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Why are we born? We are born so that we will not have to be born again.
To attain unltimate enlightenment, called Nirvana, is like extinguishing a candle,
whose flame is suffering. fueled by the three poisons of 'desire', 'hatred' and 'ignorance'.
At the core of Buddhist teaching, and something that distinguishes it from other religions,
is the emphasis on MIND -- the forerunner of all good and all evil, the cause of suffering
and the source of ultimate release. Buddhahood is awareness and awareness is founded in the mind.
The Zen approach to the mind is subtle and useful. While other Buddhist approaches focus on morality,
meditation and wisdom as the medicine to relieve the three poisons, Zen is more simple and also more
difficult (because it is so subtle and cannot really be taught).
The first Zen teaching was almost 2500 years ago when the Buddha held up a flower before a crowd of
disciples. All were puzzled by this except for Kashyapa, who smiled in understanding.
Many years later in Tang Dynasty China a Zen master referred to a saying of Sojo:
Heaven and earth and I are of the same root.
The ten thousand things and I are of one subtance.
Almost 1000 years after Shakyamuni Buddha, Zen was brought to China by the Indian monk,
Bodhidarma in the 5th century. To this legendary figure has been attributed the bringing of zen, tea and
kung fu to China. He is purported to have cut off his eyelids to keep from falling asleep and to have spent
9 years in meditation facing a wall at Shaolin Temple in China. His approach to Buddhism was to use the
sword of wisdom to cut minds free from rules, trances and scriptures, which had grown in practice and
influence in China to that time.
Among his many teachings, were written:
* The essence of the way is detachment.
* Not thinking about anything is Zen.
* The goal of those who practice is freedom from appearances.
To focus on the mind is to focus on practical living, this very moment and moment to moment. The
breath is a useful tool to develop awareness.
The mind is intrinsically tranquil. Out of this tranquility, anxiety and confusion are born.
If one sees and knows this confusion, then the mind is tranquil once more. We meditate to get rid of
things, not to gain things.
Every day is a good day.