Roshi Bassui wrote the following letter to one of his disciples who was about to die:
"The essence of your mind is not born,
so it will never die.
It is not an existence, which is perishable.
It is not an emptiness, which is a mere void.
It has neither colour nor form.
It enjoys no pleasures and suffers no pains.
I know you are very ill.
Like a good Zen student, you are facing that sickness squarely.
You may not know exactly who is suffering,
but question yourself:
What is the essence of this mind?
Think only of this.
You will need no more. Covet nothing.
Your end which is endless is as a snowflake dissolving in pure air."
In 1387 (at the age of 61), as Bassui was sitting in zazen meditation among his followers, he turned to them and shouted twice:
"Look straight ahead. What's there?
If you see it as it is
You will never err."
He then died.
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Monday 20 May 2013
Present moment....
Present moment....
I was listening to the radio this morning and a brilliant doctor was discussing his lecture on the following
Four most important things to say in life
I forgive you
Please forgive me
Thank you
I love you
I cannot go through my life, which is so finite, holding on to things that were said or done causing emotions to be carried to my own or to your detriment
To forgive,
is not to forget,
but to enable me to get on with my life and to remind me that someone else's past actions do not reflect on the future and that I will not allow those actions to be repeated
Please forgive me
To ask for forgiveness is asking to forgive an action that we believe should never have happened and was usually due to outside influence
This is done to satisfy the ego
To be able to say sorry and apologize with humility is another matter
Apologizing doesn't always mean that we are wrong and that they are right, it is just we value that relationship more than we value our own ego
Our present moment is not to be affected by things that happened yesterday,
to be stewed over and over,
until all relationships are soured by past actions
Thank you
To be able to say thank you for your help,
the way keep the family together,
the way you behave when I am wrong
My thanks to myself and the Universe for a well life and for a well death
(He lived well and he died well)
My life and death shall not be affected by my past,
but be a present moment of life and all it has to offer.
I shall not let my tomorrow's be dictated to by events that have no bearing on my present moment and that is why I ask for forgiveness for past indiscretions
I love you
To utter these three sacred words is akin to spiritual renewal
To love all around us shows that we have let go of all the rubbish that stops us from being fulfilled as a person
This enabling is paramount for living a happy satisfied life
So, to all that think they have been wronged in any way,
please use these four most important things
I forgive you
Please forgive me
Thank you
I love you
With Metta
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
I was listening to the radio this morning and a brilliant doctor was discussing his lecture on the following
Four most important things to say in life
I forgive you
Please forgive me
Thank you
I love you
I cannot go through my life, which is so finite, holding on to things that were said or done causing emotions to be carried to my own or to your detriment
To forgive,
is not to forget,
but to enable me to get on with my life and to remind me that someone else's past actions do not reflect on the future and that I will not allow those actions to be repeated
Please forgive me
To ask for forgiveness is asking to forgive an action that we believe should never have happened and was usually due to outside influence
This is done to satisfy the ego
To be able to say sorry and apologize with humility is another matter
Apologizing doesn't always mean that we are wrong and that they are right, it is just we value that relationship more than we value our own ego
Our present moment is not to be affected by things that happened yesterday,
to be stewed over and over,
until all relationships are soured by past actions
Thank you
To be able to say thank you for your help,
the way keep the family together,
the way you behave when I am wrong
My thanks to myself and the Universe for a well life and for a well death
(He lived well and he died well)
My life and death shall not be affected by my past,
but be a present moment of life and all it has to offer.
I shall not let my tomorrow's be dictated to by events that have no bearing on my present moment and that is why I ask for forgiveness for past indiscretions
I love you
To utter these three sacred words is akin to spiritual renewal
To love all around us shows that we have let go of all the rubbish that stops us from being fulfilled as a person
This enabling is paramount for living a happy satisfied life
So, to all that think they have been wronged in any way,
please use these four most important things
I forgive you
Please forgive me
Thank you
I love you
With Metta
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Sunday 12 May 2013
I want to give thanks.
I want to give thanks.
Heartfelt thanks to the people who work tirelessly in the service of others.
I have been in hospital twice in the last few weeks.
The level of care at both Epworth and Austin
were beyond my expectation.
The healing process was sped up considerably by the good grace and care
of most professional carers.
The dedication of a nurse who at three am when seeing me turn my light asked me if I would like a cup of tea.
The dedication of the tea man who on collecting my used cup asked me if I would like another and an extra biscuit.
Both of these extraordinary workers went out of their way to make me comfortable.
The amazing thing is that there was no ulterior motive, no extra benefit,
just care.
The admitting staff, the triage, the assisting doctors, anesthetic doctors and staff, senior and assistant surgeons, and nurses,
all created a seamless level of care and trust that made me feel most comfortable.
Having any health problem is not the best
and particularly when it ends in surgery.
I must say that there is no fear, no apprehension, when one is entrusted in such good care.
Thank you all.
Nathan Black
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Heartfelt thanks to the people who work tirelessly in the service of others.
I have been in hospital twice in the last few weeks.
The level of care at both Epworth and Austin
were beyond my expectation.
The healing process was sped up considerably by the good grace and care
of most professional carers.
The dedication of a nurse who at three am when seeing me turn my light asked me if I would like a cup of tea.
The dedication of the tea man who on collecting my used cup asked me if I would like another and an extra biscuit.
Both of these extraordinary workers went out of their way to make me comfortable.
The amazing thing is that there was no ulterior motive, no extra benefit,
just care.
The admitting staff, the triage, the assisting doctors, anesthetic doctors and staff, senior and assistant surgeons, and nurses,
all created a seamless level of care and trust that made me feel most comfortable.
Having any health problem is not the best
and particularly when it ends in surgery.
I must say that there is no fear, no apprehension, when one is entrusted in such good care.
Thank you all.
Nathan Black
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
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