BOOK OF EQUANIMITY - Case 90

This Koan, "Kyozan Respectfully Declares It," is about a fellow who declared the undeclarable, in a dream of a sacred scene, although is this dream about "being awake" the dream, or is our ordinary waking life the dream, or is it all just a "dream within a dream" in which the sacred is simply ordinary while this "ordinary" and mundane world is truly sacred to wise eyes?

In the Preface, the drunk man foolishly declares himself sober and awake, or are the seemingly "sober" people of the world unknowingly drunk, while in the Appreciatory Verse, Kyozan "speaks the speechless" with a peaceful heart and big brave liver (not because of all that drinking, but because the liver is the organ where bravery originates in Chinese medicine), thus a precious treasure appears like a pearl from a clam, as rare as a mermaid's tear, while in the last part, it is rhetorically asked whether all those words about "no words are needed" were just a shameful waste which embarrass the speaker who showed the dirty laundry of his foolishness in front of the "illustrious eyebrows" (illustrious wise spectators in the dream), or was it in fact a precious gift that is the very opposite of embarrassing, the magic cure for the disease .... and what about the value of my words about his words about the wordless right now?

Question: Whether this is a dream within awakening, or awakening in a dream, or a dream within a dream, can we learn to dream the dream well, choosing our words (and acts and thoughts) carefully?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OurgbLABks

Gassho, J

STLah

PS - We end our brief return to the Book of Equanimity. Remember from NEXT WEEK:

Zen Women by Grace Schireson

Details here: https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...race-Schireson

While this doesn't necessarily hit the same mark as the Koan, I can't help but be reminded of the following quotation from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Dumbledore is talking to Harry while the latter is having an out-of-body experience:

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"


Gassho,
Rob

-st-

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

gassho1

That Taoist story by Chuang Tzu comes to mind often for me. I frequently have very vivid dreams that leave me quite disoriented when I wake up. This is particularly true during the transition from sleep to wake, not knowing what is real and what is a dream.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

ah good old Chuang Tzu
“ But he didn’t know if he were Zhuang Zhou who had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuang Zhou. ”

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

When waking, "I" with all "I"'s sensibilities takes root, as if being put on like clothes. If we decide not to put on the clothes of our sensibilities, is that enlightenment?

" I" now feels like the foolish man airing his dirty laundry in front of illustrious eyebrows.

Gassho,

dan. lah

If this was all Kyozan needed to say, then he was truly dreaming.
If this was all Kyozan could say, then he was truly awake.
Either way, to cancel words with words is truly a waste of words.

Gassho,
Hobun
stlah

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snark

When waking, "I" with all "I"'s sensibilities takes root, as if being put on like clothes. If we decide not to put on the clothes of our sensibilities, is that enlightenment?

" I" now feels like the foolish man airing his dirty laundry in front of illustrious eyebrows.

Gassho,

dan. lah

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That is not "enlightenment" for Master Dogen and the Soto way, which is more to have "I" ... all while seeing through "I" to something wondrous and whole that sweeps in all "I" and everything "not I" ... then to realize that this wondrous sweeping and "I" are just two sides of the same no sided coin ... then for "I" to get back to life and living with grace and balance.

It is not about just taking off one's clothes, but of putting them on again realizing that the same "naked" truth is always present clothes or no clothes ... so when we put on our clothes, let's do our best to keep them clean and neat. :encouragement:

Gassho, J

STLah

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jundo

That is not "enlightenment" for Master Dogen and the Soto way, which is more to have "I" ... all while seeing through "I" to something wondrous and whole that sweeps in all "I" and everything "not I" ... then to realize that this wondrous sweeping and "I" are just two sides of the same no sided coin ... then for "I" to get back to life and living with grace and balance.

It is not about just taking off one's clothes, but of putting them on again realizing that the same "naked" truth is always present clothes or no clothes ... so when we put on our clothes, let's do our best to keep them clean and neat. :encouragement:

Gassho, J

STLah

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gassho1gassho2

dan. satlah