Showing posts with label Total Exertion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Total Exertion. Show all posts

 Ryan: “interesting I thought AtR emphasizes non-arising?  the perception that objects are not actually present at all”



Soh to Ryan Burton:


Atr / john tan emphasizes +a and -a (as described in the shorter atr practice guide and longer original atr guide)


John Tan said years ago:


“No appearances just mean the conceptual notions of mind, appearances and external objects are all deconstructed.

It doesn't mean a blank nothing.

Vivid Appearances will unfailingly manifest, that is what Mipham meant by coalescence of appearance and emptiness.


From the perspective of mind (alaya), negation is non-affirming and thorough.

From the non-conceptual gnosis standpoint, nothing is obstructed nor denied.

What appears is unconditioned, spontaneous, natural and beyond elaborations.



From ATR perspective that is -A. But it is also +A. 

For both shares similar taste if no-self nature is the focus instead of conceptualities.

Therefore study both masters Mipham and Tsongkhapa with respect and reverence and don't talk nonsense.


If there is alternation between +A and -A, that is arya along the path.  If there is no alternation, that is buddhahood.

That is just my opinion.”




——



Ryan burton said


“Soh Wei Yu how would you describe non-arising experientially?  


the blending of A+ and A- minus emptiness when I’ve done the contemplations opens a natural state of phenomena being immense, immediate but also transparent holographic-like.  As if what’s arising is not actually there or present at all.”



Soh replied


“Designations Turn Alive


John Tan said,


When Dogen rows the boat, the rowing makes the boat a boat and makes the hand, the sea, wooden oars and the movement of the boat into the "rowing". The designations turns "alive" yet r like mere reflections.


Why is it like water pouring in water? Because one tastes the hand, the sea, the wooden oars going beyond their designated boundaries into one seamless (like pour water in water) action of rowing. There is no self, only that action of rowing.


With anatta and dependent arising, u will feel immense inter-relatedness yet empty like reflections even in the world of conceptualities.


The father is dependent on the son and the son makes the father a father. Don't just look at the logic, see how much emotions and love are invested in them. There are no "things" and "world" other than that.


So it is not about just that which is direct, clean, brilliance, non-dual, non-conceptual and transparent which is empty like space; u must re-enter the world, dirty ur hands and see conventionalities with this new found insights of selflessness and DO...see the whole chain of arisings...so intricate yet empty like reflections.


André A. Pais: John Tan, good stuff! Is there more from where this came? 


John Tan: Hi André, some blah blah blah on the spur of the moment when Soh was discussing with me total exertion and emptiness. Intuitively I was sensing him skewing towards empty reflection in non-referential presence while attempting to integrate emptiness and total exertion at that time.


So just brought out this “dependent designation” as it can serve as a bridge to link the two (empty reflection and total exertion).


Sometimes we can latched on to the so called higher teachings of “already perfection”, “emptiness”, “no karma”, “no this and that” and subtly hypnotizing ourselves into a fabricated liberated state. This is precisely the question dogen had in mind, if we are already enlightened, why practice? If we have buddha-nature, why attain enlightenment? These questions set him on a journey to china in search of the answer. He came back with “practice-enlightenment”, we do not practice to get enlightened, we practice because we are enlightened – practice-enlightenment.


Therefore my intention is simply trying to bring out the point of not being afraid of self, not being afraid of cause and effect and dependencies, look directly into the world of samsara, look into the world of conventionalities and see the beauty of conceptualities. Even in market place, the taste of non-referential presence is never lost but fully present!


For articles about dogen and total exertion, I would recommend Ted Biringer. Ted has a unique way of triggering one into the taste of total exertion through seeing dependencies with his writings. As for write ups integrating emptiness, dependent designations and total exertion into a piece, I don’t think there is any…haha”


“.....


The weight of thoughts -- Part 1


When contemplating, do not just let our contemplation remain as a mental reasoning exercise.  For example: 


What appears is neither "internal" nor "external". For the notion of "internality" is dependent on the notion of "externality", without either, the sense of neither can arise.  Therefore both notions r merely conventional, they originates dependently.


Do not just let our contemplation remain at this level. If we do that, at most the freedom will simply remain at the mental level -- merely a pellucid, pure and clean state.  It is no different from practicing raw attention although insight on how conceptualities proliferate the mind may arise. 


