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-   -   To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one art? (http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16335)

aikishrine 06-11-2009 10:29 PM

To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one art?
 
I was wondering what you might think about this question?

Can one practice more than one art and still achieve satori, or is that putting to much on your plate and making it difficult?

My aim in the martial arts is to achieve some sort of revelation at some point in time, weather or not that happens, well that remains to be seen but that is the goal. Which in some ways makes it impossible right there, to have a goal is not being clear in mind.

Anyways your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Brian

aikibudo 06-11-2009 10:55 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
I think that when we learn to think outside of the box in our training, enlightenment begins to happen:)

Respect,
Aaron

Carsten Möllering 06-12-2009 12:29 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Hi

whether you practice one art or many:

You will only get out of it, what you bring with you:

Ueshiba came with Shinto (Oomoto kyo).
Others came with Buddhism (Zen).
Some come with Daoism. (~do)
Some come with Christianity.

If you bring nothing, you get nothing.

Budo is just a vehicle. Like other "~do": chado, shodo ...

Carsten

swalsh 06-12-2009 01:31 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Just my personal experience, so as the ads always say "actual results may vary".

After years of training Goju, some surgery stopped my kicking and I changed to Aikido a few years ago. I have felt there was no interuption to my budo path as I was still learning the same things about generating power from the hips, posture, maai, taisabaki, mind set, relaxed body etc. If anything I find the experience in another budo helps to understand the concepts and ask meaningful questions at training.

Regards,

Stu

Dan Richards 06-12-2009 09:19 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Brian, you might consider that the state you want to enter is already inside you, and that there's nothing to achieve. And the only thing keeping you from realizing that state - is you. Or at least the "you" that you identify with as your personality, ego, things you identify with, rules and conditions you have made - or have heard about, hurdles you put in the way...

If you put the state "out there" and "at some point in the future," it will always remain there for you.

You can realize that state now - in this moment.

To realize the state you want... there is no diet, no martial art, no set of movements or body positions, no guru, sensei, or teacher that will get you even one inch closer. If you choose to train, to have a healthy diet - or even to have a certain car and live in a certain place - that is because you choose the experiences you want to have in your life.

Enlightenment is not an additive process - it is subtractive. It is merely a return. It is the getting your lower self (personality) out of the way, and allowing your higher self (soul) to function through you. We do not "become" divine beings. We already are. It is merely up to us to realize this. You are not your job, your car, your martial art, your belief system...

There are countless maps any of us can use if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The first book of Genesis is not a story about a long time ago; it is a subjective journey in consciousness. The 'fall of man" is the fall of you - into matter. The story of Jesus dying on the cross is not something that happened 2000 years ago; it is the subjective story of you getting up on the cross and the dying of lower self, and you become the Christ. The chakra system is the same map. When we live directed by the lower three chakras, we live bound in matter. As we open the fourth chakra (heart), that is exactly the same process as dying on the cross. The cross itself is a map. Other maps would be the Tree of Life (Kaballah) - and if you look at Hebrew creation cosmology and Taoist creation cosmology - it's exactly the same thing. And you can find this in all the major religious writings of the world. And you can find maps in the new western physics. And there are maps right under our noses in the every day languages that we speak.

To give you a map a little closer to home, and concerning aikido and Ueshiba Sensei...his big "aha" "transformation" moment that occurred, happened as he realized that there was nothing outside of him... no people..no opponents...no enemies....no god/s...no universe. He collapsed the walls of duality that bound him, and realized "I am the universe." After that, he was not trapped in matter

Enlightenment - means to become light. You can call it a light being, avatar, divine being, ..or whatever you want. Some call it god, God, Christ, Krisha, Buddha - the name is not important.

Transformation - is to transform (step up or down) in energy. In your return - you remember yourself. And in doing so, are no longer bound by matter (look up the origin of the word "matter" - it means mother). The idea or "map" of being "born again"/ "twice born" is that we leave the mother (receptive) and return to the father (creative). We are transformed into light - e.g. "enlightened" and begin to operate and understand higher truths and universal laws.

