Friday, 17 January 2014

the tar baby koan
Posted by at

10 comments:

  1. Sepehr20 January 2014 at 18:04

    Andrew, do you have any close friends in real life that you connect with?

    Besides my fiance, I do not have any other friends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. an3drew20 January 2014 at 18:47

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. an3drew20 January 2014 at 18:51

      i notice some people are friendly to me and some are not but personally i tend to treat people evenly, even if they have injured me !!!!!!!!!!!!!

      people are always disturbed by me even if i say something innocuous (or not ! :o)

      just something in the way i think upsets them, too deconstructive !

      some people often hold it against you showing them things clearer in the light of day (so to speak!)

      “one day, ananda bowed before shakyamuni buddha, paying respects before taking his seat next to him, sitting a while and then saying "admirable friendship, admirable camaraderie is part of the holy life."

      "don't say that, ananda! don't say that!" the buddha scolded”

      so i sorta have friends and i sorta don't, people who i have build up a relationship with as trustworthy and are not going to shoot me down, but for all that, i don't care for people.............

      (lol :o) sorta charles bukowskish

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ka04LqzoQ

      i can only tolerate people in quite small doses, and they me i think :o)

      everyone on reddit zen is liike this, (i think ! :o) (, minimal social skills, dysfunctional (life dysfunctional !), (but!) in addition they get things wrong and are victims of a voracious self esteem that puts them on self made gallows ! :o()

      my great weakness is a depressive character, let everyone walk over me and am always helping them when sometimes i shouldn't !

      i think you have that problem too !

      well i have other problems, impulsive :o)(

      Delete
    3. PxZ21 January 2014 at 05:03

      "everyone on reddit zen is liike this"

      Well I am married, have many friends, I'm OK in social situations however I do like to avoid them. I've no problem meeting people, and when I am forced to, I manage it well. However I choose solitude whenever I can.

      This is only partially true though, because my solitude always includes the Internet or books (that's actually being in presence and communicating with dead people) -

      In any case, your definition of "end timer" was entirely spot on. However I cannot see any reason to change, or any way change would even be possible at this point.

      I respect Pure Land Buddhism and the nenbutsu because they do not exclude endtimers from their text. They see the endtimer as precisely the person to address

      Delete
    4. Sepehr21 January 2014 at 06:35

      This is a good poem by Emily Dickinson illustrating this and more:

      http://www.edickinson.org/editions/1/image_sets/72750#search-panel=2

      (read text alongside manuscript)

      "Civilization - spurns - the
      Leopard!
      Was the Leopard - bold?
      Deserts - never rebuked
      her Satin -
      Ethiop - her Gold -
      Tawny - her Customs -
      She was Conscious -
      Spotted - her Dun Gown -
      This was the Leopard's
      nature - Signor -
      Need - a keeper - frown?

      Pity - the Pard - that
      left her Asia!"

      Interesting analysis of it:
      http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/arts-entertainment/civilization-spurns-the-leopard-emily-dickinson-18768.html

      "In my own life, I have seen certain astonishingly creative individuals destroyed by their inability to conform. We have probably all known ‘leopards’ like that."

      Delete
    5. an3drew21 January 2014 at 15:16

      zakaj, "A day in a pure land may be the same duration as years in another"

      what is the pure land ?

      in actuality, the pure land truly understood and experienced is NOT end timing !

      :o)(

      Delete
    6. an3drew21 January 2014 at 15:33

      sepehr, it's interesting that poem really comes across when you read it in the original handwriting !

      more than most of hers i'd say

      don't know why

      sorta warm to the touch :o)(

      Delete
    7. PxZ21 January 2014 at 16:00

      Wasn't Shinran a prime example of an "end timer"? Or perhaps I misunderstand the term?

      Quote:

      I really do not know whether the nembutsu may be the cause for my birth in the Pure Land, or the act that shall condemn me to hell. But I have nothing to regret, even if I should have been deceived by my teacher, and, saying the nembutsu, fall into hell. The reason is that if I were capable of realizing buddhahood by other religious practices and yet fell into hell for saying the nembutsu I might have dire regrets for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any religious practice, hell is my only home.

      Delete
    8. an3drew21 January 2014 at 18:28

      kakaj, I guess he was an end of timer, despite the six kids he had :o)(

      or because of :o)

      I understand your viewpoint , you are at least being honest about it ! :o)

      Delete
  2. an3drew21 January 2014 at 15:15

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)