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Being Upright: Zen Meditation and Bodhisattva Precepts (Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts)
by
Reb Anderson
We are anxious about whether we are worthy of
being supported by the universe, uncertain that the world has enough love and resources to go around.
Words are discriminating consciousness; words are also the way that discriminating
consciousness enslaves itself.
Observing how words enslave consciousness liberates discrimin...
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Through words, self and other dependently co-arise and are imbued with identity, and yet they are just words.
If you study the self and clearly see that it is nothing more than a word, you will see that it lacks an independent self-nature.
Thoughts of self-loathing are born of the same concern that generates self-praise. Both self-loathing and self-praise are tools in the service of self-concern.
Self-concern is often expressed by taking yourself too seriously.
taking yourself too seriously is a form of disrespecting yourself: it is taki...
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Taking yourself too seriously means that you believe that your own ideas ab...
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It means that you exaggerate your se...
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and underestimate your s...
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respect means “to loo...
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two kinds of conversations: intrapsychic and interpersonal.
Intrapsychic conversations are those you have alone, with your self. They are conversations with your personal experience: with your perceptions, your pain, and your joy.
Awareness and its objects account for all experience.
This is not to say that there is no self, it’s just that there is no independent self.
The self exists only in dependence upon mind ...
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any praiseworthy
qualities that manifest through our being are entirely due to the kind support of others.
With such vision it is not possible to praise self without mention of ...
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Freed from the belief in an independent self, we first notice and then praise...
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open up to deeper levels of disquiet.
getting closer to the source of their anxiety and closer to understanding the self.
Is there any better work for bodhisattvas than just to be entirely devoted to others, in conversation, mutually co-creating the universe?
Avaricious means “immoderately fond of accumulating wealth.”
giving that is selfishly motivated: giving primarily to get something in return.
order to promote her own reputation as a generous and virtuous practitioner of the bodhisattva way, giving with the hope that people would consider her generous and worthy of receiving even more gifts, which she could then distribute.
the disease is stinginess; the wonder is giving.
Stinginess is turning away from relatedness toward isolation, and as we turn away from others we also turn away from ourselves.
miserly, we don’t give to others, and we give the
bare minimum to o...
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three broad categories of gifts: material gifts, gifts of fearlessness, and gifts of dharma.
Gifts of fearlessness take several forms. The first form is to liberate beings from physical captivity, bondage, and torment. This form of giving can manifest as liberating people from prison or saving them from drowning.
Another form of giving fearlessness is to implicitly or explicitly recognize another person as buddha, showing him respect and appreciation in such a way as to foster his self-respect and confidence.
demonstrating fearlessness? It is being upright, willing to be who you are, and being that way so completely, fully, joyfully, enthusiastically, kindly, and compassionately, that others see and feel it and are inspired and encouraged to be fully themselves as well.
You give yourself to yourself, and you give others to themselves.
Essence of Zen Precepts (Zenkaisho)
commit yourself to not becoming angry at all.
The root meaning of arhat is “one who burns away or dries up all passions and defilements.”
passions are the field of blessings, and walking the middle path through this field is the way of awakening.
the teaching of all buddhas is realized when all religions of the world go beyond themselves.
The teaching of all buddhas means the teaching of the entire universe.
It was appropriate, because it woke me up from my inattention to my own conduct.
The anger that would have been appropriate for me to feel toward my own nonvirtue was reflected back so that I could realize my errors.
rage can be beneficial when it comes at a moment when we can understand its deep meaning and wake up.
the upright approach to working with aggressive energy. The first school is called judo, or “the gentle way.” The second school, aikido, may be translated as “the way of loving energy,” or “the loving way of handling [aggressive] energy.”
Patience is an antidote to anger
Practicing patience
