Chop Wood, Carry Water. How “I” become “No-One” (another year)

English: Stillness by Eckhart Tolle, on a Park bench plaque, facing Sacramento River, Redding CA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

•”Before Awakening; chop wood, carry water. After Awakening: chop wood, cary water.”~ Zen Proverb

•“Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others. Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.” ~ The Buddha, Dhammapada Ch IV V.40

•”Strictly speaking, there are No Enlightened people, only Enlightened activity.”~ Suzuki-roshi

• [Former Personal Story] After many years (Over 20 years…but, how many lives?) of committed Buddha-Dharma practice, as a Spiritual Path to ‘Attaining Liberation’ (from the “desire to Attain”) •Then ≈ 2 years ago, ‘my world ended and I died.’ Truly.
All that remained cannot be be described with any real efficacy. The Buddha, in the Pali Canon, Suzuki-roshi’s quote above is the most eloquent and succinct, the Heart Sutra is equally eloquent, accurate, full description (the main body, not the preamble about Avalokiteshvara talking to Śaripitra, that could not be the same ‘being’ or ‘essence’ that wrote the body: “Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is form… “Emptiness,” “Stream-Entry,” “Breaking the first 3 Fetters to samyak-sambodhi”, maha-vipassāna, “Insight into True Nature of Reality,” are all terms used to describe it. (To be clear, Not: Enlightenment, Nirvāna/Nibbāna, only the beginning of it).
‘No-Self’ (Anātman/anātta) is the remainder…Empty. Śūnyatā

• Paradoxically, I am writing about how “I” came to Experience the Fact/Reality that “I” do not actually exist. (Not as a Separate Entity, not as a Separate Self, not independent of “you,” “computer,” “desk,” “Sun,” “Universe,” etc.)

•Ultimately, (precisely Literal not metaphorical or figuratively, but Truly) there really is No “Me” to describe “About Me.”
There is still Form, Feeling, Perception, Consciousness, & Object of Consciousness.

•Another paradoxic, is how now “I” or “Not I” am Here (or not here! …okay, okay… now I am just having fun with you 🙂
(And FYI, no, I say: I without quotation marks, nor do I go around using “air quotes” all the time! :~)}
Hahahahaaah! aaahhh! • B R E A T H E!!• It’s ALL. So. Damn. FUNNY! Killer Irony..the ultimate Mind-Blowwer!

•Anyhow… A) That’s the point, B) It does Not change the Truth; Everything that is written here is “More Real” that Any “Individual” that can/will/is reading this. Absolutely Truth, (well, putting it into words makes it relative, but the Reality behind the words is Absolute…and More… than “Anyone” can Imagine (fact).
Reality is, Truth is, as absolutely True as 1+1 = 2.

•If you want to know more, I will share anything possible, but words are just ‘signposts’ (labels only work if a common experience is shared, understood, agreed upon, this label ≈ X. As Eckhart Tolle describes with mastery (not that they are original concepts or analogies in general, but regardless, his wrods are genuine, He Is the “Real Deal!” [It takes a Stream-Enterer, or beyond, to truly identify another Stream-Winner/Entrant/Enterer, this is beyond my ability to explain, other than the concept of “resonance”…intuitive…yes, but also physical. If two violins are in-tune, in the same room, and one plucks the (I don’t know anything about music theory, but I do about Physics) “C Chord” (C note?) on one violin, the “C Chord” on the other violin will begin to move…or Resonate, the same key (or Chord, whatever the musical lingo is…) And it takes a Buddha to Identify another Buddha. I don’t know “what/where” Eckhart Tolle “is” on the Buddhadhamma scale; I DO KNOW he is BEYOND Stream-Winner!] As he says; someone can write a dissertation and get a PhD in “Honey”and become the foremost expert on Honey… without every tasting it! (paraphrased) Or the Buddha, who is the Alpha & Omega (The A to Z) of such matters uses the analogy (actually I think it’s a simile? It is if I put “like” in there…I know grammar a little better than music theory, not a whole lot more! 😉 …”Like a finger pointing at the Moon. Don’t miss the Moon by focusing on the finger. (paraphrased, obviously)

• Now, All that is, is Now. I don’t “strive to not-strive”, the Dharma/Dhamma is “Everything” and ALL…all I do…though more accurately (infinitely more so accurate) and yet it is “effortless-effeort!” There is no ‘Buddhist’ or ‘concept of Dhamma’ or ‘subject and object’ to “practice, or “other beings to save…”
Chop wood, carry water.

