Entrusting
to
All
You
Already
Have
This is a great talk (see the video below) by my friend and Dharma teacher from Korea, Chong Go Sunim.
Of particular interest, for me–and perhaps for you–in this talk, is the idea of the brightening of one’s mind, heart or soul. The first time I heard my teacher speak of this notion, he worded it in the negative, as in the darkening of our soul (or heart; I cannot recall his exact verbiage); so–having come from an atheist background (and still being
firmly there, mind you)–and before that, a Christian one, this language unsettled me, a bit (in its possible interpretations, not so much in what I thought, at the
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time, Chong Go Sunim meant by it).
It took me years to realize what my venerable teacher had truly meant; and while I still don’t take it literally, hearing Chong Go Sunim speak about brightening our mind, heart or soul, I see it–now–for what the experience of it really has become, for me. And that is a lightening of my burdens, simply for having the Zen–and in particular, the Sangha experience in my life. Why–simply coming to this page, tonight, to add these thoughts, now (the original post was shorter, lacking this paragraph), I feel lighter.
To elaborate, and go on a bit of a tangent, mind you, I had woken up with some dark interpretations of some events in my life–and though there is merit in observing such kinds of thoughts and investigating, sensibly, their nature and possible validity–having come to add the idea of brightening and darkening the mind, heart or soul, I feel comforted, moved, schooled and relieved, to–as Chong Go Sunim once put it in a conversation we had in Korea– “not believe everything your mind tells you….” And what we put in our minds can cause that, over time–another crucial idea expounded on by The Buddha.
So–I encourage all thoughtful people–and those who would like to be more thoughtful (or less–as the case may be), to listen to Teacher Chong Go in this and other Dharma talks. The Han Maum, or One Mind Zen school offers some interesting core practical concepts you likely won’t find in other Zen teachings–and that is the point here.
A Note About A Concept Mentioned in The Talk:
If you fancy, the concept of rebirth can be seen in a non-literal sense. In my humble opinion, one can interpret the idea of many lives as reference to the cultures we come from, instilled in us through family and community, and in the traits we inherit via ancestry; likewise, we can see our rebirth as states of mind which we embody through our practice, each day. So–this talk can be enormously useful to you, even if you are not a Buddhist–as it is to me–a Secular Zen Buddhist. And, in fact, these concepts are mentioned only several times in this wonderful talk about Buddha nature, or inherent nature.
A Bit About Me And Buddhism
I first studied and discussed the Dharma and other issues with Chong Go Sunim beginning in 2007, before formally taking precepts the next year with my Dharma brothers and adopting Zen Buddhism formally. I should add that I also take instruction in the teachings of Stoicism from books and sources on the internet.
Thank you for reading.
Somewhere in the Dharma (as my Dharma Brother Gildo used to say),
Mando
AKA Carl Atteniese
Currently in Mongolia
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