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Patching Sayings TogetherTHE "Get Tao" icon heads a hundred chapter essays and more. Where you come across it, there is a chapter summary involved in most cases too. It is generally helpful to look into that summary first, to see if you are interested in the content of the chapter, or perhaps to whet your appetite for the content. No matter what, you can save yourself time and read into that chapter, helped by the focus the summary gives. The summary expresses clearly how to make practical use of the chapter content.It shows up that the standard take on the "Get Tao" chapters is akin to that of Kigen Dogen (1200-53). Below we go into some detail, so that you can see the underlying "skeleton" of the "Get Tao" essay format. As for Dogen, the Shobogenzo, his main work, is full of examples, as stated by Reverend Gudo Nishijima of Dogen's Zen lineage. Nishijima has translated the Shobogenzo too. At bottom of the page there are links to other pages that explain our Tao icon too. Our main way of presentation conforms all in all to the presentation pattern expounded by the Reverend. By piecing selected sayings together according to design, we may form tables, essays, poems, and generate many more sayings. In a scientific presentation the arrangement of points and general procedures should conform to it. - Tormod Kinnes On Kigen Dogen
Kigen Dogen, who is also called Eihei Dogen and Joyo Dogen, was a leading
Japanese Buddhist during the Kamakura period (1192-1333) in Japan. Between 1223 and 1227 he studied Ts'ao-tung (Soto) meditation in China, where he gained enlightenment under the Zen master Ju-ching.Afterwards Dogen introduced Zen to Japan in the form of the Soto school and wrote several instructive works. The most famous is his Shobogenzo. Dogen taught "Zen sitting", zazen, first and foremost, as means to Buddha-enlightenment and spontaneity. The word 'Zen' stems from the Chinese Ch'an, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit dhyana, "meditation"). [Ebu, s.v. "Dogen", "Zen", "Soto"]
Simplified Buddhism and Well Simplified DesignsIn the Shobogenzo Master Dogen says, "To practice Zazen [Zen sitting] is the whole of Buddhism, and Buddhism is just the practice of Zazen." - Reverend Gudo NishijimaYou may find the passage near the rear of an interesting article, "The Theory of Four Views". [See "Three Philosophies and One Reality" in the downloadable Ref. A] According to "Buddhism is just the practice of Zazen", terms like "Buddhism" can be dispensed with, but there is no need for that, although what is meant by the finest "sitting" is the major thing to assess. There are other, sound outlooks of what Buddhism is to take into account. Buddhism is variegated, and Soto Zen is one school of Zen Buddhism which travelled to Japen through China. The Soto school was founded in Japan by Dogen. Even though he taught sitting contemplation as the highest thing to do, he spoke and wrote and walked too - there is Zen walking, Zen archery and much else as well as what matters the most in Soto Zen, namely Zen sitting. Below we look into a good Zen way of presenting salient points and others. Zen reverend Nishijima of Dogen's lineage thinks that the all-round way of presenting items as used by Dogen (1200-53 AD) derives from four ideals in Gautama Buddha's teachings. [Zwm] [MORE]. Our standard presentation of patched sayings and the like has no claims to a lineage, but the findings that go into our novel, pedagogically simplified designs are aligned with Dogen's way of writing.
Qualifications
One may take the many and sound academic reservations away from any text and keep them at hand, ready to use and add to text statements from such an "arsenal of reservations", just as Sir Bertrand Russell is into where he says, "If you want to make a statement with a great many qualifications, put some of the qualifications in separate sentences." Adding to that: If you need some sound qualification (reservation) as you speak or write, pick and choose from those general qualifications or reservations; it often pays.So, look deeply into "Buddhism is just Zazen (Zen sitting)" and read on. You may see that the value of that statement depends on outlook and perhaps your schooling too. For example, Gautama Buddha's Buddhism contains both meditation, teachings, and organisation of adherents (in the sangha). Minding that the foremost way is a good, meditative one, later Buddhism got plenty of diversified schools of philosophy, added teachings, cultural adaptations, and ceremonies added to it as time went by. And, interestingly, Dogen did not dispense with old Buddhism and earlier Buddhist writings either, after all: He referred to them and used them. Here is how to handle dubious statements in two sound, all-round ways:
Good scholing may seem traitorous to average minds at times. And yet, sound breeding should be far more worthwhile than moulding minds a lot.
