Volume 45. November 22, 2023
This Thanksgiving we got a lot to be grateful for. Perhaps the most important thing might be our Buddha-nature.
It is always there. But we tend to ignore it. We experience our Buddha-nature when we relax, go with the flow and let things be.
The greatest obstacle to experiencing Buddha-nature is that pesky automaton chattering away in our cranium: the rational mind.
Rational thoughts help us navigate through the complex world. Our lifestyle would be impossible without education.
But rational knowledge is only one type of knowledge. Above and beyond rational knowledge is intuitive knowledge.
Intuition is the only method by which Buddha-nature can be known. The intellect is not enough. We have to experience it.
How do we experience our Buddha-nature? Easy. Meditation. Zen. Develop a mind that rests on nothing whatsoever.
Hui-neng was a peasant in 7th century China. His father died when he was young. His family was so poor he could not attend school. He never learned to read or write. He supported his mother by selling firewood.
One day in the marketplace, he heard a monk reciting a passage from the Diamond Sutra. “Let your mind flow freely, without dwelling on anything at all.”
Immediately, Hui-neng became enlightened. He was just a kid. Later, he went on to become the Sixth Patriarch of the Zen school.
The point: Book learning takes you only so far. If a poor, illiterate peasant can achieve Buddhahood, where does that leave us?
Develop a mind that rests on nothing whatsoever.
That’s how Buddhas act.
When we sit down at the Thanksgiving table, pondering whether we should pile potatoes on the plate or perhaps more stuffing, remember one thing.
Develop a mind that rests on nothing whatsoever.
That’s how Buddhas act.
When we ponder powerful Israelis pounding poor Palestinians to dust in the desolate rubble of Gaza, remember one thing.
Develop a mind that rests on nothing whatsoever.
That’s how Buddhas act.
When we face our thoughts in meditation, remember one thing.
Develop a mind that rests on nothing whatsoever.
That’s how Buddhas act.
Only when our mind ceases to dwell on anything whatsoever will we come to a true experience of Buddha-nature.
And that’s something to be grateful for.
The Buddha Times 