Another busy day: work, appointments, house chores, Métro rides, sitting group, meals…
When sitting I see the revolution at hand. I see how this Zen practice is subversive. I love it!
Think of the 9th-century Zen master Gensha:
A monk asked him, « Where can I enter Zen? »
Gensha replied, « Can you hear the babbling brook? »
The monk said, « Yes, I can hear it. »
Gensha replied, « Then enter there. »
Le Web carnet de Amy Hollowell Sensei, fondatrice de la Wild Flower Zen Sangha et successeur de Catherine Genno Pagès Roshi dans le lignage Zen Soto de Taizan Maezumi Roshi, fondateur du Centre Zen de Los Angeles.
The Web notebook of Amy Hollowell Sensei, founder of the Wild Flower Zen Sangha and dharma successor of Catherine Genno Pagès Roshi in the Soto Zen lineage of Taizan Maezumi Roshi, founder of the Los Angeles Zen Center.
Mujahideen are not struggling.
They are the spearhead of Islam (they think).
They were seduced to feel elevated above the crowd of ordinary people;
and completely submerged in the close community of their "spiritual elite".
Their mind is clear; no shades of grey, no ambiguities; no doubts.
There’s only one priority and there’s no such thing as overdoing it.
Life is neatly arranged; “they deserve to die, by our glorious hands”.
I can almost feel tempted -I’m serious- not tempted by the violence, but tempted by the simplicity of thought.
Extremism has nothing to do with Islam. It can strike anywhere.
The real danger is in our mind.
The really freighting thing is that the murderers are people like you and me.
They just fell for the temptation of extremism,
the temptation of simplicity.
To subvert is to overthrow an established (fixed) order: dwelling in nondwelling.
Even in asking a question like – how can I see? – we are moving on shifting sands.
There are questions?
Not to mention the possibility of answers!
Who is asking anyway?
We don’t know how to see?
We do?
When we investigate illusions we undermine them and they crumble.
Vimalakirti again:
“All language does not ultimately exist, except as liberation. The nature of all things is liberation.”
In think “subversive” is another way of putting it.
(But of course I don’t know either what Tu was thinking.)
Why subversive?
I am not seeing the subversiveness in Zen.
How can I see?
She looked at my bonsai, long and thoughtfully.
Then she said: “This is the ugliest bonsai I have ever seen. If they ever organize a contest – the worst bonsai in the world – you should take it there and compete.”
Now that’s what I call subversive.