Since people may not be familiar with some of the Zen teachings on awareness and emptiness, I thought this may (or may not) be helpful:
Finally, the third turning of the Dharma wheel is the way mind is originally free from all fixed reference points and at the same time is luminously clear and aware; this is also called Buddha Nature. Not only does Buddha Nature not require analytical reasoning to prove, but it can't really be proved by analytical reasoning. We might think that's a relief, since maybe then we can skip the difficult second turning work of studying Nagarjuna's deconstructive logic and so on, and just enter the third turning of Buddha Nature, immanent and already complete. That may be possible, since anything is possible, especially from the point of view of the third turning. But generally it's said that to approach the realization of this naturally present, already perfect Buddha Nature, it's very helpful to first wholeheartedly engage in the step of deconstructing everything into vast unfindability, to relinquish all reference points. Otherwise we may not be able to appreciate the full extent of Buddha Nature, or even more problematic, we might consciously or unconsciously make Buddha Nature into a reference point and get at least a little hold on it and use that to maintain our sense of security that "at least thereโs this!" If nothing else, we can at least have this thing called Buddha Nature. But Buddha Nature is not a thing, and especially not a thing we can have. When the ancient Zen teacher Zhaozhou was asked if a dog has Buddha Nature, he said, "no."
Topics covered include: ever-present numinous awareness, sudden vs. gradual awakening, tracing back the radiance (turning the light around), comparison of Chinese Zen schools, etc.
Commitment is to attend most sessions, reading ~20 pages in advance before each meeting. Free of charge. Please contact Kokyo by email or Facebook by Sep 1 to participate.
https://www.facebook.com/kokyo.henkel
"Three Types of Zazen" is an essay by Kokyo Henkel. In it, he proposes three basic kinds of zazen technique, and evaluates each one in terms of their historical precedent and their efficacy in actually transcending suffering.
For part 1, I will include his introduction and his discussion of the first type of zazen, namely mindfulness meditation. The second and third types will be discussed in later posts.
Kokyo Henkel is a dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, and has also practiced in Japan under Harada Tangen Roshi. He is also a practitioner of Dzogchen under Tsoknyi Rinpoche.
"In the practice of zazen, sitting meditation, we start by settling the body in an upright posture, letting the breath be natural and full. The breath fills the area below the navel, which helps to deeply relax the whole body. As far as what to do with the mind in zazen, there are various options; here we can look at three ways to orient the mind in meditation, three types of zazen, which include all traditional forms of Buddhist meditation. The first is the type most commonly taught in the world of Buddha-Dharma, that is mindfulness of a mental object. Classic meditation objects include mantras or mentally visualized images of buddhas. Probably the most common object that meditators use is the physical body or the breath, which is part of the physical body. But when we examine our experience closely, what are the body and the breath? They are tactile sensations. If we stay with our direct experience as closely as possible, without any preconceived ideas, the so-called body is more like a collection of tactile sensations, is it not? There are parts of this collection of sensations that have some tension in them, and parts that are more relaxed.
Along with tactile sensations, the Buddha also taught mindfulness of feelings which is not just the tactile sensation but also its quality of being either pleasant or unpleasant, before adding any conceptual stories to it. He also taught mindfulness of mental qualities which are also objects of awareness. For example, there might be a desire to move our legs and we can practice just being aware of that desire, not adding anything extra such as trying to figure out if we should actually move or not.
The result of mindfulness of these mental objects โ tactile sensations, feelings, and mental qualities โ is that we become more present and relaxed, and the mind wanders off less and less
... keep reading on reddit โกDiscogs page: https://www.discogs.com/Various-Studio-Ghibli-Kokyo-Kyokushu/release/4929255
Selling this bad boy for $180 (open to offers) + shipping which is probably $5. Only US shipping - USPS
Open to offers, honestly not sure what to really sell it for. Played about 3 times, excellent condition (can send photos), also includes the Mondo hype card (alright condition)
Also willing to trade for any rare hardcore or pop punk, like Go It Alone, Foundation, Seahaven, Moose Blood
"Three Types of Zazen" is an essay by Rev. Kokyo Henkel. In it, he proposes three basic kinds of zazen technique, and evaluates each one in terms of their historical precedent and their efficacy in actually transcending suffering.
