Run for a Bus
On the way to a weekly gathering of the Wireless Wednesday
(WiFi Net geek’s work shop) at Greenwich,
I saw a back of a bus just gone from the stop. Then the bus was stopped on a traffic light.
Can I catch it at the next bus stop ? —– should I run or not ? —– In fact, I did and managed
to get on board. (otherwise, it could have been another quarter to half an hour wait, as this service is
rather poor) —– it may not be an old Buddhist’s like hassle.
Is it ? —– Seeing a back of a bus, therefore accept the bad timing = is this, a grown-ups decent
contemplation ? Rush to the next bus stop instead and catch it, isn’t this an effort we should give ?
(Don’t laugh this, as a mediocre Bus story = take it as a metaphor as we are always facing
this kind of situation every day.)
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When we faced a difficult situation, even impossible or too late.
One attitude is to give up, forget it, and just get on the life. This is one of the way to
keep one’s peace of mind. As it accept the situation and follow the fate, it is quite
Buddhist’s like contemplation, some might say. —– is it ?
—– In reality, this is all about what we call [Decision making] in our life.
To see a possibility or feasibility (in comparison to one’s ability) and challenge it to do.
How important and how big the possibility = expectation to succeed.
Don’t expect too much. Know the one’s limit and the size, is the wise man’s advice,
hence, to [know who you are], and to have [humble life] is in fact, a kind of safe bet.
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In the early time, Buddhism took this approach, hence hundreds of rules of [Don’t do this]
of which some sect even calls them as Dharma (to call man’s words as Dharma is nothing but a
preposterous arrogance though) —– normally, do nothing would cause fewer possibilities of
making mistakes.
It looks true, as it would give a kind of peace at least 😀
Therefore, abandon the ordinary life, cessation of relation, complete detachment to the mess of
human life, not to do this and that etc etc —– then a question arose, what for we are here ?
—– is this what the Dharma created us for ?
What Buddha denied was the ego and the useless thinking. But those so-called rules are
nothing other than an artificially composed man’s idea remote from the human nature.
This was the beginning of the Mahayana Buddhism.
Exactly same logic to deny the ego / self was used to deny the idea to deny the human nature.
Hence the Mahayana approach was established = do what you need to do, suffer as you
have to suffer = this is what the Dharma is.
But when the one does something, what extent the person should go ?
What is within the limit of the Dharma, which isn’t go into the ego and the greed, obsession
—– then, the idea of [Middle-way] was developed.
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So, the real Buddhism wouldn’t impose you “not to run for a bus” 😀
Far from it, Dharma will count the effort of a person.
Since the Dharma is not for the degeneration, but for evolution and active development
= unless otherwise we are not here today as us, and being extinct long ago.
Run for the bus = the reason why the bus showed its back and halted on the traffic light was = it gave
an opportunity for me to run. Take a risk. Challenge the project which you conceived = you to
have conceived the idea was for you to challenge it task = otherwise the Dharma wouldn’t
have chosen you to conceive its idea in the first place.
Do your best. Just do it.
___/\___
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Yoshizen
Decision making is a crucial part of every day life, and I think many confuse detachment with living like a monk or nun, no? Do you think that is the case?
Do the patterns with habits and pyschology we make with our actions part of our Dharma? I would imagine so…
one more question in relation to inaction; does a state of mushin help that, because I think that it can be based in the body and activity.
A man who was going to a corner shop next to the bus stop wouldn’t have even noticed
that the bus was there.
Our eyes only catch what we need = where the mind is.
When our mind is not there, despite where it should be = blinded by ignorance, laziness, biased,
obsessed or even deluded.
What all about Buddha’s teaching = [clear eyes] is, what we should see with right vision.
Detachment shouldn’t be confused with [turned blind eyes] with laziness or apathy, hence inaction.
Detachment and the Mushin came into action when we “Do something” (include Seeing).
It is “detached from” own mind (include silly or wrong idea), emotion, ego and the greed, not
from the subject. = Do it purely for the sake of DOING with maximum conviction (mindfulness).
(This mind set can be obtained by doing the repeating practice)
Doing / have Done without the interference of own mind = WHO did it ? = because the SELF
was not there ===> Dharma did it.
As it was done by the Dharma, (or one’s hand did it according to the Dharma) it is perfectly
in-line with Dharma = hence perfect harmony with the Universe.
—– This is what the ZEN is. (in its shortest summery)