Practice ?

There are funny misunderstandings among the Buddhists,  which lead to the even funnier

misconception of the Buddhism.

Due to the each sect’s tactics to monopolize the Buddhism,  each sect having their own practice,

banging a drum or chanting the name of mantra or sitting etc etc what so-ever.

But,  one shouldn’t forget,  they are just a mean or tool to learn Buddhist’s Teachings.

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There are hundreds of practices which bear the name  ***** Dou such as Ju-dou, Ken-dou, etc.

Dou mean  A Way / Pathway —– to reach Buddhist’s enlightenment.

It is a vessel to cross the other side.  In metaphor, a finger  pointing the moon.

With an unfortunate confusion in the English translation,  the word  PRACTICE was taken like

a  training exercise. But,original meaning is To apply the teachings to a real situation and Do it.

Medical practice mean actually cut a stomach and stitch it —— Oh, c’mon don’t cut it for practice. 😀

To reach Olympic Medal in swimming, swimmer needs the basic training of running, push-up etc

though, no-one would think, do the running is swimming.

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Yet still, lots of  self-proclaimed  Buddhist believes  ” As I’m chanting the name of mantra, hours

every day —– so I’m a  Buddhist ” —– so, I asked ” How come, your joint (hashish)”  ” Oh, with this

I can reach even higher spiritual level ” ——- m m m ?

Buddha’s followers literally followed him, And copied exactly the same what he was doing.

This is the PRACTICE.  Buddha was the living sample of How to live as a Buddhist.

Buddha was not doing any training exercise.  When he want, just sit and took a rest.

But never tortured his legs.  ( So, he could walk by his own till 83, to his Nirvana —— in comparison,

all the Zen sect high Priests  end up in wheel-chair when they got old, due to many years of torture to

the legs. —— when Master Dogen said  ” Just sit ”  on that time life-expectancy was mere 40~50 years,

long before the body started to show the symptoms of old age)

So,—– sitting is just sitting, take a rest ( away from the life’s all other activities / actions ) — hence,

no need to think or worry —– have a break, that’s all.

It is so funny, sitting itself was mistook as to be a Buddhist. —— No, It’s a misunderstanding to think

” Sitting is to reach the Dharma ” —— No, we are with Dharma 24 hours, every fraction of second.

Our life itself is the PRACTICE.  To achieve the best in the PRACTICE is the Buddhism.

___/\___

PS:  As I wrote in the earliest posts, those ” Repeating Buddhist’s Practices “ are the

training Practice to learn ” Do the things without thinking “ ( by means of ware-out the mind )

which is aimed to attain the State of the Mushin.

The Key to the Buddhist’s life is To live the life in Mushin—— hence, life is the PRACTICE to

apply the way of Mushin.  And the Mushin is the synonym to the Clear Eyes to see the Truth.

SELFLESS (MUSHIN) in Daily Life

All about  Buddhism,  is the practice of Doing.  Not in the  Thinking.

On the time of  Buddha,  Buddha’s life style was the practice to follow and copy.

To copy how to handle the things,  what to do, from  Buddha’s own style  was of cause,  imperative.

In Buddha’s time  there was no Mantra of cause.   Therefore, other than listening his fascinating talking,

anything else was just repeating same practice =  Daily Life / without questioning or talking.

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This was the reason how the tradition of pilgrimage started.

Since Buddha was no longer with them, they wanted to feel real environment or back ground of the act, where

Buddha has found the truth or taught truth, as the truth comes through act, not from the knowledge alone.

———- And those traditions are still alive,  such as in a Zen Temple,  everything carried out

without a word or explanation but just copying senior monk’s doing. —— Do the Same.

And all the Zen originated Japanese art practice,  include Martial Art has been taught by just copying

and perfecting exactly the same movement of the Master,  which was regarded to be

the way  (Path way, Road = Dou) to reach Enlightenment  (Satori).

——————–

And this was  how  Buddha’s Teaching was kept 200 years after his Nirvana, without  written  Mantra.

( Hence, to believe the power of Mantra itself,  such as Dharani of Tantrism is not Buddhism )

Just carrying out same simple daily life  without talking,  lead to attain the practice

without thinking = Mushin ( and naturally without SELF),  hence it would lead to attain

Life ( in general ) in Mushin ——— hence to attain Enlightenment and  Nirvana.

( You see Buddhism is not complicated at all )

Complication only started to appear when professional monk try to theorize and glorifying the

Buddhism.  Though, to explain invisible subconsciousness and the Dharma was almost impossible task.

And end up 3000 Mantras.  As ancient Buddhists didn’t have single Mantra, yet managed to attain

Enlightenment was,  just by those simple practices ——- not by word or thinking.

In deed,  thinking is completely opposite of  MUSHIN.    MUSHIN.is Just Do It.