But go further to relate directly to our sensations, thoughts, smells, colors, tastes, sounds and ask: 


"What do we mean by thoughts are neither inside nor outside our head?" 


Seeing through this will be much more penetrating.  It will bring a deep sense of illusoriness and mystical awe as a real-time lived-experience.


.....


The weight of thoughts -- Part 2


How heavy are thoughts?

Where are their roots? 


It is not uncommon to hear in the spiritual circle phrases like "the 'I' is just a thought" or "thought is empty and spacious, there is no weight or root to it". 


While the rootlessness and the space-like nature of "thoughts" should be pointed out, one must not be misled into thinking they have seen through "anything" much less up-rooted the deeply seated conceptual notions of "I/mine", "body/mind", "space/time"...etc. 


So emphasis must also be placed on the other side of the coin. "Thoughts" are astonishingly heavy like a black-hole (size of a pinhole, weight of a star); the roots of conceptual notions" they carry permeate our entire being and everywhere. 


The "roots" of thoughts are no where to be found also means they can be found anywhere and everywhere, spreaded across the 3 times and 10 directions -- in modern context, over different time-lines across the multiverse.  In other words, "this arises, that arises".


.....


In anatta, we see through self as a mental construct and one is set on a de-constructive journey to free oneself from all mental constructs, from self to all phenomena and the relationships among them.


However when we see dependent arising, nothing is eliminated.

Conceptualization remains, parts remain, cause-effect remains, self remains, others remains...Everything remains, only the mistaken view of "essence" is relinquished.


Instead of seeing them to exist essentially, it is now understood that they originates dependently and whatever originates in dependence is free from the four pairs of extremes (aka 8 negations of Nagarjuna).


Without understanding dependent arising and emptiness, spontaneous perfection free from all elaborations will be distorted.”


“Some stuff i wrote before:


Earlier today i was awoken by a sound.. then it was intuited the sound is not something somewhere, has no location, no origin, no coming and no going, mere dependent origination


When looking at seaside sea waves it occurs to me the sea waves was also a good example of dependent origination


Under imputation it appears sea waves are one thing that moves from one location to another (ultimately the sea shore). When seen carefully the sea wave is not actually one thing but actually countless of tiny waves and each moment of if the waving the patterns look entirely different. So one moment of wave and next moment of wave are neither the same not different but dependently originates. Every moment of waving is merely the dependent origination of all factors and consciousness dependently originating as the mere luminous appearance without anything there, no coming, no going, no arising, no abiding and no cessation


John tan replied, “Quite good.  Dependent arising is to help us overcome essense view.  We don't really understand what freedom from "essence", normally weq use essential view to understand what is non-essential.  When we keep practicing seeing emptiness and DO, everything turns insubstantial, essenceless without substance, intimate and seamless...from there on, u should quit "thinking" but learn to "feel" and sense directly and effortlessly. Taste radiance as appearances and no more "analyse" about it.


The language that structures  into subject-action-object is a clumsy and not a suitable way to express radiance, but that doesn't mean there is no way to express at all, it is just imo complex.  Like I told u before, mathematics is also a form of language that can allow us to understand patterns in a much deeper and flexible way.  But if one is untrained, it is difficult to communicate in that form of language or communicate like dogen.


Radiance is so mystical and magical, don't frame it with anything.  Once anatta matures, use ur entire body-mind to feel it's dynamism.”


—-


(Inherent view) Its the sense that phenomena exists, arise and abide and cease and stands alone by itself. Like for example moon exist inside water or even just that the presence is something “just there”.. instead of the vivid appearance is empty and non arisen, a mere vivid shimmering that dependently originates, appears but nothing there, a vivid and luminous mirage. Even a minutest sense of something there blocks the vision of dependent origination and emptiness, union of appearance and emptiness . We feel the trees and flowers and sky are “just there” instead of like reflections in total exertion


….


