Saturday, March 23rd: I Hope You Dance (Paid Subscribers)
Because there is the choice to think about or dance ...
Sunday, March 24th: Step By Step (Paid Subscribers)
Know the answers ...
Monday, March 25th: What Do We Make of Equanimity, Direct Knowledge, Self-Awakening, and Unbinding?
The four gates.
Tuesday, March 26th: The Optimism of Stillness (Paid Subscribers)
Every activity can manifest stillness.
Wednesday, March 27th: The Pervasiveness of Attachments
Genuine compassion
Thursday, March 28th: The Pervasiveness of Attachments (Paid Subscribers)
It all comes down to this ...
Friday, March 29th: The Zen Stool
No teacher, no Zen
George P’s Take: No Teacher, No Zen
"The shaping of circumstances is called engagement ... only accomplished by a compassionate teacher " — Jim Redel
This week’s learning gem is No Teacher, No Zen [3/30] because that very day, Jim engaged me in a side conversation about a topic that, like many other of his teachings here and in private, helps this student gain a complete understanding of Zen. He brought about how we can deal with the growing number of news clips about wars, bombing raids, starving children, and, to put it in Buddhist terms, dukkha-dukkha, emotional and physical discomfort and pain that we experience. The learner’s was so strong that he felt compelled to ask Jim his take on the Gaza situation. “How can we follow the Buddha’s teaching to eliminate suffering in all sentient beings there? ”I asked. He came through, as usual.
In a very subtle and compassionate way, he urged me to meditate on some of the key concepts and aims of Zen that are meant to eliminate our own dukkha, including the three poisons, by cultivating alternative mental factors that are opposed to them. Here are the takeaways from this informal lesson:
Greed: This is about the learner’s clinging to attachments about distant, unsolvable situations.
Hatred: His clinging to the idea that the conflict in Gaza involves bad guys killing good guys.
Delusion: It is absurd to believe that UN resolutions and ICJ orders can stop the Gaza conflict.
This compassionate, very useful lesson demonstrates the effectiveness of the No Teacher, No Zen rule.