Just looking

Look directly at the thoughts
appearing and vanishing.

Then look directly at the
one who is apparently
looking at the thoughts.

Is anybody there?

Appearances: Dreamlike

Hui Neng asked himself:

Does the mind go towards the apparent object
or does the apparent object comes to the mind?

And the mountain replied:

Neither does the mind go to the apparent object,
nor does the apparent object comes to the mind.

MU

Zen 10 Ox-herding pictures: 6- Getting free of hindrance

Traditional poem:

Sleeping contentedly under the sky,
the buffalo needs the whip nevermore.
The boy, sitting under the pine tree,
starts to play a peaceful, happy tune.

My words:

Mushotoku,
the old Patriarch is HERE,
right NOW, by the pine tree;
NOW, you are HERE too.

Insight has turned into WISDOM,
and mind is CALM and CLEAR,
FREE from hopes and fears,
no longer fettered by CLINGING
and CRAVING.

This is a stage where SATORI
has been polished, and mind
dwells in PEACE and BLISS,
even in the midst of turmoil.

Mind rests in a SELFLESS state,
which is its natural state,
fresh, artless and unbound.

This is the old Patriarch,
NOW, beyond past, present
and future, right HERE.

Gautama: Insight against dogmas

Usually, we think that if many people follow a special method,
that method MUST be right, just because so many people can
not be wrong. And we are wrong.

Life is about QUALITY, not quantity.

We have many examples of great masses of people following
specific religions, but not becoming free of ignorance.

We find a kind of security when becoming part of a group,
but we pay with DEPENDENCY, if not submission, to the
DOGMAS created by the leaders.

And if we disagree with these dogmas, usually we must do
it in low voice, or we get in trouble with the AUTHORITIES.
This has the inconvenience of turning us into hypocrites.

Hui Neng had to deal with a bunch of fanatics and hypocrites,
and we will have to do the same.

In fact, all this external "enemies" are just a reflection of
our own fanaticism and hypocrisy, and it is part of the
path to FACE them.

Fanatics can be dangerous, but usually you can see them
from afar, and you can easily take preventive measures.

Hypocrites are more dangerous, because they disguise
themselves under the mask of compassion and tolerance,
or whatever mask is convenient for them,and unless you
have a good intuition, they can be lethal.

A fanatic hypocrite is the most dangerous.

The trick is becoming WISER, which will turn you
STRONGER. If you defeat your own fanaticism and
hypocrisy, you will become wiser and stronger,
and nobody will be able to injure you.

Today, as yesterday and tomorrow, the key success
factor is being HONEST and PRACTICING GENUINELY:
To face your own wall with honesty, and if you need
help, to be able to be HUMBLE and look for somebody
wiser than we are.

This is very simple, but the problem is that we are
under the control of EGO, and ego does not know
about honesty or humbleness, just because they
mean its own destruction.

Sitting like a rock as preached by Dogen or Deshimaru,
it only reinforces EGO, so the more we practice in this
flawed way, the more we become entangled in samsara.

But this assertion of mine, based on my experience
and insight, must be investigated by you, the genuine
zen practitioner, in order to discover its truth or falsehood.

This is the only way to progress. Do not turn my assertions
into DOGMAS. Gautama, a genuine practitioner himself,
never wanted to replace the hinduist dogmas of his time by
a new set of dogmas. He just wanted people to investigate
by themselves, and find their own truths.

Zen is about getting to know yourself in more depth,
making your own working hypotheses and proving
or disproving them by practice.

So please, before rejecting or accepting any opinions or assertions,
put some effort and investigate, because you never know
the level of insight of the person who made that assertion.

Potentially, we are all buddhas, but in practice, we have
different levels of insight, depending on the Right effort
we have put on the practice.

Namaste

ZAZEN: Ego and Mirror

Look at the true mirror,
and tell me what do you see.

If you see a mask of your ego,
just focus on it, deeply.

It will try to escape, to hide,
so be mindful and tie it.

Once it calms down, drill it
with insight, sharply.

Keep pushing, and eventually
you will get inside the mirror.

Then you will discover,
that the mask is empty.

You will see the strings,
that control the puppet.

Then , you will enjoy the game,
until the strings break down.

The mask of habitual tendencies,
will become your disguise.

You will be the mirror,
using the many masks.

You will become spontaneous,
and become a zen practitioner.

This is ZAZEN.

Gautama: Who am I?

More than 2500 years have passed since Gautama asked himself this same question, and it took him, the future Buddha, a few years to find the answer to this simple but essential question.

Today, all of us, at some point in our lives, put this same question to ourselves, and consciously or unconsciously we find an answer, and that answer affects our whole lives.

Usually, we ask ourselves this essential question more than once during our lifetime, and the answer is different each time, because we go through changes and experience different things during our life.

The problem is that very often, our answer to this crucial question is relatively superficial, and therefore, our perception of the world is very superficial as well.

Gautama did take his time to find the RIGHT answer to this question. He spent many years learning yoga with different masters, and because of his DILIGENCE and INNATE WISDOM,he found out the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS, which are his answer to this question.

