Reading
I bought this over the weekend. Something that really struck me:
“‘Ashes do not come back to firewood’. Ash is ash. Ash should be completely ash. The firewood should be firewood. When this kind of activity takes place, one activity covers everything.” - Shunryu Suzuki
Ultimate truth really can’t be conveyed in words. So things seem silly or irrational. It’s in the experience. When something is burned, what remains is all there is. Our suffering comes from not accepting things as they are. Our preferences cause discontentment.
“When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.
…
Of course it is often necessary to think or prepare before we act. But right thinking does not leave any shadow. Thinking which leaves traces comes out of your relative confused mind. Relative mind is the mind that sets itself in relation to other things, thus limiting itself. It is this small mind which creates gaining ideas and leaves traces of itself.”
Become what you are doing and when it is finished let it be over. When we are free of expectations we are free. This is very difficult and takes much practice.
Out of context these might be confusing. If you’re at all interested in working on your mind I highly recommend this.
Alan Watts…
Comment by Sandi — November 29, 2006 @ 2:43 am