Ueshiba Sensei studied war arts and fighting and enemies... until he came to the realization that there were no enemies, no fights, and no wars - outside of ourselves. And after his transformation, we see a very different Ueshiba. We see a man who had direct knowledge that he was 100% responsible for his experiences, actions, and the world he was creating.

What if you realized - right in this moment - that you are more than you ever thought you are? What if you shed your coat of matter, and put on a coat of light? What if you realized - right in this moment - that there is absolutely no-thing outside of yourself? What if you realized - right in this moment - that everything you perceive is of your own creation?

Enlightenment is not a static process. It is dynamic. And exists only in this moment. All this moment is - is now. And to grab something from the Huna healing system from Hawaii - which is always and eternally true - your moment of power is now.

There's a Zen saying: "Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water." Now, for some this might sound discouraging, because we might think, well, jeez, I'd sure hope that after enlightenment things would be easier on me and maybe I wouldn't have to do all that mundane stuff - like chop wood and carry water. But the very encouraging thing about it - is after enlightenment - you don't chop wood and carry water. But the wood still gets chopped and the water still gets carried.

How about this idea, Brian; I didn't type out this message to you. You did. And yet it would seem that you did no-thing. And that would be quite true. Because there is no-thing to do. You did nothing, and the message still was created - by you. The wood still gets chopped and the water still gets carried.

Cheers : )

thisisnotreal 06-12-2009 10:15 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
del

Fred Little 06-12-2009 10:19 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Quote:

Brian Northrup wrote: (Post 232495)
Can one practice more than one art and still achieve satori, or is that putting to much on your plate and making it difficult?

My aim in the martial arts is to achieve some sort of revelation at some point in time, weather or not that happens, well that remains to be seen but that is the goal. Which in some ways makes it impossible right there, to have a goal is not being clear in mind.

Anyways your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Brian

Dear Brian,

To paraphrase my dharma teacher: "Revelation is not enlightenment."

I've met a good many martial artists. Some few of them have had what they view as transformative experiences. An even smaller number of them might call those transformative experiences "revelations." I haven't met any enlightened martial artists yet, and the individuals I've met who seemed closest, at least from my limited perspective, all insisted that they were far, far away from full enlightenment. They all said, in one way or another, that having revelations was more like peeling away layers of an onion than like cutting to the heart of the matter. Of course, the traditional Buddhist teaching is that when you cut to the heart of the matter, all you will find is emptiness, at which point you will need a whole heap of compassion and wisdom in order not to fall into nihilism.

My advice? If you have a teacher that you trust as a guide, ask your teacher. If you don't, keep looking until you find one.

Best,

FL

crbateman 06-12-2009 10:31 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
I think there are at least as many interpretations of the word "enlightenment" as there are MA'ers, so I'm not sure there is even a definitive answer to the question.

Nick 06-12-2009 10:53 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Chop wood, carry water.

You find things when you're not looking for them... and you can find "enlightenment" anywhere. Enjoy training for the sake of training and the inherent benefits therein without waiting for the giant "Satori" moment.

No magic-- just training.

Nick

Kevin Leavitt 06-12-2009 11:04 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
There is always "Ignorant Bliss!". I think alot of folks out there that practice one thing grow comfortable in their little world and believe they have attained a higer state, but really are only living in ignorant bliss.

Nick 06-12-2009 11:14 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Quote:

Kevin Leavitt wrote: (Post 232543)
There is always "Ignorant Bliss!". I think alot of folks out there that practice one thing grow comfortable in their little world and believe they have attained a higher state, but really are only living in ignorant bliss.

Absolutely: everyone deals with fantasy v. reality, but those who try for those huge ideals without being willing to handle the process are the one who post the biggest results publicly while failing to learn a thing. Training in anything earnestly will teach you things about yourself: waiting for the "A-HA!" moment, however, is, as Kevin said, ignorant bliss and grasping at smoke.