He found out that living a confused life is SUFFERING.

He also found out that this SUFFERING has a CAUSE: not knowing who we really are.

He also discovered that this SUFFERING CAN COME TO AN END.

And finally, he showed the way to put an end to suffering: the NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH.

Unless we take seriously this essential question, we won´t find the right answer and our mind will keep turning around the axle of IGNORANCE, in the wheel of confused life.

The Zen method starts aknowledging that the most important thing you can do with your life is to find the RIGHT ANSWER to this question, and the first step is to DOUBT about the validity of ALL your present CONVICTIONS, or FIXED BELIEVES. Usually, our convictions CONVICT us.

This first step is the KEY SUCCESS FACTOR of the whole ZEN process.

All this convictions are ONLY ASSUMPTIONS we make in order to diminish our anxiety and create a safe view of the world, but they are not CERTAINTIES. In ZEN we look for CERTAINTIES, not convictions or assumptions. We don´t care if it takes a short or a long time to find the RIGHT answer. We don´t copy other people´s answers, not even the Four Noble Truths. Gautama found out CERTAINTIES, but if we take his certainties and BELIEVE in them, that will not help us: we will only replace our CONVICTIONS with another set of convictions.

So, please, if you want to practice true Zen, don´t BELIEVE: just FIND OUT for yourself the RIGHT ANSWER, which is ALWAYS A CERTAINTY, your certainty.

You can say: but in the past I already did that, and later on I found out that I was not right, that my answer was not the right answer.

And I will tell you: No, my friend, you didn´t do that. Your level of INSIGHT was not deep enough, because you did not generate the GREAT DOUBT, and consequently, your answer was just another BELIEF or CONVICTION, based on your own past experiences, prejudices and expectations, but not a CERTAINTY resulting from SEEING.

The difference between a FANATIC and a WISE man is that the fanatic has only CONVICTIONS, and in order to protect himself of anxiety does not listen to others and tries to CONVERT everybody to his DOGMAS in order to protect his illusory world. On the other hand, the wise man has CERTAINTIES, and he tries to help everybody, BUT DOES NOT WANT TO CONVERT anybody, and is not scared to be among people who hold different opinions.

Zen is not for the parrot-like people, or for the cowards, but for the ones willing to face his WALL, with all the selfish habits that usually contrive them into the world of suffering.

Zen is not for the "saints", "respectful pretenders" and "dummies", but for the warriors, willing to face his own ignorance and vices and find out who they really are.

This is not a path for everybody. It is not the only path, or the best path, but if you REALLY get into it, and practice it CORRECTLY, it will lead you to wake up the PATRIARCH within yourself, to SEE your real face.

So, my friend, WHO ARE YOU?

Zen 10 Ox-herding pictures: 3- In Harness

Traditional Poem:

Under constant training, the buffalo stops dashing,
following the boy across streams and through clouds.
Not daring to loosen the rope in his hand,
the boy tends the buffalo all day in spite of his fatigue.

My words:

A glimpse of your real face,
do not let go the rope and the whip!
Follow the stream of the lineage,
and the bull will become your friend.

At this stage, our discipline has borne out some fruit, and he have reached a good level of Shamata.

Now it´s easier to pacify the mind, we don´t need to struggle continously with it, but we still need to be VIGILANT, and use the rope of concentration and the whip of mindfulness so the bull follows us gently.

During our meditation, we have reached some INSIGHT into the nature of the Mind, and that is why the head of the bull is white; but it has been only a glimpse of it, that has to transform into full realization.

Using Zen vocabulary, we can say that the SATORI experience has appeared, but it has to be polished. Many practitioners can reach this stage, but if they untie the bull, thinking that they have reached enlightenment, then they will drown in the river of arrogance and self-conceit.

That is why it is very important to have a master who can help you not going astray.

Facing the Wall

Each practitioner has to SIT DOWN, facing his/her personal Wall, and LOOK at it.

Sitting down means STABILIZING YOUR MIND.

FACING THE WALL means to FOCUS on your own mind, as the object of concentration.

LOOKING means PENETRATING the Wall.


If you are skillful enough, you don´t need to physically sit down. You can "SIT" while walking. As long as you are able to keep a peaceful mind, you are SITTING.

Facing the wall means to keep your attention on your own mind.

Mind here means the SKANDAS.

Unless you focus on them, you will never know the root of suffering, and consequently, the wheel will keep turning.

Looking means penetrating, using INSIGHT to SEE the real nature of the wall.

If you don´t know how to Sit down your mind, you better find a master who can teach you. But remember that sitting is not enough.

After sitting, you have to face your wall and look at it.

Analyzing is not looking.

Thinking is not looking.

In fact, in order to SEE, you will have to CRACK your INTELLECTUAL MIND.

When you SEE, that is SATORI.

SEEING THE NATURE OF MIND IS SATORI.

But SATORI is not enough. You have to familiarizate yourself with it: that is REALIZATION.

Don´t fall asleep, or you will find the Kyoshaku on your back.