Genuinely Connect with people, and demonstrate, share perspective, and purify Karma. There is “no where to go” to access Stream-Entry, or Bodhi. It’s always here, closer than your own nose…. I am able to Mentor those that are receptive (I was silent for the first 6 monte…no reason to share, nothing to add, nothing could remove, nothing could improve, and no way to relate the experience (Which is quite “similar” in how the Buddha reacted after Enlightenment, under the Bodhi Tree. I’m not saying it is the same, I’m saying I get that part of the story…I relate, I just… agh..beyond words (Eckhart Tolle also describes an experience of similar nature (Relating, Not Comparing…there’s a big difference!)

Then I went through a time where I felt compelled to share, a compassionate altruism, (The the analogy of the “Hand” not wanting to pull the thorn from the “foot”…thinking: “It’s not my problem!” Absurd, right? Exactly! I’m a hand, you’re a foot, you’re suffering, we’re part of the same body, I don’t think about “selfish” or “generous”, the hand JUST DOES IT! So I tried with Blogging, and this, and that…and realized, it wasn’t really working, (In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t explain a simple “About Me” without a lengthy discourse…) The Blog is more…”frustrating?” No, Limited, that’s it! It’s like trying to tie your shows without your hands….it seems absurd to even try and convey in writing, an experience of such weight, depth and breadth, to an audience that is random (So maybe a book, or something like that) until that effortlessly occurs, I “just do”…Just Be…whatever is in front of me, skillfully engage…or not. (It’s not really “an experience”…THIS HERE: ⬇ This is an experience (feeling, sensing, mind, object of mind, form, etc ,that’s “an experience.” Take that ALL AWAY….And it’s Emptiness, Infinite, Eternal, “The Primal Void”(a Black Hole, perhaps? Light cannot escape it…perhaps Black Holes are some remnant in the Universe of Buddhas?)
• And as I feet drawn to “share” anything possible, with whomever os Open… (with the aid of a mentor that is already there [which is partly what happened to me…plus the years of meditation and Dharma study probably helped] the progress is accelerated, significantly.[Which is why the Buddha guided so many to Enlightenment, 100s in his presence, and in the presence of those Enlightened in the Buddha’s presence…but it’s dwindled, although FAR from Gone!

So I do what is Here, Now, to access this Real Insight for All those that Seek. [The End.]

The rest was here from before. Before when? before Now…and yet, when is it here? Now! So it’s staying 🙂 (FYI: Any ‘spiritual teacher’ or whatever, that doesn’t laugh a lot, have a lot of bliss, not take things too seriously, laugh at oneself as much/more than anything…I would…I don’t know..it doesn’t compute! How can one take oneself so seriously, if one “see” that one is not “real”?!?! I don’t know? I can’t Not laugh at the humor in almost anything… (And also cry with ease…jus being, it flows, laughter, tears, gratitude, compassionate sobbing, etc. That’s my 17 cents worth of “wisdom”…Blessing ALL! _/\_

“The How of Happiness”, Tao, Ch’an, Zen, Documentary Filmmaker, Mindfulness-Physiologist,12-Step Worker (and Advocate, as well as an Advocate for Actual Psychoanalysis (not to be confused with Psychotherapy), Only: Here & Now: Awaken-to-Oneness, Inter-Connected: Digital Marketer, Video Producer, Public Speaker, Spiritual Mentor, Blogger, Author, & Search Engine Marketer & Optimizer. Myers-Briggs: INFJ. My Abode:
Detroit, Royal Oak, MI, USA, EARTH, Dharmakaya • http://BuddhistInsight.Org
• http://InsightOptimizedMarketing.Com •Twitter: @DharmamitraJeff • Facebook: Dharmamitra Jeff Stefani & “ShAring The Buddha-Dharma: Triratna Buddhist Community: Detroit-Royal Oak (on FB Pages)
Google Plus…Same name for Profile, “Buddhist Insight” for a Page, and a SEM/SEO Page on both…(That’s a “Right-Livelihood Business” [don’t be silly and think that “Digital Marketing” is in-and-to-itself something superficial… I help Buddhist Organizations, Non-Profits, and Ethical Businesses (They need SEO as much or MORE than the Big Companies!)

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