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Thread: SPLIT TOPIC: 'Not Two' Postures

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    JUNDO NOTE: I SPLIT OFF THIS THREAD ON POSTURE FROM THE "BUDDHA & CHRIST" THREAD ...

    By the way (yes, my perogative to jump in ), in Suzuki's "Zen Mind Beginner's Mind" on Posture, I don't see anything he is teaching that is but "not-2" ...

    Now I would like to talk about our zazen posture. When you sit in the full lotus position, your left foot is on your right thigh, and your right foot is on your left thigh. When we cross our legs like this, even though we have a right leg and a left leg, they have become one. The position expresses the oneness of duality: not two, and not one. This is the most important teaching: not two, and not one. Our body and mind are not two and not one. If you think your body and mind are two, that is wrong; if you think that they are one, that is also wrong. Our body and mind are both two and one. We usually think that if something is not one, it is more than one; if it is not singular, it is plural. But in actual experience, our life is not only plural, but also singular. Each one of us is both dependent and independent. After some years we will die. If we just think that it is the end of our life, this will be the wrong understanding. But, on the other hand, if we think that we do not die, this is also wrong. We die, and we do not die. This is the right understanding. Some people may say that our mind or soul exists forever, and it is only our physical body which dies. But this is not exactly right, because both mind and body have their end. But at the same time it is also true that they exist eternally. And even though we say mind and body, they are actually two sides of one coin. This is the right understanding. So when we take this posture it symbolizes this truth.


    By the way ... Jesus and Buddha are "not two".

    Gassho, J
    Last edited by Jundo; 10-05-2012 at 03:36 AM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

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