Tag Archives: imagelessness

The Creator

An earnest, true Lankavatarian adept of the Unborn Mind-school should recognize and be fully convinced that this triple world is nothing but a complex manifestation of one`s mental activities; that it is devoid of selfness and its belongings. That there are no strivings, no comings and no goings. In light of the Lanka, One should recognize and accept the fact that this triple world is manifested and imagined as real only under the influence of habit-energy that has been accumulated since the beginning-less past, by reason of memory, false-imagination, false-reasoning as well as attachments to the multiplicities of objects and reactions in close relationship and in conformity to ideas of body-property-and-its-master, the imaginary mind. read more

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The Lanka and the no-soul

In order to have the best overall comprehension of Unborn Mind Zen’s notion of a soul, one first needs to turn to the best foundational source, the Lankavatara Sutra. As we do so keep in mind this question: Does a Buddha have a soul? read more

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Eternal Birth

It is within Eckhart’s exact art of preaching and the “ascesis of attentive listening” that the transcendent awareness of the Divine Birth takes place, and the mystical ground is self-realized; incidentally this is the same act as proclaiming and receiving the Buddhadharma. Eckhart planned particular sermons for the meaning of Christ’s birth. This was initiated to coincide with the cycle of the liturgical season of Christmas. Sermon 101 starts by citing Wisdom 18:14- 15, the “Introit, or opening chant, for the mass of the Sunday within the octave of Christmas.” read more

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Spiritual Madness

DISCOURSE NINE

How confused adepts misunderstand the word “in”,
And the delusions which follow read more

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Why Birth, Why Death?

Having now covered a healthy dose of this series on the Sagathakam, you may have observed that many of these gathas (verses) are repetitious in nature. It’s as if the Sagathakam is one long spiritual exercise for students of the Lanka and that elements of its composition was not composed by just one scribe, but several. Since the Sagathakam basically covers the most prominent themes found within the Lanka, these different scribes composed many variations based on the same themes. In this fashion, the diligent and astute adept would be sure to memorize what was essential to the integrity of the Lanka as a whole. read more

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The Astounding Eighth Stage

  1. Mind (citta*) is the Alayavijnana, Manas is that which has reflection as its characteristic nature, it apprehends the various sense-fields, for which reason it is called a Vijnana.

Citta: citta principally means Mind. However, Suzuki breaks this down even more specifically and it is warranted that we note this: read more

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In A Lotus Palace

  1. [Cleary]: Constantly strengthened with impressions by the intellect as a basis of permanent reliance, the mind rambles in the realm of the senses like iron drawn to a magnet.

Ruled by the intellect alone, the result is being permanently marred with sensate phenomena. Suzuki refers to this as “the root being [incessantly] nourished with habit energy.” Thich Nhat Hanh offers a good observation on the nature of this habit energy: read more

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Non-Abidance

3. Q: Where does the Unborn Mind dwell?
A: Dwelling in imageless non-abiding is Its True Abode.
Q: What is this imageless non-abiding?
A: Imagelessness means abiding in no-thing, whether good or evil, being or non-being, neither within nor without, nor somewhere in-between. This is the meaning of being beyond the void of voidness, since there is really nothing to settle-in nor avoid. In this fashion one IS within the motionless-Unborn Mind that dwells neither here nor there, but everywhere for those who behold IT with imageless-eyes.
Q: So, then, what is this imageless-mind really like?
A: IT has neither form nor formlessness, no substrata of sense or thought, volition or mortal consciousness. IT is colorless, such as being devoid of yellow or green, blue or white. Unborn and deathless, IT is perfect quiescent stillness. Such then, is the Imageless Mind—the unadulterated Buddhakaya. read more

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The Fundamental Principle

16. “On the first day of the ninth moon, the Master said to me: From the time when the Great Master Bodhidharma arrived in China, he spoke only of the One Mind and transmitted only the one Dharma. He used the Buddha to transmit the Buddha, never speaking of any other Buddha. He used the Dharma to transmit the Dharma, never speaking of any other Dharma. That Dharma was the wordless Dharma, and that Buddha was the intangible Buddha, since they were in fact that Pure Mind which is the source of all things. This is the only truth; all else is false. Prajna is wisdom; wisdom is the formless original Mind-Source. Ordinary people do not seek the Way, but merely indulge their six senses which lead them back into the six realms of existence. A student of the Way, by allowing himself a single samsaric thought, falls among devils. If he permits himself a single thought leading to differential perception, he falls into heresy. To hold that there is something born and to try to eliminate it, that is to fall among the Sravakas.1 To hold that things are not born but capable of destruction is to fall among the Pratyekas.2 Nothing is born, nothing is destroyed. Away with your dualism, your likes and dislikes. Every single thing is just the One Mind. When you have perceived this, you will have mounted the Chariot of the Buddhas.” read more

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