Two quotes caught my attention this morning; one from Thich
Nhat Hahn and a Vietnamese tradition and one from Chögyam Trungpa and a Tibetan
tradition. The following table contains the quotes and the key phrases that caught
my attention.
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“Insight can’t be found in sutras, commentaries, verbal expression,
or —isms.
Liberation and awakened understanding can’t be found by devoting
ourselves to the study of the Buddhist scriptures. This is like trying to
find fresh water in dry bones.
Returning to the present moment, using our clear mind which exists
right here and now, we can be in touch with liberation and enlightenment, as
well as with the Buddha and the patriarchs as living realities right in this
moment.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
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"Underlying intelligence is always there.
As long as we relate with our underlying primordial intelligence and
as long as we push ourselves a little, by jumping into the middle of
situations, then intelligence arises automatically.
When you’re in the middle of a situation, you automatically pick up
on what is needed. It’s not a question of how to do it — you just do it.
And you find yourself doing it perfectly, even surprising
yourself."
~ Chögyam Trungpa
|
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using our clear mind … we can be in touch with liberation and
enlightenment
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our underlying primordial intelligence … arises automatically
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| John Calvin |
Having been encultured as a Scottish Presbyterian I am
burdened with the concept of ‘no pain, no gain.’ No existential freebies! Plod on.
Having trained as a biology teacher I am programmed to espouse
the notion that ‘nothing comes from nothing’. Effects have causes – there is no
magic, no tooth fairy and no Santa Clause
Those two ideas can generate the thought that ‘enlightenment/
liberation/ release results from applying great effort in transforming our
basic nature’. And note that in my natal culture basic nature rests in original
sin - so it is going to be an uphill struggle! In essence, I am a miserable Presbyterian
with a bleak outlook on matters spiritual.
This perhaps explains my scepticism about the magical
aspects of Buddhism. The quotes above recognise ‘our clear mind’ and ‘our underlying
primordial intelligence’. These presumably refer to unconscious functions of
the mind and its brain. But nothing comes from nothing. Both the unconscious and
the conscious aspects of the mind are shaped by nature (genes), nurture
(culture) and serendipity (chance ). People hold differing views about the
nature and relative strengths of these forces and the extent to which they can
be reshaped[1].
On a good day I feel that nature and nurture can both be forces for the good
and that they complement each other and are changeable. It would be hard to be
a teacher if I felt otherwise!
But I have experience of apparently getting something for
nothing. This short note is an example. The ‘muse’ spoke. Or was it the unconscious?
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