For part 2, I will include his discussion of the second type of zazen, namely open awareness. The third type of zazen will be discussed in a later post.
Kokyo Henkel is a dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, and has also practiced in Japan under Harada Tangen Roshi. He is also a practitioner of Dzogchen under Tsoknyi Rinpoche.
"The second type of zazen we can look at is mindfulness of the whole field of objects โ not just attending to tactile sensations of body or breath, but opening the other senses as well, like the ears. Usually when we are attending to tactile sensation, we're intentionally not paying attention to sound. In this second type of meditation, we open the ears and let in sound, open the eyes and let in color and shapes. All the sense gates are thrown wide open, but we are not getting involved in conceptual thought. A thought can arise, and becoming aware of it, it drops away and mindfulness returns to the present experience of now. This wide field of experience includes sensory objects, feelings, and mental qualities, but awareness is not directed toward any one particular object like the breath. It is a more open awareness, attending to the whole field of present experience, mindfulness of now. How about the practice of not focusing on any particular object but just letting go of thought? When letting go of conceptual thought, awareness usually lands back on the present experience of tactile sensations, sounds, and so on, so this ends up being the same thing as using the present experience of now as an object.
This type of mindfulness of the whole field of body-mind experience may be commonly talked about in modern Zen, but looking into the foundational teachings of the Buddha as well as those of the Zen tradition, I have not been able to find this kind of practice being taught. The twentieth-century nondenominational teacher Krishnamurti coined the term โchoiceless awareness,โ referring to this type of meditation, and later Buddhist practitioners began using his term. It seems to me, when exploring these meditation practices in experience, that mindfulness of the whole present body-mind experience, choiceless awareness, and letting go of thought, are all basically the same practice, and I prop
... keep reading on reddit โก
"Three Types of Zazen" is an essay by Rev. Kokyo Henkel. In it, he proposes three basic kinds of zazen technique, and evaluates each one in terms of their historical precedent and their efficacy in actually transcending suffering.
For part 3, the final part, I will include his discussion of the third type of zazen, namely, awareness of awareness.
Kokyo Henkel is a dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, and has also practiced in Japan under Harada Tangen Roshi. He is also a practitioner of Dzogchen under Tsoknyi Rinpoche.
"There is a third type of meditation, which I propose is the hallmark of traditional Zen. The Zen ancestors of China and Japan usually taught a zazen we could call awareness of awareness, or just being awareness itself. Awareness that is usually directed toward an object of experience, either a specific single object or the whole field of objects, is instead directed back upon itself, where it is always already shining. Since awareness itself is the only thing that is not an object of awareness, this is the end of subject-object duality, the cessation of the division of mind and experience. This is mindfulness of no object, nondual awareness, and when immersed in it, this is therefore the cessation of suffering, the end of discontent and grasping and fear, and the source of true love and compassion.
It may sound difficult or tricky to practice this way, but it is actually quite simple. Itโs just unusual because awareness is virtually always directed towards some kind of object, all day long. Thatโs why Dogen Zenji called this zazen โlearning the backward stepโ which he defined as โturning the light of awareness around and shining back.โ He also called it โthinking of what doesnโt think,โ and โthe essential art of zazen.โ Though there may be some debate about what Dogen meant by โjust sitting,โ I understand this term to refer to being this very awareness. A simple way to open to this type of meditation is to ask, โAm I aware?โ or โIs awareness present right now?โ Itโs not a trick question. If we sincerely ask this question, the answer โyesโ may be the most obvious conclusion that anyone could ever have about anything. Then, to follow up, we can ask, โHow can this be confirmed?โ or โHow is this awareness known?โ Without referring to any object of awareness, the obvious conclusion is that only awareness itself can know it is aware. These two simple questions, asked sincerely, turn the light around. Now awareness ca
... keep reading on reddit โกThis is for the limited Mondo (MOND-014) release of the Studio Ghibli: Kokyo Kyokushu album. This is for the Princess Mononoke variant, with the Red and Blue swirl. See pictures for the details.
