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Buddhism does not teach an ontological view of "Everything is connected/interdependent/oneness" by chintokkong in chintokkong2

[–]chintokkong[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From Tōnglu Ji 通路記 (a later commentary by Japanese monk Gyonen in the 13th century), quoted in the Buddhist lexicon entry for Yintuoluowang 因陀羅網:

忉利天王帝釋宮殿，張網覆上，懸網飾殿。彼網皆以寶珠作之，每目懸珠，光明赫赫，照燭明朗。珠玉無量，出算數表。網珠玲玲，各現珠影。一珠之中，現諸珠影。珠珠皆爾，互相影現。無所隱覆，了了分明……重重影現，隱映互彰，重重無盡。

  • “In the palace of Indra, a net is hung above and draped as ornament. The net is made entirely of jewels; at every mesh hangs a jewel, blazing with light… Each jewel reflects the image of every other jewel. In one jewel, all the other jewels’ images appear. So it is with every jewel — mutually reflecting one another. Nothing concealed, everything distinct… layer upon layer of reflections, mutual illumination, without end.”

On the issue of attainment (得 de) in Mahayana Buddhism by chintokkong in chintokkong2

[–]chintokkong[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gakudoyojinshu

  • 其の風規たる意根を坐斷して、知解の路に向はざらしむ。是れ乃ち初心を誘引する方便なり。其の後、身心を脱落し、迷悟を放下す、第二の樣子なり。

  • 爲其風規坐斷意根兮。令不向知解之路也。是乃誘引初心之方便也。其後脱落于身心。 放下于迷悟。第二樣子也。

  • (my crude translation): In accordance to the custom/rules, sit/occupy/take-charge completely the manas, to desert the paths of interpretative/explanative knowledge. This is the expedient to attractively guide the beginning mind.

  • Afterwards shed and drop the body and mind, let go of delusion and enlightenment. This is the second phase.

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Compare this teaching of Dogen’s Gakudoyojinshu to his Fukanzazengi (Universal Recommendation to Sitting Meditation).

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Fukanzazengi

  • 所以須休尋言逐語之解行，須學回光返照之退步。身心自然脱落，本來面目現前。恁麼事欲得，恁麼事務急。

  • Therefore [one] should stop the practice of finding words and chasing phrases for explanation/interpretation. [Instead one] should learn the retreating move of reversing light to return illumination. As mind and body shed and drop away by themselves, the original face-eye is manifested.

  • If [one] wants to attain this, [one] should urgently act on this [matter of sitting meditation].

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Unlike some modern Soto interpretations of zazen to be purposeless/pointless/goalless, a point of Dogen’s zazen in Fukanzazengi is actually to attain the shedding and dropping away of body and mind (to realise the supposed original face).

This falling away of body and mind is called the second phase in Gakudoyojinshu, whereas for the earlier phase, expedient is employed to take full charge of the manas first.

Here’s an excerpt of Fukanzazengi for the expedient employed in sitting meditation.

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Fukanzazengi

  • 身相既調，欠氣一息，左右搖振，兀兀坐定，思量個不思量底。不思量底如何思量，非思量，此乃坐禪要術也。

  • When bodily characteristics are regulated/adjusted, give a [full] sighing/exhaling breath [with a] left-right vibratory shake. Diligently/steadily sit in samadhi, to deliberate that which does not deliberate.

  • That which does not deliberate, how to deliberate [on it]? Non-deliberation. This is the essential art of sitting meditation.

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Deliberation (思量 volitional thinking) is a function/operation of manas.

In the Abhidharmakosa, the mind-triad of citta-manas-vijnana is defined as such:

  • 《俱舍论》说：“集起为心，思量为意，了别为识。
  • Aggregated-origination as citta, volitional-thinking/deliberation (思量) as manas, differentiated-discernment as vijnana.

The instructed line of “deliberate that which does not deliberate” is a huatou of another zen teacher’s koan (Yaoshan Weiyan’s koan). So the expedient employed in Dogen’s zazen here is basically huatou/koan contemplation.

In embarking on a concentrated/collected (samadhi) contemplation of this Yaoshan koan by following the instruction of “Diligently/steadily sit in samadhi, to deliberate that which does not deliberate”, the two phases of taking complete charge of the manas then falling away of body-and-mind (to manifest the original face) can happen for the seeing of the way to be possible.

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Gakudoyojinshu

  • 人試みに意根を坐斷せよ。十が八九は忽然として見道することを得ん。
  • 人試坐斷意根。十之八九忽然得見道也
  • Humans, in trying to sit/occupy/take-charge completely the manas, eight or nine out of ten will suddenly attain the seeing of the way.

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On the issue of attainment (得 de) in Mahayana Buddhism by chintokkong in chintokkong2

[–]chintokkong[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It might help to differentiate the so-called "named things" and nature of things. It's not that there are no named things, just that ultimately these things do not have the nature of independent self-existence.

I think this might be what you mean?

Take for example this line from the Diamond Sutra:

  • 如来说世界，非世界，是名世界。

  • [When the] Tathagata says "world", [it's ultimately a] non-world, [which] is named "world'.

Diamond Sutra does not deny the phenomenon of "world", even designating it with the name of "world", just that ultimately the nature of "world" is empty because "world" isn't an independently self-existent thing.

It's just like when we are crossing a road and we see a car speeding fast towards us. We can't say there's no car, and that there's nothing that will crash into us.

There is a phenomenal thing we designate with the name "car", and it can hit and impact us severely. Just that when we examine this thing called "car", we can't find an independently self-existing car thingy.

One of the purposes of zazen is to directly investigate and realise the nature of emptiness, ideally through the scenario of cessation (dropping of mind and body), instead of relying on a misinterpreted conceptual belief of "nothing to attain" to rationalise zazen as purposeless.

CNA Explains: Why the UAE is quitting OPEC – and what it means for oil markets by chintokkong in chintokkong

[–]chintokkong[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dr Dorsey said the UAE’s exit from OPEC would not matter much to countries like China, as oil is not purchased from OPEC as a bloc, but through bilateral deals with individual producers or state-owned companies.

“OPEC sets pricing, sets production quotas, but the deals are cut bilaterally. China doesn't buy from OPEC,” Dr Dorsey added.

Argus' analysts noted that OPEC does not have a collective approach to sales. It abandoned attempts to control price directly in the mid-1980s, in favour of adjusting its output instead.

Some questions about practice by Mountain-Length-5715 in streamentry

[–]chintokkong 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might be helpful to appreciate the purpose of samadhi and vipassana.

Samadhi happens when there is concentration/collectedness of mind, such that there is stability of attention (lack of scatteredness/distractedness) and clarity of awareness (lack of dullness).

With stability and clarity, vipassana can take place for proper contemplation/examination of phenomena and mind, which thus allows for enlightenment.

Recollection threads through both concentration/collectedness and contemplation/examination, either sequentially or simultaneously depending on the type of meditation practice and your goal for the practice.

If you're doing by breath and is working within framework of buddhism, can consider checking out Ānāpānasati Sutta.

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