The Shobogenzo Structure"I found that the Shobogenzo is in fact constructed in a very special way; using a unique pattern of expression.These words by a modern Zen priest, Gudo Nishijima, are found in the essay "The Theory of Four Views", written in preparation for a series of talks given in San Francisco in the Fall of 1986. [See "Three Philosophies and One Reality" in Ref. A] Nishijima also informs us somewhere else: "The Shobogenzo is written with a unique logical structure, which I have called "Four Views" or "Three Philosophies & One Reality." He also makes a deep study of how the work is "full of contradictions". Problems may be resolved through a suitable depth structure and work according to plan.
Further concernsThere is a close match between Dogen's "unique logical structure" of ideas and ours: Nishijima writes - and we just repeat and add our standard icons and headings fit for them:
"Master Dogen expresses his ideas in the Shobogenzo
based on a pattern of four phases." [Gudo Nishijima]
More thought on how to present good itemsONE MAY study Buddhism as a victim of alien canon, as an expert reader, or let it be. But it seldom pays to be uninformed outside one's waters or on thin ice for long. The information shared with you above, should go against fictitious standards if some people co-operate with tact.Life is for the living - let it rise above words and thought and include mantrayana (mantra contemplation) too to be weighty.
Dogen's work Shobogenzo exists in several versions. The Zen teacher Nishijima has taken substantial part in a translation of it, and also done
a remarkable analysis of it. He tells that Dogen constructed his philosophical
system around four intermingling ideation groups - they are cardinal ideas with some
ramifications. A fit aim for using them is to rise higher in spirit
than falling victim of this and that special statement. Further, our back-up orientation is
that of fostering sanity and fitness by and large, and smartness can be helped on and up too by sound and delicate measures to probe.
"Tao is Zen"Professor D. T. Suzuki once said that "Tao is Zen and Zen is Tao." It is seldom as simple as that, but a Tao outlook is at the backbone of many Zen teachings and intermingles with some of Buddha's. A succinct term for Tao is Way. Tao means such as ways or means of handling this and that, ideas and things, and so on. Zen is also eminently practical in a series of outlets. Below is how to reach such outlets stepwise for tactful ones.
The Stand is of Cybernetics1. The Calvinist outlook is summarised by the acronym TULIP. Our essay design (tables) corresponds much to the TULIP scheme [MORE]. The acronym TULIP shows attitudes fostered. Each TULIP letter stands for a topic, which is backed up by one or more Bible suggestions. Read a critic and study all the gospels to get a grasp of John Calvin's ideas: [Ref.]2. Also, our hovering design shows much congruence with the structural ascent trek as conceived by Algirdas Greimas in the heels of Vladimir Propp. 3. And at bottom is our kind of philosophical cybernetics, which derives in part from structures within Taoism and exemplify a general philosophy of cybernetics: It is one that has its own schemas and structuring gambits evolved, and is fit for use today. Thus, this is basically thought up in tune with much that assists good life - and why not assisting thinking that precedes it and helps further too? [MORE] The Over-all Training RouteBe reminded of the "get dao" figure; it might just as well have professed "Get into welcoming arms". We think that can happen once you ATTAIN to the sixth 'pearl' or bead at the sharp angle (origo) of the figure:
![]() Many survey schemes may explain the design better. See for example a mainframe exposition: [MORE]. By adhering to the general way or ways built into essays here, you "get to the (some) welcoming arms" - ways which can serve as a stepwise training route too. Practice is easier told of than done. Training may get hard, but should not exceed one's capacities and calibre. Note in particular: The first two (blue) beads are grouped under "tick" below. Tick consists of two spans or levels of accomplishment, in other words. And so on with the rest. The little figure is designed for beginning attempts and as an iconic reminder too. Loose hint: "If you learn to access that trend-giving over-all systemic route, you tend to get richer and more favoured - maybe more and more." Be reminded a route requires drill and careful study for things like that to happen. Thus, we advocate a many-faceted way up into good living and things that accompany it here and there - and that may suffice for now. NOTE: Each stage of our all-round model for progress is marked by important significators that
have to be well understood. If over-all conditions agree fairly well, you may set out to get figurative eggs of gold eventually. They derive from practical handling and good thinking together. At the very least the term 'gold eggs' refers to handy and good thinking according to the schematas given. That is a
bit of the definition. ![]() Summary
Candid presentation can be marked by a concluding saying or three. You can ask:
"Friends, who are they?" Prepare a little welcome too.Subtitle
This bramble image shows that a depth structure is exemplified. Along with the content, add hm-hms as you like and need to. Maybe "bramblic" sort of anecdotes show the
severest subtleties you find on this site and in your life.A tick tack toe line and strain is summed up
Do not walk blindly. Use common sense and be helped by jolly good extracts a very
long way, so as to become more able as time goes by. |