Another Koan!!

The Undecided

The Undecided

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This koan came from a discussion about the self, and whether we have a self, that I had with a friend. During the discussion we refined it to become the following.


Contentment is knowing where the self is not.


All thoughts and opinions welcome.

TU:D
 
I like this and find being in nature, making love and dancing can be excellent channels for this state of contentment where the self, 'I' is forgotten or rather taken over by the whole rather than the part.

thought you may like to hear of this womans 'permanent' experience of non duality
YouTube - The Experience of Non-Duality Pt1
 
Here is another one....a bit more practical:
You are not a "person"......you have a "person" and when you realize this you will attain a measure of contentment.

To explain:
A Short Guide to the ‘Person’

You may think of yourself as a "person" and you may identify with your name, but..........
The first thing to understand when approaching this concept is that you are not a Person!
You have a Person.
A Person is not a Man or a Woman, it is a legal entity similar to a corporation and it is used for all of your Commercial, Governmental, and Financial documents and accounts.
Person
A corporation treated as having the rights and obligations of a person. Counties and cities can be treated as a person in the same manner as a corporation.
However, corporations, counties and cities cannot have the emotions of humans such as malice, and therefore are not liable for punitive
damages unless there is a statute authorizing the award of punitive damages.
Here are some points to note with reference to the ‘Person’

· The Person is also known as a Legal Entity, a Straw Man, a Fictional Entity, and a Trade Name.

· The Person requires You the (flesh and blood) Man or Woman to represent It in its affairs, furthermore, the State/Government (also a fictional/legal entity i.e. Not a flesh and blood man or woman) can only apply Legislation to this Person when you agree or consent to represent it.

· The Person or Straw Man was created by the State of your Birth on ‘bonded paper’ shortly after you were born. Your Birth was registered which in actuality signs over authority or ownership to the State.

· As the Government/Country is operating in Bankruptcy they are actually using You, the living Soul as collateral and take loans on the back of this Bond (created at birth). This is due to the expectation that You will generate revenue in your life, work and pay tax which contributes to the National Debt.

· Your PPS (SIN or SSN) Number is the equivalent of an Employee Number. You work for the State, and as long as you continue working for the company you have to follow the rules (statutes) which apply to the Employees/Persons. And all that for no wage, rather, you pay for the privilege.


Another point - The truth shall make you free.
 
Before enlightenment, life is chop wood, carry water.
After enlightenment, life is chop wood, carry water.
 
Dogbrain said:
Before enlightenment, life is chop wood, carry water.
After enlightenment, life is chop wood, carry water.
Click to expand...


I like this one. It is simple and deep at the same time. For me enlightenment is a state of mind rather than a place (Heaven) and, as you say, life is the same before and after enlightenment. It is ones perspective on that life that changes when one reaches enlightenment.

TU:D
 
I like all the posts on this thread.

If the koan were one that required me to give a reply to a roshi, I'd say, where the self is not is not contentment. Likely I'd receive nothing but a blow from his cudgle for my efforts.

Something I just read a few minutes ago seemed like it might apply to this thread. From one of several appendices to D.T. Suzuki's 'Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist, The Eastern and Western Way'.

"Christians would say that crucifixion means crucifying the self or the flesh, since without subduing the self we cannot attain moral perfection.
"This is where Buddhism differs from Christianity.
"Buddhism declares that there is from the very beginning no self to crucify. To think that there is the self is the start of all errors and evils. Ignorance is at the root of all things that go wrong.
"As there is no self, no crucifixion is needed, no sadism is to be practiced, no shocking sight is to be displayed by the roadside."
 
Actually, here is my relpy to this koan.

Knowing and not knowing what the self is not is and is not contentment.
 
Sancho said:
Actually, here is my relpy to this koan.

Knowing and not knowing what the self is not is and is not contentment.
Click to expand...


My response to this would be:

Not knowing what and where the self is not is not contentment.
Knowing what and where the self is not is contentment.


TU:D
 
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