Who is it that thinks of
not–thinking and non–existence?
The Unborn is realized
within the born.
Can a wooden puppet attain Buddhahood
by its practice of not–thinking?
Without grasping at the four elements of this body,
drink and eat aligned with the Actual Nature.
Addressing line 15, we have already beat up the who, so I will address this “unborn.” Bankie may have said it best: When you abide in the unborn you abide in the source of all things. What the Buddha’s of the past realized is the unborn Buddha mind, what the Buddha’s in the future will realize is the unborn Buddha mind.
The unborn is just that which permeates everything.
This leads us into the next line which initially seems to have a tone of sarcasm.
But I look at it like this: a wooden puppet has nothing to attain.
In line 17 the Mahasatipatthana Sutta is referenced, but a warning is given to not grasp at the four elements, That is: Body, Mind/consciousness, Sensations/feelings, and Mental contents.
* Edit: MikeDoe said When Hungry eat, when thirsty drink - That's actual nature. Eating and drinking for pleasure or for the sake of it is not.
** Edit: Nishijima Roshi says "At the level of day-to-day life we see clearly that thinking about eating is completely different from the actual experience of eating. And the taste of the food is separate and different from the action of eating. This much is clear, but we often fail to recognize such simple facts. This is of fundamental importance to a clear understanding of Buddhist philosophy."
I welcome comments, but I may integrate them into the commentary.
I hope that my efforts are helpful in clearing my own delusion as well as that of others,
Jordan
Acknowledgments
6 comments:
I see "Unborn" as potentiality. Realized in the realm of Actual Nature.
Line 16 admonishes us not to be lazy like a wooden puppet. Ridiculous to assume a puppet practices anything let alone not-thinking.
Line 17 reminds me of the tiger taking to the mountains - make everything (particularly the ordinary) aligned with Reality as it is.
My understanding is less than perfect. Thanks for sharing.
When Hungry eat, when thirsty drink - That's actual nature. Eating and drinking for pleasure or for the sake of it is not.
Will, Mike Doe Thank you for stopping by. I have been leaning towards idealism lately. And I see that is reflected in my word doodles which could be dangerous. Thank you both for reading and commenting.
in Gratitude,
Jordan
thinking of not–thinking and non–existence..
hi jordan - These ideas are almost impossible to write about, so don't be too concerned about misunderstandings. They are gonna happen. You communicate more than your thoughts with your writing.
Bodhidharma said, If you use your mind to study reality, you won't understand either your mind or reality.
So all of our attempts to read and write about the nature of reality are probablly misleading for both the reader and writer. maybe better to make ink drawings or collages for communicating non-thinking. :)
Jeff,
Thank you for dropping in, and for your words. I think what you have said falls quite nicely into the philosophy of action.
Thanks again,
Jordan
Very interesting. I love reading both these thoughts and the reactions.
Love,
Mom
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