Hi all,
While at work tonight, reminding myself to act with loving kindness, compassion and patience (we've all had moments at work when we need to remind ourselves of our prarice), thinking on Kannon as a model for how I would like to behave (I almost used the word 'should' here, but I feel 'should' is a word that imposes restrictions on people) and how we act as Kannon's eyes, hands and heart.
It then occurred to me that, as Buddhists, we aren't just Zen practitioners, Buddhists, or Bodhisattvas (though of course we are those as well if we choose to be); we are ambassadors for the Buddha. In our behaviours and actions we represent the Buddha and his teachings.
This made me think; we have a responsibility to The Buddha and Ancestors to be a role models of kindness and compassion in the world, for the sake of all sentient beings.
I feel that, before, Shakyamuni, the Patriarchs and other Ancestral teachers were just names and dates in a lineage to me, now it occured to me that all these people really were just like the rest of us, and the recordings of them as enlightened teachers (such as in the Denkoroku) were a snippet of their lives that came about after a lifetime of dedication, struggle, confusion, frustration, legs falling asleep, stiff backs, sleepy sitting, numb butts and effort leading to that moment of realisation, yet still with legs falling asleep, stiff backs, sleepy sitting, numb butts and effort, just like the rest of us (Shakyamuni included).
The 100 or so Patriarchs in our Dharma Lineage and the thousands of monks and lay practitioners over the centuries all made an effort to practice and transmit the teachings and through their effort we are lucky enough to be able to have access to these teachings, so that we too can practice, working through confusion, frustration, struggle, numb butts and legs, stiff backs, falling asleep, yet through dedication and effort we come to the same realisation, and see with the eyes of Buddha (still with numb legs and butts, stiff backs and falling asleep).
It's made me feel a deep gratitude to all those who have come before that have brought the Dharma through the generations so you and I can practice, and they were just as human as us, with all the same blocks to practice, yet they broke through them (or rather let them go) and so can we : )
Sorry for rambling : S
Thank you for reading : )
Gassho
Ryan
Sat Today
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Originally Posted by Ongen