Actually nowadays in practice i dont really have much designations or referents.. its oceanic and boundless whether in sitting or movement. In a sense its similar to infinitude of universe like AF except there is no solidity.. its just dependent origination and emptiness in action like when you move the whole infinite net of indra reflects accordingly. The dependent origination its not like inherent cause and effect.. In moving its not like body interacting with environment but like infinite reflections in total exertion, like the whole universe is the movement not i moving. When sitting there is no me or body mind sitting like out of body into boundless and oceanic but there is no sense of a self expanding outward, just natural and spontaneous presence like whole universe is sitting. Gapless distanceless without boundaries and radiant but nothing there.. no seer, no seeing, nothing seen and also no universe to ground in.. i dunno if im skewing to radiance but i seldom engage in analysis nowadays. Or its good for me to do more analysis


——


John tan also wrote:


“Ic.  Next time just total exertion of whole immense arising and empty...see can 相应”


John tan wrote many comments but too long to post”


 Commenting on a certain teacher’s writings, John Tan wrote,


“When we say "Mind is the great earth", the first step is to understand and taste what is mind before we go a step further.


If the teaching doesn't teach and taste what mind is, then it is just beautiful talks and grandious speech.


Next one has to point out what is "great earth"?  Where is this "great earth"?  The soil, the ground, the flower, the air or buildings or the conventional world?


Then talk about what is total exertion they have been talking?


Then the integration of the mind and total exertion and that is +A.”



Soh: "Just now i printed hong wen liang article for my mom, was reminded of what you said when listening to this passage


色相也是,我看到你的时候,我的『妙净明心』,以你的色相,以你的色相就是我的动,不是我这里catch, 我知道,不是这样。你的色相就是我的『妙净明心』那样子动,所以有那个色相。色相就是我的『妙净明心』那样才有你的色相。所以,『在一切尘、一切刹』,你 到美国,美国的样子就是你的『妙净明心』以美国的样子动,看到苏联人哦哦哦地叫,那个声音就是我的妙净明心以那个声音的姿态动。知道或不知道是意识,但是 耳朵照样显现那个声音。所以,『在一切尘、一切刹』,你想到五千年前,思想上即会想到五千年前。“五千年前”的这个思想本身就是我的『妙净明心』那动, “啊,五千年前”,否则,你怎知道五千年前?你的『妙净明心』都是它去想,那个思想本身就是它的动呀。所以,『在一切尘、一切刹』,都是去到哪里,听到哪 里,想到哪里,就是显现嘛。所以,『与法界等』,不是另外有一个法界在,你的『妙净明心』在去等到,去认知,那就根本不是佛法了。这样你的我相怎抛开呢? 这个非常非常重要,你好好地自己亲证到、确认的时候,就是enlightened。 确认之前都有我,好像我有一个『妙净明心』在这里照、照、照。听的、看的,到哪里就看到哪里,到哪里就听哪里,那是外道说法,说有一个在转世。你整个法界 变,好坏、声音、色相、感觉、思想,就是你的妙净明心那样子动。那你的本性不是『与法界等』嘛?否则怎『等』呢?所以『与法界等』就是这“赤裸裸”的事 情。"

(Translation of the text above can be found in 
Everything is oneself, mind cuts off all connections 物物皆自己,心心绝诸缘 by Zen Master Hong Wen Liang)


The same is true for visual form. When I see you, my 'wondrously pure and clear mind,' through your visual form, is my movement. It's not that I catch it, I know it. Your visual form is how my 'wondrously pure and clear mind' moves, so there is that visual form. The visual form is how my 'wondrously pure and clear mind' moves to have your visual form. Therefore, 'In all dusts, all worlds,' if you go to America, the appearance of America is how your 'wondrously pure and clear mind' moves as America. Seeing a Soviet person shouting, that sound is my wondrously pure and clear mind moving in that sound's form. Whether you know or don't know is consciousness, but the ears still manifest that sound. Therefore, 'In all dusts, all worlds,' if you think of five thousand years ago, your thought immediately goes to five thousand years ago. The thought of 'five thousand years ago' is the movement of my 'wondrously pure and clear mind,' 'Ah, five thousand years ago.' Otherwise, how would you know about five thousand years ago? It's your 'wondrously pure and clear mind' that goes there to think, and that thought itself is its movement. So, 'In all dusts, all worlds,' wherever you go, whatever you hear, wherever you think, it's all manifestation. Thus, 'Equal to the Dharma Realm' doesn't mean there is another Dharma Realm that your 'wondrously pure and clear mind' goes to recognize or equate to; that would not be Buddhism at all. How then can you abandon the notion of self? This is extremely important. When you personally verify and confirm this, you are enlightened. Before confirmation, there is self, as if I have a 'wondrously pure and clear mind' here watching, watching, watching. What you hear, see, wherever you go, you see it there, you hear it there, this is the heretical doctrine that speaks of a transmigrating soul. The entire Dharma Realm changes, good or bad, sound, visual form, sensation, thought, it's all the movement of your wondrously pure and clear mind. Isn't your nature 'Equal to the Dharma Realm'? Otherwise, how could it be 'equal'? Therefore, 'Equal to the Dharma Realm' is this stark reality."




