• Patching Sayings Together
• The Stand is of Cybernetics
• Summary

A Rewarding Sort of Table

- unites many traditions and supports your own thinking, eventually. It should be rather easy to master too.

Patching Sayings Together

The "Get Tao" icon heads a hundred such tables (so-called essays) on the Gold Scales. Where you come across it, a summary of such a table that seems like an essay, is usually furnished towards the end of it. Taking a first look into the summary first could help you access other parts of the essay or whet your appetite to read it. Or you can save yourself time by glancing through the summary and the headings of the "Get Tao" chapter. The summary may further serve attempts at practical use of the content, even a loose sketch of a training design of a sort. You could also get several summary sketches from each 'Get Tao' essay provided you learn the details and apply it with due consideration.

The easy-to-learn basic structure or skeleton of a "Get Tao" presentation is multiform Taoistic in essence, and conforms to general lines of basic study, research and presentation in science. It may further be held that the schema in a extended "Get Tao" table is akin to how Kigen Dogen (1200-53) have organised his essays. Reverend Gudo Nishijima tells much about it.

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 Nishijima of Dogen's Zen lineage (see further down). The over-all way of Tao-presentation that is explained on this site, conforms all in all to a presentation pattern expounded by the Reverend. It is a pattern he recognises in many Dogen essays and lectures.

So, by piecing together selected data or sayings according to the Tao design, we may form tables, essays, poems, and generate many more sayings, as by-products, so to speak. But the most treasured use of the "Get Tao" articles (essays, tables) here, are practical applications. The summaries suggest step-by-step takes until some Tao is had. Further teachings may be needed after that, to be sure, but first things first.

By arranging and sequencing thoughts, procedures, and general presentations neatly, you arrive at a wider frame to put segments of main ideas into, and suggestive tools for mind training, lojong in Tibetan. In such training, fine ideas are given time to work deeply on the mind to expand it and reprogram from not adequate ways of thinking too. "Fin ideas" consist of key lines and carefully structured summary-gist which rides higher than isolated keylines (sayings). [More]

Dogen's Simplified Buddhism and Designs

In 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 Nishijima

You may find the passage near the rear of an interesting article, "The Theory of Four Views in Three Philosophies and One Reality. (PDF-file)

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 Zen].

Our standard presentation of patched sayings and the like has no claims to a lineage, but the all-round, simplified designs line up with Dogen's way of writing nicely.

❋ As one greets one is also thanked (German proverb).

Qualifications

One may take the many and sound academic reservations away from any text and add to text statements from such an "arsenal of reservations". Compare Sir Bertrand Russell's, "If you want to make a statement with a great many qualifications, put some of the qualifications in separate sentences." The site is aligned to Sir Bertrand's formidable counsel throughout. Details are spelled out here: [Link]

So, look deeply into "Buddhism is just Zazen (Zen sitting)" and read on. You may see that the interpretation of that statement depends on outlook and perhaps your schooling and standing too. For example, Gautama Buddha's Buddhism contains both (1) meditation, (2) teachings, and (3) organisation of adherents (in the sangha). These three are called the Three Jewels. Minding that the foremost way is a good, meditative one, later Buddhism got many 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:

1. Guard your own statements by added calculations (qualifications);
2. Bolster tactlessly drastic, bold or strong-looking statements of others with some fit qualifications too, so as not to be taken in so easily.

You do not have to embrace Buddhist canon to get into Dogen's best hits: (a) study to ascend; (b) contemplate along with that; (b) think your own thoughs to help the dear ones. Thinking for oneself may work against dwarfing. [Mind mapping shown]

Good scholing may seem traitorous to average minds at times. And yet, sound breeding should be far more worthwhile than moulding minds a lot.

❋ A small brook becomes a large river (German, adapted).

The Shobogenzo Structure

"I found that the Shobogenzo is in fact constructed in a very special way; using a unique pattern of expression.

Master Dogen expresses his ideas in the Shobogenzo based on a pattern of four phases. First, he explains a problem from the idealistic point of view; that is, as an idea using abstract concepts. Then, immediately after this first phase, he explains the same problem, but this time from the objective, or material point of view. In other words, he gives concrete examples and facts. Then, in the next phase, he explains the problem yet a third time as a real problem; that is, realistically thinking. Of course, he cannot explain the reality surrounding the problem with words in a book, but he does so by bringing together the subjective viewpoint which he presents first, and the second objective viewpoint. He synthesizes the two viewpoints into a realistic appraisal of the problem; a synthesis of the self and the external world. And in the final phase, he tries to suggest the subtle ineffable nature of reality itself by using symbolic, poetic, or figurative forms of speech.

The Shobogenzo is full of these four-phased explanations."

These words by a contemporary 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" (PDF-file)

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", and yet the problems may be resolved through a suitable depth structure and work according to plan.

❋Lots of problems are presented according to one's views. For example, it seems like a problem for a lover of beer not to have it around, but not a problem for others and beer drinkers with ample supplies at hand.

❋ At some times the beer drinker misses beer, at other times he has had enough of it. Hence, some contradictions are resolved in "the river of" Time. And stepwise solution-building can be helped in or by the flow of time too.

Further concerns

There is a close match between Dogen's "unique logical structure" of ideas and the Gold Eggs design here: 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]

1. INITIAL CONCERNS. "First, he explains a problem from the idealistic point of view; that is, as an idea using abstract concepts." [Gudo Nishijima]

2. THE "GET SOME TAO" STUDY. "Then, immediately after this first phase, he explains the same problem, but this time from the objective, or material point of view. In other words, he gives concrete examples and facts." [Gudo Nishijima]

3. SUMMARY WITH ROOM FOR A TRAINING PROGRAM AND MORE AT ITS TAIL. "Then, in the next phase, he explains the problem yet a third time as a real problem; that is, realistically thinking. Of course, he cannot explain the reality surrounding the problem with words in a book, but he does so by bringing together the subjective viewpoint which he presents first, and the second objective viewpoint. He synthesizes the two viewpoints into a realistic appraisal of the problem; a synthesis of the self and the external world." [Gudo Nishijima]

NOTE. A "Get Tao" essay or table is arranged for three steps toward gaining Tao welcomes (and handling skills, ways, means etc.) In some cases only the first two steps are found.

A solution to hold

If there is no third step in a gist/summary, the hen tells it. It also suggests "the solution to hold", ie the grounding to stretch toward, that is: (1) Highlights based on the first section. (2) Highlights based on the second section. It might add up to getting a hold somehow. One starts with the first item and get some kind of grounding - which in turn is expressed or suggesed by the second item. One is to get a footing by fit matter well sequenced or "spread out". That is the basic idea. Implementing skills and decent conditions count too, and much else.

4. CANDID STUFF AS SEEMS FIT "And in the final phase, he tries to suggest the subtle ineffable nature of reality itself by using symbolic, poetic, or figurative forms of speech." [Gudo Nishijima]

"The Shobogenzo is full of these four-phased explanations." [Gudo Nishijima]

The Get-a-Tao Design that is suggested above, shows that Dogen items and those that go into the groundwork designs of Gold Scales table-essays are structured in much the same way. Additional use of icons is to assist the reader in spotting the various stages of the discourse. A presentation of Gold Scales icons: [Link]

Cauldron postulates

The alternative to 'Get Tao' might be 'Get dwarfed or something'. There is some thinking around it, and the emblem used to signal it in good faith:

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

From the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (Act 4, Scene 1).

If you get into Shakespeare's cauldron, that is big trouble. Then you are made use of to no good and decent ends. If you are drawn toward a big cauldron, this may tell "Troubles ahead - resist the pull or drift toward it," or something.

In a few places on this site you see a cauldron icon in a summary, often named gist. That cauldron goes into telling (according to the aligned postulate-way) that the general drift - maybe only the last stretch of it - seems non-productive for most part, and that this drift may become alarming too, perhaps dangerous and ruinous to health and other resources - more or less so.

Thus, a cauldron signals a drift - a take - that ought to be avoided, as it seems little likely to get you into "welcoming arms" of Tao - and so one may get difficulties in keeping and attaining some all right solvency-conformity. The gist of it is that you may be used and used up by others through "cauldron conform ways." Or perhaps you end up getting non-productive.

To beware in good time against that sort of drift is good. We may possibly steer away and move in some other direction. If that is not feasible, we may just stop - and do it before things get out of hand. Don't risk losing fruits of former attainments by going in a direction that sooner or later deranges, into such a negative course or spiral in life.

The idea behind such thinking is to go for a constructive, health-awarding spin and avoid the opposite spin, the derangement things in life. Ayurvedic handling and Tao-rooted acupuncture theory seeks to make use of the similar understanding by how to operate its five bhutas system elements, after the diagnoses are through. A figure illustrates the spin ideas, or drift ideas by other words. Here it is: