24 Hours

 

A day consists of 24 hours. A life consists of many days; each one made up of 24 hours. Those hours are hired guns to keep us in line. We hired them thinking that they will help us get things done. We measure our existence in numbers of hours, days, weeks, months and years.

Each day is given a name and a form. The form is based on the number of hours and changes each time we get to 24, i.e., Monday, Tuesday and so forth until we get to the 7^th day called Sunday when we repeat the names.

We get another day; or so we think. We divide the day into day-light and night-light. But in the 21^st century most of us have interior and exterior lights which expands the day-light even when it is night time. What made us do such a thing?

Often, we answer ‘because we discovered light right in the middle of night.’ Light is ever available in the night-light. Those of us living in a city no longer experience the night-light of the Moon and the Stars in their full glory.

The hours add up to a day, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years and eventually all these measures of existence vanish. The body dissolves and the mind vanishes. All the measures are withdrawn because all along we have been measuring an illusion.

If we begin with the end of the name and form dissolving and vanishing, we see that all along we have caged ourselves in an impression or misapprehension of what our existence is by the calculations and yardstick of 24 hours. Our misapprehension creates an artifice.

“So what?” You ask. I hope you ask this question. Because when we realize that this existence is akin to a drama that begins, runs for awhile and then ends. When we realize that this existence is an illusion, we no longer are ruled by the 24-hour measure. Let me explain.

Here are two examples of two monks troubled by the 24-hour measure as though the 24-hour measure ruled their spiritual life. Many of us do this very thing. But first, let me give the examples.

I’ll call these two monks: Monk Number 1 and Monk Number 2.  Notice I have given them name and form and have put them in a category. All of which is part of the illusion. IN order for the examples to be of benefit, we must make every effort to see that we are very much like these monks.

Monk Number 1 expressed concern and worry that if their time was spent in sitting-meditation they would not have time to write and/or do much of any other activity. It’s a simple example of measurement and anxiety.  They pointed out that they were spending a big hunk of time in sitting-meditation.

Monk Number 2 expressed an old concern and annoyance that a change in the morning meditation schedule had unsettled them. They clearly did not like the change.

Both monks desired to control the “hired-gun” of time. They did not want to go with reality; to go with what showed up.

The name and form of time was a problem for both these monks. And…it is for most of us. It is a problem because it is the worldly way of the ego that is ruling, measuring and picking and choosing what to do with the 24-hour time.

We need to look at our own life. Who is doing what? The ego-grasping, ego-clinging self? When we get annoyed, agitated, irritated, ruffled, upset, angry, hurt and all the ego-cherishing feelings and states of mind, then we need to study the discrepancy between all of that ego-mess and the all-pervading Way.

When messed-up with the ego-boss, we are lost in confusion. Pride. Inflated ego-boss. Believing we are wise. All of these tendencies tell us that we are deficient in the vitality of realization. In other words, we have work to do.

When we are agitated, we have forgotten that the Way is perfect and all-pervading. IT cannot be otherwise. In fact, in the Fukanzazenji it says:

How could IT be contingent upon practice and realization? The Dharma-vehicle is free…(w)hat need is there for concentrated effort?

We need to take a backward step away from the worldly winds, the worldly ways and illuminate ourselves. Again, in the Fukazazenji it states that our practice is suchness. In other words, to accept things as they are. Really are! In other words, to realize our true original nature which is not the body, not the mind.

In order to practice the Way, we need to be willing to cease all movements of the conscious mind. In other words, to sit in silence. Don’t get hooked by likes and dislikes, picking and choosing, good or bad. Have no desire to become anything. Have no desire to become a doer.

We need to concentrate in a one-pointed effort. We do this in the everydayness of the 24-hour structure which requires we meet what comes in to our life moment by moment. Each single-minded effort teaches us the Way whether it is sitting in meditation or washing our hands. IT is close-up and without measure. IT is all-pervading.

We have gained the blessing of human form. Let’s not waste our time in vain taking delight in the spark as ours and mine; let us remember name and form are like the dew on the grass, destiny like the dart of lightning…emptied in an instant, vanished in a flash.

We are…long accustomed to groping for the elephant…when the true dragon is …perfect and all-pervading.  The poet Hafiz says it well.

I Have Learned So Much by Hafiz

I
Have
Learned
So much from God
That I can no longer
Call
Myself

A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,
A Buddhist, a Jew.

The Truth has shared so much of Itself
With me

That I can no longer call myself
A man, a woman, an angel,
Or even pure
Soul.

Love has
Befriended Hafiz so completely
It has turned to ash
And freed
Me

Of every concept and image
My mind has ever known.

Author: Fashi Lao Yue

A Single Thread is not a blog.

 If for some reason you need elucidation on the teaching,

please contact editor at: yao.xiang.editor@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things done well and with a care, exempt themselves from fear.

William Shakespeare

I see worry as a seeking for a result, a particular result. It goes out into the ocean of possibilities with a bait on a hook. And puts the mind there in anxious waiting.

I cannot go out into the future…I learn to wait.

The contemplative life is set back off the beaten path and sits by the side of the flow on the roadway. All of this can be disrupted by a desire whether from the inside or the outside.

A desire to do something, to get something is what stirs up the dust. When this occurs it is important to wait and contemplate the need. To determine if the desire is ego-bound to get something or is it free of the ego. When there is no wanting a result or a reward or fruit – then, it is not ego-bound. But when we seek something for ourselves – when we have an agenda, a plan…to get something…then wait. Stay still. Be still. Let the mind calm down. Quiet. Is there something in it for you; the you that identifies as a somebody?

When we are able to give the whole thing in devotion, as an offering with each breath without seeking a reward then it is not from the ego-self.  It is generosity, the first paramita. It is a boat that is able to take us across to the other shore of being. A place where the ego is not in charge. Not wanting and wanting and wanting. Not taking. Where the mind of the great sage is intimately communicated we are able to see the source that is always present. The mind of the great sage is there; even in a can of worms.

Our fight is with the inner delusions, the afflictions of self-cherishing and ego-grasping…those most terrible of demons that catch us in the snare of confusion

Somehow the different aspects of life are not so clear cut. The lines are blurred. And this blur tends to confuse us. But our confusion shows us that whatever we have going on is about ego-grasping, ego-cherishing. We are captive.

The mind of the great sage is not confused. It shines everywhere.

Writing for me is a teacher…but only when it is a devoted offering. Only then, and nothing else. Practice occurs when we know where we are.

The Way is actualized by rolling up your sleeves. Yes. Be a saint, a givng person who seeks no reward, no fruit. Do the work right in front of you. Not a thought or a wish or a hope that floats into the brain pan. NO. Look at where you are and roll up your sleeves and actualize the Way right there.

Give your very best without seeking anything in return.

Your true orginal self is there amongst the squirming desires in the mind. Turn away from the mind and seek the true Self. Start by repeating again and again:

DO NO HARM.

GIVE YOUR BEST.

 

Author: Fashi Lao Yue

A Single Thread is not a blog.

 If for some reason you need elucidation on the teaching,

please contact editor at: yao.xiang.editor@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Coming into View: A Contemplative Practice.

…the practice of stillness is full of joy and beauty… Evagrios, The Philokalia

The focus of the practice is contemplation. Contemplation is the practice of bringing together in good measure the teachings of the Dharma (truth, God-meaning) with the actions of our body, speech and mind through silence, solitude, stillness, study and meditation (prayer). The basic demands on us are commitment of time, attention and effort to actualize the practice of silence, solitude, stillness, study and meditation.

The demands are simply set out and yet, difficult to do. Each one of us will face different difficulties with commitment, time, attention, effort and following the teachings with body, speech and mind. My encouragement is to follow the admonishment given to Cain:

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, mistakes crouch at your door. The desire to slack off is after you, but you must rule over it.[1]

Sometimes it does get the best of us and we do slack off. We must continuously work to keep trouble from getting in the door. But when we fall victim to idleness, laziness and indolence we recognize it and without faulting anyone or anything we turn back to the practice. We get up and continue our practice.

Regret

The consequence of not doing our best is regret. Although regret may be forgiven, it causes unnecessary suffering in the heart. It is the ego-cherishing, ego-grasping, ego-absorbed opposition to ruling over the devilish desires to slack off. Don’t fall prey to it.

There is no recovering a time when we slip up, foul up and mess up from not doing our best. Regret leaves a stain which requires additional time to mourn, lament and takes away the possibility of a meditative state. If and when we grieve, we sit in sorrow, a damp suffering that prohibits concentration.

Confess

Confess. We repair as best we can and go on. We do our best not to attach to our errors, but use our energy to confess the errors, make amends and continue to practice. We don’t skip this step.

Delight and joy are necessary allies when we meditate. If we are afflicted with preoccupations when we sit, we will spend the time sitting wrestling with the affliction and not concentrated and absorbed in silence.

Zen

Zen, and in particular this practice, is a practice of letting go of the self-cherishing and ego- grasping identity of me. And this identity of me comes in a myriad of forms and shapes. It is important for us to remember even when we are not too sure that the self is a delusion.

The Work

In every which way, the work of Zen is with the relinquishment of self delusion. We must come to terms with accepting responsibility and recognition that the work is ours to do. No one is able to do the work for us.

The Precepts

The work of training with the precepts is where we begin. The precepts, when practiced, keep the mind from descending into regret and self-wallowing. If we fall victim to the devil of self-wallowing, the practice is to let go of this self delusion. If we fall victim to self-pride, the practice is to let go of this self delusion. Any of one of a multitude of mind devils may oppose us and hinder us. We need to keep in mind our foes are not made of flesh and bones, but are these ever invading inner self delusions. Meditation is impossible when the mind is full of these devils. Buck up. We don’t let the reality of our situation defeat us, we let it soak into our being until the self delusion is seen for what it is. Meditation, along with all the Zen practices, is not for naught; we begin where we are in the middle of our crazy beliefs and attachments to our self delusion.  

Five Practices, Every Day

Silence, solitude, concentration, study and meditation are the five broad practices. We sometimes like lists thinking the list in itself will do the work for us. But as we all know the disheartening feeling when nothing seems to be going as we thought. We must be willing to be bare=bones honest. We must make a commitment to do the work every day. It is a daily commitment right in the middle of everyday life. There is no need for us to go off somewhere else. We wash the dishes in silence, go for a walk alone, study the teachings, memorize what speaks to us, still the mind and meditate every day.

An elder said: The reason why we do not get anywhere is that we do not know our limits, and we are not patient in carrying on the work we have begun. But without any labour at all we want to gain possession of virtue.[i]

We must labor.

May we with all beings realize

the emptiness of the three wheels,

giver, receiver and gift.

Don’t give up. Keep going.

OM

Fashi Lao Yue

If you need assistance, please contact yao.xiang.editor@gmail.com

 

[1] My understanding of Genesis 4:7 where God speaks to Cain.

[i] Desert Fathers: XXVI, p. 66. Seeking God, de Waal, The Liturgical Press, 1984, 2001.

The most beneficial method is simple, “go slow and practice.” Read the material slowly. Don’t risk missing something by hurrying.

I suggest you get a practice book to write in. Write in your own words what you face. Use what you face to create your own set of instructions to place your mind above the frayed threads.

It works like this, stop here and get your practice book. Don’t go any further.  This suggestion is your practice tip.

It’s completely up to you. You are your own guide, writing your own guide book.  Everything serves to awaken you. So, it might be useful for you to be able to recall what breathes life into awakening: study, silence, solitude, sitting and stillness. All of it is internal work.

Help

Help is available. Help comes in the form of books, audios, conversations, journals, letters, pictures, retreats, lectures, your mother, father, lover, boss, work, music, and everything else.

You decide what to use.

I suggest you use what shows up.

It generally requires a dogged attention. Dogs are alert and use every opportunity. Be dogged.

I offer tips. I am available to engage in spiritual conversations via mail, email, ZOOM or in person.  But you must ask for help. It requires that you provide a clear question or description of where you are and what is happening. This requirement shows you have gone as far as you are able to go without some explanation or help.

In other words, when you know you are stuck, ask for help.  And don’t hesitate.

Design Tip

It’s your design. You create it with everything available to you. It requires your effort. For some time, you may need to imitate someone else’s design, it’s natural to do so. At some point, the design reveals itself without a plan. It forms by your actions one after the other much like everything in life.

A solid approach right from the beginning is to attend to what shows up right in front of you, within arm’s length. Most other things are a pipedream of some sort.

Responsibility & Direction

This work is completely up to you. You decide the direction. It’s the equivalent of being in a row boat out in the ocean. You can’t see land and the row boat is taking water.  A carrier pigeon flutters onto your head with a message, what does the message say? That is your direction.

Everything serves that direction. Let me dispel the wrongheaded notion that this direction can be taught. It cannot be taught. But you know it when it perches in your mind. You can learn to see and hear and know where you are in relation to it. That’s quite a bit. All it requires is a “glimpse.”

My Offering

Sometimes it boils down to a suggestion. And sometimes I don’t know. But…when the direction is mutual, it is imperceptible assistance.

Opening Tip

Trust the dirt. It will fly up into your eye and instruct you. It comes together with a feeling that cannot be ignored much like a speck of dirt lodged in the eye. You can’t see well and it irritates. It may require a dirt storm for you to know the quality of that which is hidden there. In time, you may grow able enough that you know the treasure of the dirt. Dirt is bountiful. Everything comes from the dirt.

Cost

The cost of spiritual awakening is everything. There is no way to learn this from someone else. You must learn it yourself through everything in your life. Nothing is hidden from it and nothing is left out. You do not know this truth when you start. Starting sometimes feels like threading a needle with gloves on. It is frustrating and seems impossible.

Check to see if you are ready to start. Did you get your practice book?

If you are ready, trust the dirt. Everything in your life is dirt. Everything you come in contact with flies up into one of your sense doors and you either learn from it or complain about it.

Remember, go slow.  Practice with care.

Author: Fashi Lao Yue

A Single Thread is not a blog.

 If for some reason you need elucidation on the teaching,

please contact editor at: yao.xiang.editor@gmail.com

Dear Friends,

We are often susceptible to  what is called “diminishing volition” which simply means that we start a project fully intending to perform it as promised, but find that our willpower grows more feeble with each passing day.

Sometimes we are so thrilled to start a new Zen program that we pledge to perform an unrealistic schedule. Oh, we will rise at dawn, and do yoga and meditation for an hour, and then chant for half an hour, and finally eat a healthy vegetarian meal, and then get ready to go to work.  Not even monks in a monastery would try to squeeze such a schedule into their daily work routine.

But we are euphoric and we sincerely believe that we can easily accomplish the goal.

Then… on Monday, we have to skip the chanting because we were late getting up.  On Tuesday, we do only fifteen minutes of yoga and ten minutes of meditation.  On Wednesday, we have time only to chant for fifteen minutes.  On Thursday, we do the Sun Salute and drink a glass of orange juice with some pastry.  And on Friday, we’re back to our old routine of coffee and a biscuit before we hurry up so that we’re not late for work.

Excessive promises are made in the irrational state of euphoria.  They are the other side of depression – when we don’t feel like getting out of bed at all.  The Zen Way is to lower the high and to raise the low, to meet in “The Middle Way.”

There was a rich man who fell off a boat and was foundering in the river. He could not swim and he clearly foresaw his own death.  But a passing fisherman saw him and dived into the water to rescue him.  When the rich man finally was brought to shore, he was ecstatic with gratitude to the fisherman!

“I have a gold coin I could give you, but that is hardly enough,” he said. “Instead I am going to sell my house and even my house cat.  And what I receive for the sale of the house, I will give you.”

The fisherman was so thrilled to be rewarded in such a great way. He told his wife that after working so hard all their lives, they could finally enjoy their old age together in comfort.

The days passed and the rich man began to think,

“Ah, the fisherman was used to diving into the river.  It was nothing special for him to do.”

And then after a few more days, he thought,

“Ah, if he had not saved me, then surely someone else would have jumped in to help.”  And a day later he almost resented the fisherman for expecting to be rewarded for something that any decent human being would do.”

Finally, he sold his house and the cat for $100,010. Then,  he gave the fisherman his reward… $10.00.

“I am a man of my word,” the rich man explained, “I sold my house for ten dollars and the cat I love so dearly… my precious pet…  I sold for $100,000.”

The fisherman who would have been happy to receive the gold coin was now cruelly disappointed.

And so it is with most things in life. We must beware of “diminished volition” and recognize when we want to go overboard with our willpower we are susceptible to the limits of our inevitable diminishing volition.  

And then when we make a promise to start a morning Zen program, we limit it to a reasonable amount of time…. a Sun Salute, Five Healing Breaths, and a recitation of the Heart Sutra.  Fifteen minutes ought to do it.

 

WAIT!

That’s just as it is. Until we are able to practice with whatever we do and wherever we are there’s no clapping the hands together and no declaration of the end.

Like a fish in water, we never leave the water or a bird in the air, we never leave the sky. Don’t try to reach the end of where you are. Don’t draw a separate box, it may  become a prison.

“When we find our place where we are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.”  Dogen

 

May we with all beings realize the emptiness of the three wheels,

giver, receiver and gift.

Author: Fashi Lao Yue

A SINGLE THREAD is not a blog.

 If for some reason you need elucidation on the teaching,

please contact editor at: yao.xiang.editor@gmail.com