Attitude (part 2)
"Before enlightenment
Fetching water
Chopping wood
After enlightenment
Fetching water
Chopping wood"
- Zen proverb
Fetching water
Chopping wood
After enlightenment
Fetching water
Chopping wood"
- Zen proverb
You may want to read Part 1 first. As we were saying, Buddhism doesn't promise to be a magic bullet. There are lots of philosophies around, especially when you're bipolar, that purport to "cure" you. Some even go so far as to say: "throw your meds out man! Once you learn our positivity practices you won't need em anymore."
Not Buddhism.
Before Enlightenment
Bipolar suffering
Daily meds
After Enlightenment
Bipolar suffering
Daily meds
But I'm OK with that. Instead of all the empty promises that say, hey, we'll change you dude, then you'll be OK, the Teachings from the Bodhi Tree say you can be OK, exactly as you are. And man, that is what you are, we look reality straight in the face.
So hopefully you're getting the picture by now:
Before enlightenment
[What you're doing with your life right now - INSERT HERE]
After enlightenment
[What you're doing with your life right now - INSERT HERE]
So yesterday I said that all that is left to change is attitude. But in yesterday's "sermon" :]
attitude had a mainly internal dimension to it. Today I'm saying its gotta affect your attitude to others too. Here's why:
Before Enlightenment
Street Sweeper/Begger/Undertaker
After Enlightenmnet
Street Sweeper/Begger/Undertaker
Yeah, the next time you look that damn beggar in the eye, the shabby one that stinks of urine and sit's lazily on their arse - REMEMBER - you could be looking at Buddha.
Respect to all Beings.
***
PS - here's a photo of a good friend of mine (taken August 2007)
Not Buddhism.
Before Enlightenment
Bipolar suffering
Daily meds
After Enlightenment
Bipolar suffering
Daily meds
But I'm OK with that. Instead of all the empty promises that say, hey, we'll change you dude, then you'll be OK, the Teachings from the Bodhi Tree say you can be OK, exactly as you are. And man, that is what you are, we look reality straight in the face.
So hopefully you're getting the picture by now:
Before enlightenment
[What you're doing with your life right now - INSERT HERE]
After enlightenment
[What you're doing with your life right now - INSERT HERE]
So yesterday I said that all that is left to change is attitude. But in yesterday's "sermon" :]
attitude had a mainly internal dimension to it. Today I'm saying its gotta affect your attitude to others too. Here's why:
Before Enlightenment
Street Sweeper/Begger/Undertaker
After Enlightenmnet
Street Sweeper/Begger/Undertaker
Yeah, the next time you look that damn beggar in the eye, the shabby one that stinks of urine and sit's lazily on their arse - REMEMBER - you could be looking at Buddha.
Respect to all Beings.
***
PS - here's a photo of a good friend of mine (taken August 2007)
Not Buddhist or anything particular but...
ReplyDeleteBefore enlightenment
[What you're doing with your life right now - INSERT HERE]
After enlightenment
[What you're doing with your life right now - INSERT HERE]
I agree with this premise. Never change a running system. Even the geeks know that. :P
if you want, i'll talk more about this with you, but this weekend i'm at http://www.hvzc.org doing pretty intensive shit in the zendo.
ReplyDeletei am of the rinzai zen bend, hakuin is my hero, madness is my guru.
don't get caught up in fancy w0rd work, but hey, it's fun to read master ikkyu's haiku inspired by the whore houses...
here's your koan for today: when there is no more to forget, then what?
August 2007, eh? So how soon does your friend leave for China?
ReplyDeleteYeah, since you're in the business of fortelling the future, what's going to be happening to me on that day?
ReplyDeleteGreat post. And I love that picture!!
ReplyDeleteNamaste.