Nick

Dan Richards 06-12-2009 12:13 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Quote:

Nick Porter wrote: (Post 232545)
Training in anything earnestly will teach you things about yourself...

Absolutely, Nick! And that is a very important, powerful, and beautiful point to understand. The currency/money/energy exchange of the universe is simply --- attention. And the universe does not extend credit. We earn our way - at every moment - by (drumroll, please) - paying attention.

Consciousness is the creative paint brush of the universe. And we are all constantly creating - many things and conditions we do want - and do not want - by choosing what we pay attention to - aka what we focus on. If we focus on what we don't want - if we focus on problems - that's what we create. If we focus on what we do want - if we focus on solutions - that's what we create.

Martial artists - the ones who focus on fighting enemies, and are therefore "fear based" - are actually farther away from people - in any activity - who explore from a position of love and peace. Aikido (Aikibudo) started out as a war art, and was later transformed into The Art of Peace. It was transformed because Ueshiba had a transformation in consciousness - which, in turn, changed what he focused on - what he paid attention to.

Learning to focus - the idea behind mediation - can be done through countless activities. The master/apprentice system does exactly that, and the service provided is the means to the end - whether you're a shoe maker, baker, construction worker, cabinet maker, musician, pool player, street sweeper... the list is as endless as there are occupations and hobbies. The skill of sustained focus required to do anything well, is the very ability needed to begin focusing on what you want to create. And that's essentially what working in a martial art to shodan level is all about. Nothing more than you've learned how to learn, and learned how to listen and focus sustained attention. And from there, you actually start being in the the school. Shodan level can be applied to any art, occupation, or activity. It is merely someone who can demonstrate a basic knowledge of the techniques. Nidan is the next level, and is concerned with application of the techniques - and in that opens up a deeper level of awareness. Again, this is true whether it be someone in sales, jewelry making, computer game design, etc. In fact, the kyu/dan system came from none other than a game - Go. A game. : )

I remember GI Gurdjieff saying that the problem with most people is that they never learn to do even one thing well. Because learning to do anything well requires sustained focused attention - which, when done, takes us into deeper and deeper levels of reality that we'd never noticed. And this would even address Brian's initial question about devoting to one art - or not.

I think we've all witnessed "dojo hoppers" and "MA hoppers" - who jump from one thing to another, hoping to "add" to what they do. But the problem is - if they never go deep enough into one art, then they'll never have the grounding and understanding - focus - attention - level of "being" - to really gain an awareness of the existence of deeper levels. And there are other martial artists who go in deep enough in their first art, who can then study any art. And through that, not only gain a deeper understanding, but synthesize and incorporate everything they learn (and also disgard that which does not serve them) - until it becomes their art. At that point, they've entered the initial stages leading to true mastery. In budo this can be seen in the concept and stages of Shu Ha Ri. And that is true of any activity in which one realizes (or wishes to realize) mastery.

Good teachers are not there to show you anything you already don't know at deeper levels of yourself. They're there to remind you. And the Buddhist proverb even points to the higher realization, that it is the student who is, very literally, creating and manifesting the teacher. "When the student is ready the teacher will appear." Because, the teacher is no-where else but inside the student.

lbb 06-12-2009 12:16 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
What Dan said, what Fred said and what Nick said. Great stuff.

To add my own small contribution: as many people will tell you, seeking after enlightenment is not the way to find it (what Nick said), in part because it's not "out there" (what Dan said), and in part because you can't know what enlightenment is (what Fred said). I think of these pursuits as being a little like staring at a distant mountain peak through clouds and haze, imagining what that peak is like, and setting off to reach it -- all the while keeping your eyes fixed on the peak and never once looking at the ground at your feet. As you march along, you trip and stumble frequently, you fall into streams. You fail to see both the beauties and the dangers along your route. You fail to see alternative routes that any sensible person would call more promising: you have your eyes fixed on that peak, and you won't take half a step out of the most direct route (you think...) to the top. All the while, you keep making up more and more grandiose and fantastical stories about what that peak is like -- stories that are unlikely to be matched by reality.

If someone tried to climb a literal mountain this way, we'd say they'd taken leave of their senses, yet it seems to me that this is exactly how most people pursue enlightenment. Goals are good things, but goals that are very far removed from where you are now (or where you think you are now) are iffy at best. Better, I think, to simply move in a direction that feels like a good direction to be moving in, than to set your heart on an achievement that may not even really exist -- at least as you've conceived of it.

Keith Larman 06-12-2009 01:51 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
...

Ron Tisdale 06-12-2009 02:01 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Keith, you're killin me here! :D Common...post anyway...

Best,
Ron ;)

Keith Larman 06-12-2009 03:33 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Well, geez, Ron... I kinda felt the OP didn't want what he would probably think was another flippant post to his quite sincere question.

But that kinda cuts to a deeper point -- just because you can make something into a question doesn't mean it has an answer. That's a common mistake in philosophy. The entire question rests on so many supposositions that it is impossible to answer. Which really is the point I guess.

An old friend of mine used to say that Satori finds you, not the other way around. The very act of "pursuing" enlightenment seems to me to be a guarantee of never finding it. So we think hard, ask deep questions, ponder ineffable verities all while life is passing us by.

So maybe it's better to say we shouldn't so much pursue it as open ourselves to it. Then what you do matters little. To me it is like chasing butterflies -- very unlikely you'll ever catch one with your bare hands. But sit outside still long enough and sometimes one might just light on your outstretched hand. I had a dragonfly last year that visited me in my backyard every day as I ate my lunch. Eventually he came along and landed on my knee. He sat there enjoying the breeze and sun (I suppose) for a few minutes before he took off.

Me, I'm not enlightened so I have no idea otherwise.

One art, two arts, 20 arts, or none. I can't imagine it matters apart from how doing too much means you'll never master any. So what vehicle you drive to get where-ever you're going, what tools you use, what methods you pursue... They don't really matter, do they? Isn't it more *how* you do whatever it is you do? Is it the activity or the person that matters?

Heck, sometimes it strikes me that even having the idea that you're hoping for something like that impairs your ability to get it.

To me most of things end up in the same place anyway. Live your life. With intention. With awareness. With authenticity. The rest just happens. Or it doesn't.

Along that line my original post was simply to say "maybe" to both questions the OP asked. That comes from a famous old story, but I'm not sure the OP would have known that. But it really was about the only thing I could think to say. And while I think it is a remarkably deep concept, I was afraid the OP would take it as a flippant answer. Which it wasn't.

Shrug.

Kevin Karr 06-12-2009 04:36 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
I have learned two very important lessons that have allowed me to achieve satori in a relatively short time. They are:

1. You can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat.

and

2. Wherever you go, there you are.

And in this, I am completely serious. Think on it!

Janet Rosen 06-12-2009 04:40 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Heck, if you can't reach it washing the dishes, forget it. No budo's gonna take you there.

lbb 06-12-2009 05:43 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Quote:

Janet Rosen wrote: (Post 232575)
Heck, if you can't reach it washing the dishes, forget it. No budo's gonna take you there.

"God may more easily be found in the bottom of a sinkful of dirty pans than in the reflection of light from a coin as it sinks into the depths of a holy well."

- Ian McDonald, The Broken Land

Nick 06-12-2009 07:24 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Quote:

Kevin Karr wrote: (Post 232571)
I have learned two very important lessons that have allowed me to achieve satori in a relatively short time. They are:

1. You can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat.

You... yes, you! STAND STILL LADDY!

aikishrine 06-12-2009 07:36 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Thank you all for your responses, i have found them very informative and thoughtful, even Keith's. By the way Keith its Brian not OP:D .

Please do me a favor and keep your thoughts coming.

Brian

oisin bourke 06-13-2009 06:28 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
I came across an interview with someone who has put his life on the line in pursuit of his "Michi". To me, it has some of the most articulate insights into the value of Budo I've ever read.

Kenji Ushiro states that one must experience something before one can truly speak about it. I think this interview is a good example of this.

Some quotes:

"What a beautiful death, to die in the exercise of your passion."

" death is not part of my work... There is something which is part of my work ... it's called 'life.' So it's the opposite... it's also probably very dramatic to cut in the dialog and have the word 'death,' 'death,' 'death,' 'death,' death,' . That probably is a good little dramatic trick."

He continued: "But if we talk about the profound nature of my work, if you look at the book that I wrote... not what we read in the papers, you will see that I am not afraid of death, and I am not afraid of talking about it, but it's not part of my universe ... It's not, 'Ah, today I escaped death.' No, today I lived a magnificent life. It's the opposite."

===

'Gods believe in me'

" When I am inside that cathedral--I have an office inside the church, it's incredible, very high up--I am inspired, and at night, when they close the doors, sometimes there are people who come with candles and they sing; you don't have to believe in God to believe in God, you know? In many gods.

" I am a very religious man who doesn't belong to any religion. I don't believe in God, but gods believe in me."

===

"I place my foot in a way that is the result of a lifetime of study about placing my foot ... I do not place my foot ... for safety considerations, for technical considerations. If you want to see those, go to the circus, and you will see people who, for example, put their foot like this--" He got up and slapped his foot flat on floor "--instead of gliding it...

"Or they put their feet like this--" He slowly swung his foot heel-first... "--because then you have more chance to catch it, here [on the heel], here [the instep, as his foot keeps moving], here [now the ball of the foot], here [toes--last chance!]. It's a lot, but here [placing his foot perfectly parallel, in his own preferred style] there is not much margin. So I place my foot to submit to the art of walking. I am not interested in anything else.

"Now technically, if you want to know what I consider the most beautiful way of walking...it is to touch with the point [of the toes] and then to slide the foot [gracefully forward], and then if you walk swiftly to immediately do the next step...You know, many (people in the same art) they put their feet and they [stop to] correct the situation. But that's ugly. You cannot have a dancer on a stage correct a situation. Why don't you go and work and make it good? So that's what I have spent my life doing and I am still doing it. I'm investigating something as ridiculous and simple as the art of walking."

Asked about his gaze, he replied: "There are places to look for safety, places to look for comfort, and I am not interested to surrender to those places. The safest place to look when you're walking... is right at each place [where you set your foot]. But imagine, is it beautiful to look at a man or woman walking like this?" Standing again, he imitated an ungainly ...walker hunched over, wobbling as he stared at his own feet.

"It took me years, in a way, to discover where to look so that the walk will be as beautiful as possible...sometimes I look even higher to give the illusion I walk in thin air and it doesn't exist anymore, as if I don't pay attention to (it). My feet know the way, I don't need to look...I can also walk blindfolded."

He concluded: "I have developed a technique of walking, placing the feet, and a technique of looking, which is at the service of my art, not the other way around like you would see everywhere else."

===

"I know nothing about costume, the design, la mode, clothes. I'm not interested at all. [However,] I like to be elegant. And on the performance, on the high wire, I like to have a special costume that relates to the theme..."

I don't care about practicality, I care about art, you know?"

===

When I began to ask about video games, he made his feelings clear: "I am totally uninterested in that. More than that I am disgusted by it. I think it is the opposite of life. I see those little kids playing tennis with an invisible racquet. How criminal is it! Who invented that? How far from the beauty of life are you? Where are we going?...We are destroying more and more, not only of our planet but ourselves [with] this debauchery of images and sounds and everybody now has a cell phone and are playing those little games. I saw a little kid of 8 years old, he was playing climbing a tree in his little game...And as you climb the tree there are things falling and you have to [dodge them]. And he has never climbed a tree. There was a [real] tree right there. And this is a monster way of--it's not life, it's death actually. So please don't talk to me about that. I have no patience and I find that disgusting."

It was then that I handed him a printout of a screen shot of the video game. "This is great," he said, rather unexpectedly. "Can I keep this one also?"

The moment the picture was in his possession, he ripped it in half without further ado. And once again, he had conquered death."

Jesse Legon 06-13-2009 11:49 AM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
A conversation between the shihan of my aikido style and one of the sensei went thus:

Sensei: I feel so frustrated, like I'm looking at enlightenment through a keyhole in a door I can't open.

Shihan: Yes, but if you show others how to look through the keyhole, for you, the keyhole will get bigger.

It was surprisingly insightful and helpful from our shihan who rarely displays much interest in enlightenment or spiritualism.

Dan Richards 06-13-2009 12:19 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
Brian, thank you for starting this topic. On considering your question, the thought of came to me to look up more on Jiddu Krishnamurti, who, like Jesus, and Zen, stripped away all the "old rules" that had been built up.

http://www.buddhanet.net/khrisna.htm

Here are some references to "preparing a garden."
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2007/04/2...ini-awakening/

http://www.kfa.org/

The process is a lot like finding a girlfriend. : ) When we run around - dolling ourselves up - the girlfriend is nowhere in sight. And not only that, but we attract the wrong girls. It's when we let go - are indifferent - don't give a crap - that she comes into view. Which is really just a collapse in duality. When we "need" or want" something - we put it outside of ourselves. We separate. I'm here, she's "out there." The girlfriend was "always here" - it's just that we weren't ready. And we weren't ready because in our awareness we project a "no-girlfriend" only because we don't see her with our eyes. But - at the level of mind - she already exists. Once we "see" her with our mind (as an idea) she has already manifested - at a higher vibratory level. How about that? : ) Because, if we can realize that we already have the most amazing girlfriend (BTW, better to manifest an amazing girlfriend - being quite descriptive - as it's you who are creating), then we no longer search for her. And she will appear before our eyes - as a non-dualistic event.

The "garden" and "soil" and "preparation" ideas are so powerful, because it really gives us a clear idea of how much we toil and trouble over nothing - thinking we have to do this and do that - and break our backs. Nothing could be further from the truth. In truth, we do very little - and most of it is at the level of mind. We do not "grow tomatoes." We simply prepare the place, soil, and give a little loving attention. The universe ( which we are as well) takes care of the rest.

The idea of allowing the universe/higher mind to operate can be compared with getting a cut on our hand. On our "thinking" level, we know we can do a few things to prepare for the healing of the cut. A little soap and hot water, and maybe a band-aide. But there's no way any of us - on the thinking/mental level - can go in and begin operating all the countless healing processes that the body "knows" how to do. "Faith without works is dead." The faith is "knowing" the cut/body will return to wholeness and be healed. The "works" is simply taking an action to prepare the ground for the healing. Faith, with no works, would be equal to getting a bad cut and not doing the very simple actions we could do to prepare for healing - at which point might we set into motion an invitation to infection and further illness - and even bodily death.

The idea is that there's not really much for us to "do," compared to the level of so much we can experience and enjoy in our lives.

Even in aikido, people in the early stages are doing way, way too much. It's about doing much less. Ultimately, it's about doing nothing. It's about getting our body - and all our silly thoughts about what we think we would or should do in any given situation - and turning the "event" (which contains no opponents) and its transmutation to a higher level than it originated - over to.. well, whatever you want to call it.. soul, higher mind, god... beyond the level of thought. Beyond the level of a separate duality.

Anyone who ever comes up to you and gives you a laundry list, set of rules, length of time, amount of service and suffering that you need to reach enlightenment. Kindly tell them to shove their enlightenment up their butt. : )

It's funny to think about the idea of enlightenment - and what "we" do and say after satori, or whatever you want to call it. Because it's not that we can say, "I am not enlightened." - or "I am enlightened." Because in the collapse of dualistic thought - there is no "I" that remains. Because behind the veils of Maya (illusion) all is enlightened. Above and below the clouds - the sun is always shining.

Peace. : )

Lyle Laizure 06-13-2009 01:29 PM

Re: To achieve enlightenment through Budo must one devote themselves entirely to one
 
no


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