Will: Breaking down the Song of Freedom (Ignoring the treasure…)
Mony’s Woods Moth
Ignoring the treasure of Reality and losing the merit to Awaken self and others
is due to the eighth, seventh and sixth consciousnesses.With direct insight into these, practice Zen
and realise the Unborn with Radiant Intelligence.
Sheng-Yen’s translation in The Sword of Wisdom helps clarify this for me.
Loss of Dharma wealth and the extinction of merits,
Are all caused by the mind consciousness.Through the Chan door, understand the cutting off of mind,
And suddenly enter the powerful view of the unborn.
When the mind moves and makes distinctions, wisdom and merit are lost. Still the mind and suddenly —
Blackbirds crowd the feeder
On this snowy morning.
“The mind in motion is the destroyer of Dharma wealth and spiritual merit. If you mind does not discriminate or judge, you will immediately enter the Dharma gate of non-arising, but the instant your mind moves or seeks, you have already suffered losses.”
Sheng-Yen
The Sword of Wisdom
Sheng-Yen points out that this was Emperor Wu’s problem. His mind wanted to claim merit for his deeds and Bodhidharma tried to point out to him, with mind “no merit”. He demonstrated the unborn with his “no knowing” when ask how was standing before the emperor. Poor Emperor Wu.
My knowledge is less than perfect. I look forward to being straightened out by my friends.
Will
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 Posts
Here is where you can get a copy of the Song of Freedom as translated by Yasuda Joshu Roshi and Anzan Hoshin Roshi.
If you want a copy of this poem with Robert Aitken’s translation intermingled, I have a PDF that I will email to requesters. It is always interesting to see how other practitioners translate these texts. It can shine fresh light on the poem. I can also recommend two other translations, both by seasoned practitioners and both with commentary. These are both books that are readily available.
Buddhism and Zen by Nyogen Senzaki and Ruth Strout McCandless
The Sword of Wisdom by Chan Master Sheng-Yen
March 31st, 2008 at 10:08 am
For anyone’s reference, not that I think this is necessarily helpful, but for a small level of understanding:
Nine Consciousness
(nine vijnana)
1. sight consciousness (chakshur-vijnana )
2. hearing consciousness (shrota-vijnana)
3. smell consciousness (ghrana-vijnana)
4. taste consciousness (jihvavijnana)
5. touch consciousness (kaya-vijnana)
6. mind consciousness (mano-vijnana)
7. mano-consciousness; ‘the inner spiritual world’ (mano-vijnana)
8. alaya consciousness; ’store-house’ consciousness; the ‘unconscious’ (alaya-vijnana)
9. amala consciousness; fundamental pure consciousness (amala-vijnana) Interestingly enough, I saw a movie called “The Nines” over the weekend that I found rather entertaining. Take care, Jordan
April 1st, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Will, I think my comment got eaten by the spam gaurd.
That may be fitting…
Take care,
Jordan
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:40 am
Jordan, indeed, for some reason Spam Karma thought your message was a little too spammy.
Thank you for outlining the nine vijnana. I wonder why 8,7,6 are grouped together here? Yongjia points out that it is these particular vijnana or consciousnesses where care must be taken so as not to loss merit.
I recently saw a movie called Zen Noir. Really enjoyed it.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 am
Regarding why the 6th,7th and 8th consciousnesses were singled out. To put it as simply, the first five do not judge, they just observe.The mind that puts all of these things together has a tendency to discriminate. Which is what keeps us from walking into traffic. But also makes us think of things like self and other. Attainment and no attainment. Right and wrong. The 6th 7th and 8th consciousness are the ones that make you say “I’m better than you are!” or “I have don this so I have great merit!” I rented “Zen Noir” through netflix as soon as it was available. Just turned it back in to the post other day. Lots of bad sitting posture! But I still enjoyed it.
Take care,
Jordan
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:47 am
I have been have a discussion with Pat, a local spiritual friend, about this very thing. It is the 6th 7th and 8th consciousness that tries to prescribe meaning and value and validity to what we sense. And here in lies the problem. This discriminating mind is never satisfied and always judging that which needs no judging, trying to give mean where none is needed, trying to add validity to reality which doesn’t need validation.
At the end of this section, there seems to be a way out. "Cutting off the mind". As lay people we get to practice driving zazen, working zazen, birthday party zazen, internet surfing zazen, banking zazen, shopping zazen, woodshop zazen, blogging zazen, etcetera, etcetera. Lucky us!
Seems as though the more we can cut off the mind via zazen, the less judging and discriminating we are. This is a gradual gradation of experience. Subtle. A little improvement here and there. While this seems so, my experience is more black and white. The slightest discrimination and my mind is yammering away. Absorbed in zazen, where is mind??
Jordan, thank you for your comments.
Here is a link to another Shakuhachi player. He is the CIO of Harvard Medial School. I follow his health care IT blog as part of my working zazen.
What about this 9th conscience? "Fundamental pure conscience" - that is the one I want!
Will
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:09 am
"Fundamental pure conscience"
Pow~! I just zaped you with it~!
Take care,
Jordan