True meditation?

[Geoff-Allen]

Greetings fellow Earthlings!

I was cruising around not really looking for anything specific and found this quote by Hakuin:

What is this true meditation? It is to make everything: coughing, swallowing, waving the arms, motion, stillness, words, action, the evil and the good, prosperity and shame, gain and loss, right and wrong, into one single koan.

It comes from this page - scroll down a bit -

Hakuin: Master of the Koan

Feel free to respond in any way you fancy!

 

[Twilight Hue]

Eh I prefer fake meditation. ;0]

 

[Yes Man]

Interesting. I would have liked to see the article's sources cited so I could explore Hakuin's quotes more. I'm only a little familiar with Soto, and know almost nothing of Rinzai. I think a contemporary orthodox Soto practitioner might still be skeptical of what Hakuin is saying and reply as to having to clear the mind of distractions, that these "distractions" are simply meant to come and go and the root of practice is "just being" however clear or cloudy the mind may be.

 

[Avisitor]

Seems Hakuin was a man of practice and perseverance. Even practiced so hard as to get "Zen sickness". He often spoke against the priests of his time who practice "silent illumination" while actually sat there doing nothing. I guess his emphasis was on putting effort on the practice as to break thru the "Zen barrier".

It is a difficult task to do silent illumination without having done other practice to gain enough concentration. And Koans requires total mental effort to break thru the revelations to find the true answer to the Koans.

I know there are some who have practiced meditation for many years but have not had Satori or Kensho. And they do wish for the break thru. To experience the truth of Buddha nature.

Personally, I care not for Satori or enter the stream as much as I enjoy the path or journey that I am on. May be someday. Or may be in the next life. I wish all to find the happiness they deserve.

Note: True meditation separates the person from the perpetual monologue. It stops one from identifying with the words and emotions. After cleaning up, clearing up and settling on concentration, the stillness, the emptiness bears the root of what we are.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Hakuin: Master of the Koan

IMHO, Hakuin was an enlightened master. Others would not have said that.

"buddhi-yukto jahātīha, ubhe sukṛita-duṣkṛite;
tasmād yogāya yujyasva, yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam." BhagqwadGita 2.50

With wisdom one can get rid of both, the results of good or bad deeds, in this life. Engage in work in that way, to do things correctly is Yoga.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Seems Hakuin was a man of practice and perseverance. Even practiced so hard as to get "Zen sickness". He often spoke against the priests of his time who practice "silent illumination" while actually sat there doing nothing. I guess his emphasis was on putting effort on the practice as to break thru the "Zen barrier".

It is a difficult task to do silent illumination without having done other practice to gain enough concentration. And Koans requires total mental effort to break thru the revelations to find the true answer to the Koans.

I know there are some who have practiced meditation for many years but have not had Satori or Kensho. And they do wish for the break thru. To experience the truth of Buddha nature.

Personally, I care not for Satori or enter the stream as much as I enjoy the path or journey that I am on. May be someday. Or may be in the next life. I wish all to find the happiness they deserve.

Note: True meditation separates the person from the perpetual monologue. It stops one from identifying with the words and emotions. After cleaning up, clearing up and settling on concentration, the stillness, the emptiness bears the root of what we are.

"The monkey is reachin
For the moon in the water.
Until death overtakes him
He’ll never give up.
If he’d let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness".