Quote:
David Henderson wrote:
Wonderful post. A quick observation: when you say attention and intention are variables in the system, your example points to an exacerbation in the environment that you did not expect/anticipate: a perceived slur that diverts you (hypothetically) from your overarching intent (to get to your destination on time).
|
Traditionally, the image of water is used, and I think it is an excellent one-- if one places it in a context of kinds of mental 'furniture' that are operating.
If I were, say, at a wedding and spill my (very large) drink (a sin, I know) on the table where the bridal party is seated, I quite suddenly desire (intend) to get it off quickly so it does not spill onto her exquisitely expensive dress. I can simply tilt the table away at an angle just enough for the water to flow off away from her but not enough to shift the tableware, leaving the tableware (mostly) undisturbed and the bride undrenched.
The issue of "intention" is one where we act immediately to incline the table the "right" way so the the water goes in one direction (a negative bridal gradient
) rather than another-- there are aspects of fudoshin in this intent. But the water finds its own way off the table, and regardless how many obstacles there are to its flow -- that aspect is "no mind" -- unless of course you interfere and try to start tilting the table wildly to guide the water 'around' the forks. Messy-- although water still flows.. . so does everything else .. because we are directing the mind where the mind need not be directed.
"Attention" is given only to the keeping the criticality of the table angle between good water flow and no sliding tableware. There are aspects in this table leaning metaphor of both fudoshin (immoveable mind) and zanshin (lingering mind).