, but just another guy/gal. Like you. A friend. Someone who knows that you are not what you think you are.

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There is no end. If there was an end, then ego would use this to try to achieve something. So it is said "There is no end to practice." There is only this act of forgetting Zazen. What do you want to achieve anyway? Calm? Equanimity? Wisdom? Anything, but what you are right now? You can't. You can't do it. Every achievement is delusion. Trying is delusion. Not trying to try the same. Don't fool yourself.

So there must be faith. Letting go. Trust.

If you must take things on trust and faith, then trust in the practice. The act. The forgetting. The experience. No matter what you think it is, that's not it.

There is lots of talk. Many teachings. But nothing as simple as sitting. Nothing as simple as direct experience. For really, we can only experience it and many paths lead to it.

When we forget, that is the point. When I forget you and you forget me, what arises? Experience? Love? Intimacy? Joy? Well, it doesn't do anything to talk about it.

Gassho

Will

I've come to the same conclusion - I assume it's the same anyway :D ...sorry if it's not :wink:

Recently I've realised how much of this Zen is about my ego: I'm proud of telling people I sit and do Zen everyday. I want people to know. I want people to think I'm special. I want people to know I've somehow figured out stuff and become wise. I haven't, but it's nice to be thought of that way...

And that's just embarrassing. And no doubt gets in the way of my practice. If my motivation is wrong, where's this going to lead me?

So I've decided to just do my stuff and stop shouting about it - I don't shout that much about Zen, but to be honest, I want to keep it a secret now. A lot of this feeling is motivated by some of what I see on the Web...

All I really want to do is sit my Zazen twice a day and then forget about it. And leave my life to it without getting in the way...

And at the risk of sounding both rude and presumptuous: go on Will, sit and forget Zen! And stop talking about it!

And note to myself: go on PA, sit and forget Zen! And stop talking about it!

PA

Quote:

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Originally Posted by will

Defend Soto Zen? No
Latch on to Soto Zen? No
Use Soto Zen? No.
Give Soto Zen a name? No.

Forget about Soto Zen? Yes.

A simple and straight forward experience of one's true nature with nothing to add or take away? Yes.

Give up Soto Zen. Then "that" is Soto Zen (or "not").

Sitting has no name. It is an action. Just like every moment is the same.

Until you realize forgetting Zazen, you will be relying on faith and trust. Faith in the teacher and teachings. Not proclamations, exclamations and differences: "This is the one true way. Do this. Do that. Learn this. Learn that.", but instead encouragement "You must find your way. I can not give it to you, but I know it's there" Nothing speaks more about this then the simple act of sitting and forgetting Zazen.

A Zen teacher is not a Guru, a Sensei, or a Roshi, but just another guy/gal. Like you. A friend. Someone who knows that you are not what you think you are.

-----------------
There is no end. If there was an end, then ego would use this to try to achieve something. So it is said "There is no end to practice." There is only this act of forgetting Zazen. What do you want to achieve anyway? Calm? Equanimity? Wisdom? Anything, but what you are right now? You can't. You can't do it. Every achievement is delusion. Trying is delusion. Not trying to try the same. Don't fool yourself.

So there must be faith. Letting go. Trust.

If you must take things on trust and faith, then trust in the practice. The act. The forgetting. The experience. No matter what you think it is, that's not it.

There is lots of talk. Many teachings. But nothing as simple as sitting. Nothing as simple as direct experience. For really, we can only experience it and many paths lead to it.

When we forget, that is the point. When I forget you and you forget me, what arises? Experience? Love? Intimacy? Joy? Well, it doesn't do anything to talk about it.

Gassho

Will

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Nice one Will, there is no Soto Zen.

Gassho,
Jordan

Thanks for sharing and reminding me.

An issue lately has been focusing on the doing of paying attention as opposed to getting caught up in the usual ramblings of my ego. Often my ego is getting tripped up in trying to just pay attention, in trying to let go. I'll have noticed something and ego will be like "ah yes, very good, now this is the right focus, keep it up, the calmness is nice".

Anyway.

Mettha and gassho.

Nice one Will - I like it!