John Tan: "👍"





Also See: A compilation of Zen teacher Anzan Hoshin Roshi's teachings


I used chatgpt to create a program to scrape all articles by Dharma Texts by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei and then make them into a PDF

 All the following articles are taken from https://wwzc.org/ on 23rd December 2023. Please visit the

website for latest articles and information. If these teachings interest you, I highly recommend
taking up the Long Distance Training Program at https://wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program

 

https://app.box.com/s/ki5ns6ncs84erig2pud82hbfz2flp6ra

 

Mirror link:  https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cp4b5qfotx8uwbc4inbzk/VenJinmyoRengeSensei_Articles.pdf?rlkey=nbd89s9882g1tlhtkwwzsm42w&dl=0

 

I remember John Tan liked her articles. I enjoy reading her articles too.


Session Start: Friday, 30 April, 2010

(9:38 AM) Thusness: The tata is very good. The Stainless is also good but just to be picky... the 'it' must be eliminated...stainlessness is the ungraspable of the arising and passing phenomena. Without essence and locality of any arising...nothing 'within or without it'.
(9:38 AM) Thusness: all the expressions in what u quoted are excellent.
(9:38 AM) Thusness: and all those phases of insight is to get u to what's being expressed. 🙂
(9:38 AM) Thusness: and all those phases of insights are to get u to what that is being expressed in the tata and stainless articles. It is the place where anatta and emptiness become obsolete. 🙂
(9:38 AM) Thusness: put this in the blog...great expression 

John Tan also told me before my anatta realisation:

(11:20 PM) Thusness:    u never experience anything unchanging
(11:21 PM) Thusness:    in later phase, when u experience non-dual, there is still this tendency to focus on a background... and that will prevent ur progress into the direct insight into the TATA as described in the tata article.
(11:22 PM) Thusness:    and there are still different degree of intensity even u realized to that level.
(11:23 PM) AEN:    non dual?
(11:23 PM) Thusness:    tada (an article) is more than non-dual...it is phase 5-7
(11:24 PM) AEN:    oic..
(11:24 PM) Thusness:    it is all about the integration of the insight of anatta and emptiness
(11:25 PM) Thusness:    vividness into transience, feeling what i called 'the texture and fabric' of Awareness as forms is very important
then come emptiness
(11:26 PM) Thusness:    the integration of luminosity and emptiness


——


Listening to PDFs on iPhone, Android, and Windows

This guide provides instructions for downloading and listening to PDF files on iPhone, Android, and Windows devices, utilizing text-to-speech features.

For iPhone Users

Download the PDF files:

  1. Open Safari on your iPhone.
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  3. Tap the zip file to download, then tap again to extract the contents in the Files app.

Add PDF files to the Books app:

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  2. Find the folder with the extracted PDFs.
  3. Select the PDFs, then tap "Share."
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Listen to PDFs using speech control:

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For Android Users

Download the PDF files:

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Add PDF files to a PDF reader app:

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Use text-to-speech features:

  1. Download a text-to-speech app like Voice Aloud Reader or explore the latest options on Google Play Store.
  2. Open the app, grant permissions, and choose a PDF file to listen to.
  3. Alternatively, use the built-in text-to-speech feature in Accessibility settings, if available on your Android device.

For Windows Users

Listen to PDFs using Microsoft Edge or Adobe Acrobat Reader:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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  4. Select "Read Aloud" and use the controls to manage playback.
  5. Adjust reading speed and voice in "Voice options."
  6. Stop the reading with the "X" button in the control bar.

Note: The "Read Aloud" feature is optimized for text-based PDFs and might not work as expected with PDFs composed of scanned images.