Middle Way

Most of the explanation and understanding of the Buddhism are based on Buddha’s life style.

Buddha himself was the very living sample and the text-book.

Not only what and how he does the things but also how he sees and perceives,  feels and thinks the world.

Since it was the way of the life,  it is not the abstract system of the philosophy,  and as he is the living sample

it is not the religion to believe.   ( The reason why the Buddhism became a  religion later was,  as he has gone

to his Nirvana and  only the legend to believe left.  Once the facts is no longer on front, the story changes.)

———————————

Since the matter is the state of the mind,  harder still, almost invisible subconsciousness,  not all the details,

what it is, why so,  were necessary elucidated. ——– May be because he had explained it in enigmatic

metaphor or left it without verbal explanation and let the people to learn through practice.

So that, even the disciples of  Buddha himself,  to attain certain mental state needed to have lots of guess-work.

————————-

To deny one’s ego and attain the negation of attachment,  then broaden it to the general emotional detachment

is hard enough  ( I’m rather skeptical,  how many monks has ever  reached even to this stage)

Then from there ( in the state of Mushin ) to realize  ” If the self is not exist,  how the same self can impose

the denial to other existences ?”  (Which is what I’ve described before using a metaphor,  -1 x -1 = +1 )

This is the core of the Notion of Middle Way ( We often make a joke ” Somewhere in the middle ” but

it is not such simple matter of quantity / Half Measure.)

Unless the person standing in the state of Mushin, this  Middle Way has no meaning as it is a part of Mushin.

———— There is a good sample in the previous post  ” Ikkyu-san ” /

” It’s good to have human hot water bottle “—— Ikkyu didn’t reject her in the same bed,  far from it, he

appreciated her accompany and the warmth.  But just took asleep.

This is the MIDDLE WAY.  How it is  HINAYANA !

( If you felt a discord when you read this passage in Ikkyu,

you are not Hinayana enough, not liberated enough.)

——— As it is not the matter of quantity or intensity,  as there is no such things like  ” Little bit less Mushin ”

It is next door beyond the Mushin.

From Room A you go to next Room B,  then go up the stair and open the next door to go into

another Room A’ which looks identical  to the Room A,  though this Room is situated above Room A.

You may think,  you were come back to tha same Room though, this one is in different dimension.

Not only Room A’  is situated above Room A,  from there you can see Room A, Room B like bird’s eye view,

since Room A’ has no floor or wall to block the view.   This is the place of absolute freedom.

Since Buddha was  in deed the resident of this Room A’  he had the freedom of the view,  and there

was even no silly restriction such as what to eat.  He ate anything offered.  (Hence he died with food poisoning

of a fish which he was grateful as it gave him the Nirvana )

As  Buddha had no stereotypical view or idea toward the death, he could just accept it,  hence it was  Nirvana.

———————–

Yet still, even the disciples were not necessary able to learn everything from the living text-book / Buddha

they needed to argue another 1000 years to find the door way to the Room A’.

And the  Room A’  looks almost identical to the Room A,  the old masters  who actually reached to this Room,

all of them just shouted  ” What a hell.  It’s a Dog Shit ”  —– ( But mind you, this Dog Shit is the same Dog Shit

Buddha stepped on. —– It is the Holy Dog Shit. So you know, it’s even smell nice. /  Internet information

says, at the Shaolin Temple in China you can buy a gold replica of this dog shit.   Ha ha ha  I’m kidding.  😀  )

Who is the Self ?

” Did Buddha kill his own SELF ?”

I’ve visited a site called < Contoveros > run by Michael J who gave

a good observation of his Zen life to my blog. (@ Mindfullness / comment )

I can see he has cultivated nice friendly community around his

relaxed heart warming blog spot.

——- And I found very interesting words in his spot which says

” Needn’t kill yourself to be like Buddha ” ——m m m ? ! ! !

Waite a moment matey, did Buddha killed his Self ?

According to the so-called Buddha’s biography (along side some historical facts)

Buddha had abandoned his status to be the Royal Prince and became a bikku

which gave a serious havoc to the linage of the Magada Kingdom etc——.

Even though it was for a quest to find the truth to save the human being,

Wasn’t that by his crazy ego ? especially to the eyes of  Shakya Royals.

——————–

Here is the very interesting issue of What is the self, ego ——What is

the person’s role to be born under the Dharma.

In the Buddha’s eyes, clinging the position to be the Royal Prince while

indulging exclusive prosperity was the greed  and ego infested by the

delusions, therefore it has to be get rid of it.

——–In my view, Buddha didn’t kill his self ofwhich he was born with.

He only needed to expose it which had been stashed away under the

cover of Royal robe.

The same apply to anybody as you are born to be the self by the Dharma,

but to live as the true  yourself (some time called  Inner-self ) you only

need to get rid of the life of unnecessary and excess ofwhich most of them

are artificial and unnatural (This is so-called Middle way ).

——————–

From the tiny thumbnail of Michael’s photo, I can see his really nice character.

Look his child like twinkling eyes and the round smiley cheeks.  The shape of

ears shows his rather well-off happy life.

A man born like him wouldn’t be killed even under the bombardment of Vietcon.

Dhrma protect him to fulfill his life.

(As a family tradition, I’m pretty good to read the face and the line on the palm)

Congratulation to Michael.