~Looking for $160 Paypal G&S, I'll cover shipping to the continental US. Located in AZ, can knock off a few bucks if you happen to live in the 85021 area and want to meet locally.~ PENDING SALE
This particular release has a really tight sleeve that doesnโt fit the records in without bulging, so Iโve kept both LPs in replaced anti-static sleeves and stored in one plastic outer sleeve separate from the packaging. The outer sleeve of the album has two crunch marks from shipping, one on the top and one on the bottom. These didnโt affect the LPs at all, but is visible on the outside. Side 2 of the first LP has a slightly crunched label. It doesn't affect the playability of the records and has been there since I first opened it. I know this may be an issue for collectors, so take a look at the linked pictures for more details.
I'm still fairly new to grading my albums, but from what I can tell they would be VG-VG+, only being played a handful of times. It spends more time sitting on my shelf, Iโm just not a fan of the arrangement of tracks. I have noticed zero surface noise or skips, and they look great. The arrangement inner sheet and the OBI strip are both included. Can offer more pictures if you need them.
Feel free to message me with any questions.
Edit: Added location.
Up for sale is my copy of Studio Ghibli Kokyo Kyokushu vinyl with the Howl's Moving Castle Cover (Japanese Variant with traditional Japanese Obi and all Japanese text) โ Purple & Pink vinyl . I think that this variant may be the rarest of the 3 that were released. Gatefold packaging with insert with artwork insert and credits are all in Japanese. I've only played this 3-5 times, it is in pristine condition, item will ship media mail with insurance, tracking and signature confirmation, see link for photos. This version hasn't been sold on discogs in over a year currently there is one going for $400 but I'm asking for $190 which includes shipping.
https://imgur.com/a/uCV6NUN
Mirror awareness, the true host
The true nature of mind is mirror-like awareness, always just reflecting whatโs happening, whether we notice this or not. It never shuts off or stops functioning, even when weโre completely engrossed in conceptual thinking or strong emotions. A mirror just receives whatever object is placed before it, neutrally and naturally. It has no opinions about the object. The mirror doesnโt prefer red over blue, it doesnโt discriminate among these things, and yet it doesnโt block them out, reject them, or alter them in any way. It is just open receptivity, without adding any commentary.
The reflections on the mirror donโt stick to the mirror, and the mirror doesnโt have any lag time โ when something is put in front of it and then taken away, the image doesnโt stay there for a minute and then slowly leave. The mirror just immediately and spontaneously responds, effortlessly reflecting the next image without hesitation. It doesnโt try to manipulate the situation, thinking, โCan we have just a little bit longer with that blue color?โ When we look at a clear mirror directly, all we see are the reflections on its surface, which appear quite real. If thereโs a smudge or dust on the mirror, then maybe we can see a bit of the surface where the reflection lies, but a clear mirror canโt itself be seen. If our eyes try to behold it, all they behold is the image on its surface, just a reflection, an illusory appearance.
All these qualities of the mirror are also qualities of the nature of mind, the naturally present open awareness of Buddha-Nature. This mirror awareness doesnโt just reflect visual objects โ when sounds come, it reflects those sounds. Smells, tastes, physical sensations, thoughts, emotions, and all kinds of mental acยญtivity are also reflected clearly on the surface of the mirror, without sticking to the mirror. Thoughts and emotions, which are reflected in mirror awareness, much more than sensory objects, really pull our attention away from noticing the mirror. We get so caught up in the reflections, the experience happening on the surface, that we forget the background awareness.
One of the most wonderful qualities of mirror awareness, that a glass mirror doesnโt have, is compassion. Buddha-Nature is naturally and effortlessly compassionate, openly receiving suffering without turning away in aversion. When weโre practicing zazen, whatever our specific practice might be โ whether itโs fol
... keep reading on reddit โกDiscogs page: https://www.discogs.com/Various-Studio-Ghibli-Kokyo-Kyokushu/release/4929255
Selling this bad boy for $180 (open to offers) + shipping which is probably $5. Only US shipping - USPS priority
Open to offers, honestly not sure what to really sell it for. Played about 3 times, excellent condition (can send photos), also includes the Mondo hype card (alright condition)
Also willing to trade for any rare hardcore or pop punk, like Go It Alone, Foundation, Seahaven, Moose Blood
