Will: Breaking down the Song of Freedom (To reject delusion…)
Storm Clouds
To reject delusion and grasp at the truth
suits perfectly the mind of like and dislike.Students who practice this way,
it’s like mistaking a thief as your son.
The operative words here are “reject” and “grasp”. There is no benefit in measuring delusion against truth. The rejecting and grasping attempts to make delusion and truth into something that they are not, fixed in time.
My knowledge is less than perfect. I look forward to being straightened out by my friends.
Will
I welcome comments, but I may integrate them into this commentary. If you are joining us in progress, you can catch up by reviewing the first part of this break down of the Song of Freedom by looking at the discussion over at Jordan’s blog and my earlier posts.
Jordan’s Blog
Jordan’s Song of Freedom Posts
Will’s Song of Freedom PostsHere is where you can get a copy of the Song of Freedom as translated by Yasuda Joshu roshi and Anzan Hoshin roshi. I may attempt to post something that helps everyone find each passage.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
“To reject delusion and grasp at the truth
suits perfectly the mind of like and dislike”
It has been pointed out before, but this line also could be pointing out our own dualistic nature. We have a tendency to have preferences of one thing over another. Likes versus dislikes, Reject versus grasp, delusion versus truth.
Can we accept that our likes are our dislikes? Our rejecting is just grasping? Our delusion is just the truth?
I think it has been expressed like that before.
Students who practice this way,
it’s like mistaking a thief as your son.
If your practice is dualistic than what your practice has born is robbing you of the prize!
(wow, don’t I sound silly)
I am sorry if I am mucking things up worse.
Take care,
Jordan
March 17th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
It is like - who moved my cheese? Turns out I keep moving the cheese simply by my dualistic nature.
Jordan, when it comes to a dualistic practice, things can’t get more mucked up. This is what is being pointed out. I take this as an encouragement to watch out for my propensity for preferences. See the following. Funny how all these old guys seem to be saying the same thing.
FAITH MIND
Sosan Zenji (Seng-Tsan) - the 3rd Zen Patriarch
The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised
Make the smallest distinction however
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything
To set-up what you like against what
you dislike is the disease of the mind
When the deep meaning of things is not understood
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail
The Way is perfect like vast space
where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject
that we do not see the true nature of things
Will
March 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Hi Guys. I prefer pancakes to bean sprouts. That will probably not change as long as I’m choosing my own food. But I will not say that bean sprouts are bad or that pancakes are good because others might disagree. And wouldn’t it be idealistic of me to think that I should not have any preferences? My preference for pancakes might be an obvious delusion but it is very stubborn and some things should not be intellectualized. I do admit that real bean sprouts are a much better prize than imaginary pancakes. Sorry if I confused things here.. Hopefully I only confused myself.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:41 am
Jeff, thanks for your comments.
Preferences are funny things. Preferring vanilla over chocolate, when we have a choice, seems harmless. It is when we do not have a choice that this gets sticky. Even with our choice of ice cream. Wanting something other than what life offers is to rail against reality and suffer delusion. These examples are a bit fluffy. What about when our life partner is anxious and we wish thing were different. We think we must do something to make a difference. It is here, that our preferences cause us suffering and if we are not careful, our suffering can leak into the world.
This is what is meant by "it’s like mistaking a thief as your son".
I’m off to sesshin and will check back here when I return.