Look, my thumb touches my forefinger. Both touch and are touched. When my attention is on the thumb the thumb is the feeler and the forefinger - the [felt]. Shift the focus of attention and the relationship is reversed. I find that somehow, by shift

Look, my thumb touches my forefinger. Both touch and are touched. When my attention is on the thumb the thumb is the feeler and the forefinger - the [felt]. Shift the focus of attention and the relationship is reversed. I find that somehow, by shifting the focus of attention, I become the very thing I look at and experience the kind of consciousness it has; I become the inner witness of the thing. I call this capacity of entering other focal points of consciousness - love: you nay give it any name you like. Love says: "I am everything." Wisdom says: "I am nothing." Between the two my life flows. Since at any point of time and space I can be both the subject and object of experience, I express it by saying that I am both, and neither, and beyond both.


hahaha

Look, my thumb touches my forefinger. Both touch and are touched. When my attention is on the thumb the thumb is the feeler and the forefinger - the [felt]. Shift the focus of attention and the relationship is reversed. I find that somehow, by shifting the focus of attention, I become the very thing I look at and experience the kind of consciousness it has; I become the inner witness of the thing. I call this capacity of entering other focal points of consciousness - love: you nay give it any name you like. Love says: "I am everything." Wisdom says: "I am nothing." Between the two my life flows. Since at any point of time and space I can be both the subject and object of experience, I express it by saying that I am both, and neither, and beyond both.


hahaha

What is this moronic drivel?

[Crystal Pace]

I did a simple search and it looks like it's copied from here,

http://discuss.ilw.com/eve/forums?a=...493#4016094493

I cannot get why ...

[fguest]

The Path Is Through Your Self
_______________________________

To study the Buddha way is to study oneself.
To study oneself is to forget oneself.
To forget oneself is to be enlightened by the then thousand dharmas.
To be enlightened by the ten thousand dharmas is to be freed form one's body and mind, and those of others.
No trace of enlightenment remains, and this traceless enlightenment is manifested completely.

Zen practice is not about escaping from the obsessions and attachments of mind. It is not about escaping from what your life is. Zen practice is about being that life. So, in terms of "to study the Buddha way is to study oneself.", study the thoughts. Notice what kinds of thoughts you like. Maybe you like to go over and over again, one incident that happened in the past and feel angry or rejected or betrayal. Or maybe you like to worry about what is going to happen and feel anxious or depressed. When we've studies how our body-mind functions somehow it is easier to forget it. We get to know our self and some point we see that these thoughts, emotions, worries, and philosophies are empty and constantly changing. This is "to forget oneself." That's the so-called enlightenment.

Unfortunately, the self we usually talk about is not the real self, but rather an illusion, a concept, a shadow. To perceive something through the senses is not real perception. But we perceive it in that way, a part of our consciousness starts doing something with it ... interpreting, evaluating, analyzing, criticizing ... and then we formulate our own opinions or ideas about it. All of these intellectual functions are based on our knowledge and on our experiences, which are partial and limited. Consequently, whatever we draw from them is also limited. For example, the more learned a scholar is, the more refined, complicated, and sophisticated his work may be, but fundamentally it is sill illusion.

To forget the self is to go beyond these limitations by eliminating the subject-object relationships, and perceiving reality directly. This is what is meant by being "without self." That's our practice. Just sit right and totally absorb yourself in sitting, become sitting itself, and the subject-object dichotomy will fall away.

In working on a koan like "Who Am I", you learn to allow "Who am I" to occupy you completely. As long as you and "Who am I?" are separate, it's still a relative or dualistic state. Putting yourself completely into it , you will even forget about being one with "Who Am I?" ... you, yourself, will be forgotten. Then nothing but "Who Am I?" exists, and this "Who Am I?" is absolute. At this point your true nature will show its face, and you will have a glimpse of who you really are. That is what, "to forget the self is to be enlightened by all things" means. Just for a moment really immerse yourself in who you are, and see what that is. Immerse yourself in total sitting. See what that is. And what is it? "To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten-thousand dharmas To be enlightened by the ten-thousand dharmas. To be enlightened by the ten-thousand dharmas is to be freed from one's body and mind, and those of others. When the self, the critic, the analyzer, the whatever drops off, then all that is here is this, just this.

There is a simple way to become a Buddha: when you refrain from unwholesome actions; are not attached to birth and death, and are compassionate toward all sentient beings, respectful to seniors, and kind to juniors, not excluding, or desiring anything, with no designing thoughts or worries, you will be called a Buddha. Don not seek anything else. Those who want to be free from birth and death should understand the meaning of these words. If you search for a Buddha outside birth and death, it will be like trying to go to the southern country of Yue with your spear heading towards the north ...

"If you search for a Buddha outside birth and death ..." If you are looking for this place that isn't human, it isn't about our life. That's like heading north from Mountain Center to go to San Diego, or like trying to see the Big Dipper when you are facing south "You'll cause yourself to remain all the more in birth and death and lose the way of emancipation." If you are searching for it outside of yourself, you're even more caught up in it. You lose the way of emancipation.

Just understand that birth and death is itself nirvana. There is nothing such as birth and death to be avoided. There is nothing such as nirvana to be sought. Do not avoid them, or desire them. This birth and death is the life of Buddha. Only when you don't dislike birth and death, or long for them, do you enter Buddha's mind. However, do not analyze or speak about it, just set aside your body and mind. Forget about them, and throw them into the house of Buddha, than all is done by Buddha. When you follow this you are free from birth and death, and become a Buddha without effort or calculation. So, that's how to become Buddha. Completely accept yourself as you are and be willing to let go of the ids and concepts that you fixate on. The way to realization is through the self. The very best practice is whatever is your life practice right now. Embrace yourself, study yourself, practice yourself, and you will see all along you are a Buddha.