Once upon a time and oft repeated throughout the ages there was an important talk, given by many Zen Masters. This talk, once came as the result of months of preparation for the visit.
After months of gathering the food and planning the meals and festivities and planning for special occasions for the public and the visiting dignitaries. All the monks could not stop talking of the expectations of what great things they would learn when they get their turn to ask the great master who was coming to visit.
"Do you think he knew Huang-Po?" "I heard that he burnt up the whole cannon when he got enlightened." "I read all his books, and I am going to ask if meditation is important or not." "I find that his words where poorly translated, and it will be great to discuss with him what he means personally." "Yeah well I don't trust that guy, to be honest. So it is my intention to check him out. See if he can quote three of his friends to my satisfaction." " I heard that he killed a snake." "I heard that he cut off a finger..i mean damn... what kind of zen is that!"
Soon the thrill of possible engagement has the monks circling about with each other, forming alliances, and sharpening weapons of intellectation, making personality judgements. Even the humble and true monks are drawn out.
" I just want to see his eyes, I think that will answer my question."
"What? How can that happen? What is your question?"
" I don't know yet."
"Then how can you ask him?"
"Maybe that is my question."
"Yeah ok, your not making sence. I am going to ask if he had a good journey I mean, all the questions are foolish for a guy like that guy."
Finally the day arrives. The monks are informed that the topic of the Zen Master's Lecture will be "What is zen practice". And it all begins.
The Master walks up the place to give the talk, and bangs his staff on the floor once. and leaves.
A nervous head monk is beside himself with confusion and also with a giggle because he gets it but.... the crowd of folk look on with various twists of face and scowl. The head monk takes the microphone.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes the Masters commentary on Zen practice.
But just before the Master left to travel here, his good friend Joshu send along a sealed letter that was not to be opened until after the Master's Lecture. He felt it might clear things up, he thinks that Zen Master X is just to obscure about things. So he wanted to send back up support for the instruction part of the Lecture.
Sayings of Joshu
A monk asked, “What is the path of true practice?”
The master said, “If you know how to practice, do it. If you do
not know how to practice, you’ll probably fall into some world of
cause and effect.
A monk asked, “I’ve heard that you have said, ‘The Way is not
acquired by practice, just don’t become degenerate.’ What is not
being degenerate?”
The master said, “Closely examining inside and outside.”
The monk said, “Then do you yourself closely examine or not?”
The master said, “I closely examine.”
The monk said, “What fault do you have that you yourself
closely examine?”
The master said, “What is it’ that you have?”
A monk asked, “I wonder if a man of true practice can be perceived
by gods and demons or not?”
The master said, “They can perceive him.”
The monk said, “Where is his fault?”
The master said, “Faults are wherever they are looked for.”
The monk said, “In that case, it is not practice.”
The master said, “It is practice."
IZM side tangent.
IF you know how to practice, do it. If you do not, you will fall into cause and effect. In the Lanka Ch 2-middle, Buddha tells us that when we understand that the habit energy of the mind are projections of our mind, we can learn to free ourselves from being drawn into the projections. To eventually, thru practice, attain effortless mastery over their own minds.
The practice perhaps of not falling into cause and effect. Yet, Bodhidharma spoke of shit just happens to us anyway, due to ages of habit energy. The trick would be in learning to not add more or keep carrying the habits of mentality and thought, and to practice not ruminating and rationalizing in egoistic emotionalism, that are the causes of the trouble.
(post note, can also be self managed for the least ill effect or toward a most blessed effect. We are taking about to be free of projections, implies to float as you will along with them methinks, but that is a too much side side-tangent-poof)
As for the question of meditation, it is really moot. And really personal. Every-bodies Zen is a personal practice developed by the individual.
What counts is the end result, the clear spontaneous realness of the simplicity of the staff drop. All else is debate and commentary, action and prevention and communication.
But *it* is not that either. ( It means zen and the practice that is zenning)
May your Christmas be merry and bright
And may all your minds get with the Enlight.
