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Approximately Enlightened
lobster
Crusty Veteran
Compassion, wisdom and other qualities, can be developed and expressed. In a similar way we can move to sanity and stability within our personal circumstances. Most of us would agree this is a useful way to behave both for us and society. The degree of our alignment with skilful behaviour, is open to all of us. We can approximate enlightened behaviour.
What qualities are you moving into?
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I can't say I'm moving into anything @lobster. However I've been experimenting again with internally chanting the nembutsu in combination with mindful breathing. Last night when I'd finished I felt like I had the kind and gentle feelings I get from metta meditation. Today when I'd finished I felt eerily calm.
Each breath, another answer.
Other than that I would hope whatever qualities I project are useful even if they aren't as skillful as all that.
The Korean Zen teacher Seung Sahn was once asked by an audience member to address a personal issue: "Sometimes when I meditate, I feel like such a phony -- such a schmuck," the student said. And Seung Sahn replied, "You're either a Buddha or a schmuck. There is no in-between."
"Approximate" enlightenment sounds like schmuck-talk to me.
Students get together or practice alone ... all those schmucks, all those Buddhas. Isn't approximation more part of the problem than it is a part of the solution?
I think I might be doing a better job of being a good guy. Hard to tell. It's probably a result of wanting to be liked.
To me, it might seem like I'm gathering merit. If that's what I claim, it stops making sense in that way and becomes an ego trip. Me being a nice guy.
I can't explain my realizations to others because it won't be realization for them, but a concept that they can relate to or not, and will most likely turn into gibberish in the translation. I certainly don't have the skill to bring another person to realization.
Talking about my qualities doesn't seem like a skillful thing to do. Better to talk about my failings.
Like arrogance and an attachment to being right.
"What qualities are you moving into?"
Yummy
I try to go with the flow of the situation...Be it generosity, compassion, kindness, tolerance, humour ...Whatever's needed at the time...
We can't make 'more' awareness. It is always awareness. It's the question that Dogen had I think. How can we need to study if we have Buddha nature? Why do we have to overcome suffering if suffering is merely a confused understanding? The path is not a particular conceptual framework. It is an unlearning of confused ways of relating to the world that we have had and are present in us right now.
No Middle Way Eh? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Most of us have to move into an approximation that deepens. Monks are not schmucks because they are not always meditating Buddhas.
In a similar way the practices and Śīla (ethical behavour) may not be genuine initially but I would suggest are a skilful pattern to follow.
I would also suggest that even the imitation of Buddha qualities is valuable. A genuine schmuck is . . . well the name tells us . . .
So for example an approximation or nearness to the qualities in Nirvana would be more skilfull than endless samsaric questionable behaviour . . .
@lobster -- Will you explain to me how you could be "approximately" anything?
@lobster I find this quote sums up the approach one can take towards the Dharma....
"Don't practice to become enlightened-Let your practice be the natural expression of your enlightenment!"
Enabling, empowering and natural expressing from our 'enlightenment', will by the nature of our existence be an approximation initially.
In other words kindness and metta, grow, wisdom deepens, realisation if available becomes more profound.
So in a sense @Shoshins quote is suggesting we orientate around the qualities of our best understanding. We express from our present.
Including taking a family friend out sight seeing. Normally he doesn't seem to socialise well with many people.
Me and him had a great time, I felt even better for helping him out.
If I do things I want to do I'm never truly happy, if I help out someone in need I feel good for it. I don't do the act to feel good. I do it because I care. The feeling good is just an added extra.
If I can understand @lobster right, you mean to try and cultivate the garden of compassion. Then it grows by itself?
Great posts guys
I find it's the small things that sometimes matter most.
Yes, I would suggest that efforts towards wisdom, clarity, spaciousness, mindfulness and other qualities have benefits for all of us. It is often true they are not derived from awakening but are an aproximation, a template, a pseudo or skilful falsity.
To always talk about authenticity, honesty etc means one to be honest or confess ones irritability, anger, conflicted emotions especially to one self. We also aim towards limiting our potential negativities for example by being civil rather than being 'authentically' and 'really' pissed off.
Perhaps that now makes more sense? As @Earthninja says, the cultivated grows. The ignored may shrivel in the shade . . .