Praise, Blame, and Explain.

 (excerpt from Red Pine translation of the Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma.  From the breakthrough sermon, pages 90-91)

    "You should realize that the practice you cultivate doesn't exist apart from your mind. If your mind is pure, all buddha-lands are pure. The sutras say 'If their minds are impure, beings are impure. If their minds are pure, beings are pure.' And '  To reach a buddha-land purify your mind. As your mind becomes pure, buddha-lands become pure.'  Thus by overcoming the three poisoned states of mind the three sets of precepts are automatically fulfilled."

Questioner asked..." But the sutras say the six paramitas are charity,morality, patience, devotion, meditation, and wisdom. Now you say the paramitas refer to the purification of the senses. What do you mean by this? And why are they called ferries?"

 

   "Cultivating the paramitas means purifying the six senses by overcoming the six thieves.

 Casting out the thief of the eye by abandoning the visual world, is charity.

Keeping out the thief of the ear by not listening to sounds, is morality.

Humbling the thief of the nose by equating all smells as neutral, is patience.

Controlling the thief of the mouth by conquering desires to taste, praise, and explain, is devotion.

Quelling the thief of the body by remaining unmoved by sensations of touch, is meditation.

And Taming the thief of the mind by not yielding to delusions but practicing wakefulness, is wisdom.

These six paramitas are transports. Like boats or rafts, they transport beings to the other shore. Hence they are called ferries. "

IZM Comments....

  As I typed this out two things stood out to me, All buddha-lands are pure if the mind is pure.

And also how Bodhidharma does not seem to mention the thieves ever disappearing. We are to practice taming, quelling, controlling, humbling, keeping out and casting out thieves. But we do not exist without them.

So what is liberation?  It seems to be the fluid ability to be in the company of thieves, without making the thief, king of your buddha-land.

What is Buddha-land?  It is the place where you find your practice, and where you become free. Your mind scape. Made-up of karma, thought, faith, obligations, ego-self, and thieves.

But I really came here to talk about Taste, Praise, and Explain. Thieves of the mouth (or fingers such is our case) 

What is the desire to taste? To know ourselves as Buddha perhaps? Or to know if the teacher we admire is really awakened? Or to have someone approve of us?  Those things don't mean anything if your mind if pure. 

You could think your mind is pure but maybe it isn't.  IF your asking if maybe it isn't i think you are practicing. If you insist, then maybe you want to taste. And if you are not asking or insisting it is just conversation, maybe your buddha land is pure.

What is the thief of praise? We make objects out of the things that we admire. If Foyan said it better, we neglect saying it in our understanding. Because we both want and fear the giving and receiving of praise. It can unsettle the ego. The Dali Lama once said that teachers have to be careful, they can be spoiled by the followers.

What is the thief of Explain?  I have been pondering this one for years. Only i used to think that Bodhidharma said "praise, blame, and explain." But I guess that is because the thief of taste was on my tongue. But anyway,  When we have felt that we purified our minds to any degree we wish to define, or when we want to ask out about minds in the sangha; I think this is where the thief of explain lives.

Some who explain to correct or inform. Some who explain to express their clarity yet get hopelessly boggled down. Some who explain their questions so much they miss the answer.

 

And a thought on what builds or informs a buddha-land. A Christian with a pure mind has a christian themed Buddha-land. A Taoist likewise. A pure mind is without specific mythological framework. All mythologies or lack thereof are pure to a pure mind.

 

Well there's my first batch of sour doughnuts.

What you all think?

 What can you explain about the other thieves and how you recognize and purify them?