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Bob says:

"One" implies "two", etc. etc.

Obviously there is neither existence nor non-existence; both are mere
concepts constituting just another one of the infamous "pairs of
opposites", all of which are transcended by the Truth (which I like to
call "X", the unknown and unknowable).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dogs do not have Buddha-nature. The monk has no Buddha-nature. Chao-chou
has no Buddha-nature. Tim has no Buddha-nature. Phil has no
Buddha-nature. Gautama has no Buddha-nature. Buddha-nature has no
Buddha-nature.

The operative word (if it's a correct translation) is "has". Being is
all-sufficient and "has" nothing and needs nothing other than simply Being.
"Having Buddha-nature" is like saying clouds have a "nature" in addition to
simply being clouds. "Having a nature" is simply an abstract way of
parsing out a state of affairs. In the end, you lose whatever you "have".
And that's the way it is.

Mu.

{+} Phil {-}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a conversation between
Andrew and Gene....

Andrew:
> > The scene becomes the scene only through the
> > viewer, and the viewer is made the viewer by the scene.
>

Gene:
> Yes. I hope that this fact is not skipped over as
a mere 'new aphorism' to > read once and forget.

<snip...already 'digested' material>

Andrew:
The statement is forgotten, it is restated in
other words, until a formulation of words is found
that sticks. It has been stated and restated throughout history, and will
continue to be restated, no doubt. Eventually, the individual stops and
stays with the
fact. Because the time has come, or because the right formulation of words
has been found (the right spell).
________________

Gene:
As you say, as long as one is bound, all are bound. This
is literally true. That is why it is so important to give attention to the
_process_ of unbinding.

Andrew:
It's there all along, a matter of sitting still. Being the absolute is not
something that can be avoided or gained or lost. The sitting still must be
fierce, intense, charged with intent and urgency, this is another reason
for the dramatic stories. My own major fault for a long time in my attempts
at sitting was that I was too gentle, quiet, relaxed, too much
concentrated on Tathagata's serene bliss as a model. Now I have learned to
charge my sitting, and not just sitting, but all the activity of my life
with energy, spirit, like a Nio (warrior guardian)or like Fudo
(wrathful buddha) with his sword and lassoo, to capture and kill delusion
and throw it into the fire. Now, after I sit meditating, my brain feels
exercised, like after
an intense game of chess for example. Stillness has intensity, it roars.
____________

Gene:
>Neti-neti and ruling out must be done. The point is,
>to do that practice to _clear space_, not to add a >hurricane to that
space which is consciousness.
>This is why gentleness must be learned and exercised,
>at least in regard to oneself. Getting extreme or rough >with oneself,
leads only to more and more
>violent and self-punishing movements in that space. >Having compassion for
oneself, one learns that in dealing >with oneself, one may create peace and
space in ones own >life. It is that space which is the workshop of the
>conscious self.

Andrew:
Not extreme or rough in the sense of self punishing, but there must be a
feeling of
creativity, excitement, intense probing inquiry. To use the wind analogy,
the fire
needs a good supply of oxygen so it will burn bright and clear. Not a
hurricane, but
good steady breath.

Gene:
> Indeed... the judge is the Unicorn. And to insure that my 'Unicorn'
> metaphor does not lose potency, I will mention that we are speaking of
> actual, real Unicorns here, not some vague and mushy idea of Unicorns.
>

Andrew:
Absolutely real, and full of the desire to live, but willing to give itself
to be
consumed, knowing that
that is the way to live.

andrew

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> Dear List,
>
> I'm confused by the intimations some have made that there is neither
> subject nor object. It seems to me that there is only eternal Subject
> (Self), and that there can be Subject without there being a corresponding
> object (why not?). Is my viewpoint "wrong," or simply "incomplete?"
>
> In Sadhana,
>
> Tim

In order to prevent the mind from using all kinds of clever tricks to
conceive there is some kind of "reference", it is said that anything that
belongs to a pair of opposites, can't be Truth. When saying there is a
subject, this can only be valid if there is a subject-object relationship.
Otherwise, why use the term subject? Even silence doesn't escape from this
tool; the opposite of silence is sound. Life and death are opposites as
well; while the body is alive one could say to be the Subject; when the link
with the body is broken, a Subject without objects no longer makes sense.
The point is, Truth cannot be captured in words. Humans are thinking in
words; language depends on impressions in memory, made "somewhere in the
past". So the saying "one's real nature is free from the pairs of opposites"
indicates "It" is beyond the reasoning mind, senses, feelings and
experiences like life and death.

Jan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i think we should be able to buy food with sand dollars. then maybe
everyone would rush to the beach and learn something from its immensity and
seeming limitlessness.

at the boardwalk,
love and light,
zero

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lately, the primary desire for 'me' has been simply "To Be," to sense pure
being and nothing more. A most positive sign, if Nisargadatta is correct.
Grace has not yet deigned to open the doors to moksha as yet, but
everything is set up for the 'occurrence'.

Thanks to all (who answered wordlessly),

Tim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
offered by Glo:


The Unicorn in Captivity

(After the tapestry in The Cloisters)

Here sits the Unicorn

In captivity;

His bright invulnerability

Captive at last;

The chase long past,

Winded and spent,

By the king's spears rent;

Collared and tied

To a pomegranate tree-

Here sits the Unicorn In captivity,

Yet free.



Here sits the Unicorn;

His overtakelessness

Bound by a circle small

As a maid's embrace;

( 6 middle verses excerpted.)



Quiet, the Unicorn,

In contemplation stilled,

With acceptance filled;

Quiet, save for his horn;

Alive in his horn;

Horizontally,

In captivity;

Perpendicularly,

Free.

As prisoners might,

Looking on high at night,

From day-close discipline

Of walls and bars,

To night-free infinity

Of sky and stars,

Find here felicity:

So is he free -

The Unicorn.

What is liberty?

Here lives the Unicorn,

In captivity,

Free.



First and last verses of a poem by Anne Lindbergh

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