19.2.08

Song Of Freedom Breakdown, lines 62-66



Don’t seek truth or avoid delusion:both are wholly empty, without form.
Neither empty nor formless,this is the body of the Buddha.
The luminous mirror of Knowing reflects all shown it,its vast brilliance pervades numberless worlds.
All that is, the ten thousand experiences,arise as this luminosity beyond within or without.

The first couple of lines here bring me back to the Heart Sutra.

The third line makes me think that a lot of my own efforts have been a bit futile.
We only can know what we are shown? Perhaps I need to polish my own tile a bit more.

The fourth line I would like to simplify: all that is, countless experiences, come up as this wisdom from beyond the unknown and the known. I know that dose not really help much, but it is how I see it right now.


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, I recognize that I set myself up as a kind of teacher here in this commentary, I am not your Zen master, you are!
Jordan

Acknowledgments

6 comments:

PA said...

(Sorry completely off topic but have you thought of changing the color of your links? A little difficult to see against the brown background...)
I always enjoy your comments all over the Zen blogging world!

SlowZen said...

Thanks PA,
I have changes the Link colors, Thank you for the tip.

Take care,
Jordan

Unknown said...

Jordon,

Thank you again for continuing this experiment.

The first two lines do have that "Heart Sutra" ring to them. Yet, is something unique being said here? Let's see if we can touch it here.

What is this "this" being pointed at. No entrance, no exit, no center, no edge, no inner, no outer, beyond within and without. This is the body of the Buddha.

About the third line you ask the question, "We only can know what we are shown?" The luminous mirror of Knowing points to the mind, not knowledge. Taken as the mind reflects all shown it, this becomes clearer.

Aitken Roshi's translation of this last line really helped me.
Multitudinous things of the cosmos
Are all reflected in the mind,
And this full clarity is beyond inner and outer.


Remember the old political slogan "It's the economy, stupid". This was used to emphasize the political notion that everything is connected to and reflected in the economy. Well "It's the mind, stupid" is the Zen practice of see everything reflected by mind. Hence the quality of the mind == the quality of the reflection. True Mind, True Reflection. I too have some polishing to do! At least that is how it feels. Yet I remember an old story where the poor monk was made fun of because he was "polishing his tile". Now what?

My knowledge is less than perfect and I look forward to being straightened out by my friends.

Will

SlowZen said...

Will,

Thank you for your comments.

I am actually not sure if I am going to be returning to this experiment, at least for a while. Perhaps you would like to take up the mantel?

I am happy for now just to polish my tile.

In Gassho,
Jordan

Unknown said...

Jordon, I'm really enjoying your PVC Shakuhachi Vs Shakuhachi Yuu
experiments.

You sound unsure about this experiment. I have though quite a bit about "taking up the mantel". If it would be helpful, I will. Tell me what you think that would look like.

Will

SlowZen said...

Will,
Thanks, I hope it would look like: “Will: Breaking down the Song of Freedom”

Take care,
Jordan

Thanks for looking!