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What is the path?

not1not2not1not2 Veteran
edited June 2007 in Buddhism Basics
What is the path?

Embracing. At once a loss & a gain. Losing everything to gain it all.

What is the path?

There no use fighting. Realizing this fact.

What is the path?

The fighting.

What is the path?

Hatred. Ignorance. Delusion. This body. Misfortune. Horrors. Fears. Death. Pain.

What is the path?

Everything else.

What is the path?

Walking down the road that appears before you. Good thing there is no other way.




_/\_
metta

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2007
    what is the path?

    Just one foot infront of the other.
  • not1not2not1not2 Veteran
    edited June 2007
    federica wrote:
    what is the path?

    Just one foot infront of the other.

    gassho!

    _/\_
  • not1not2not1not2 Veteran
    edited June 2007
    It's interesting for me to take note of all the mental objections I've been having to this post since I made it.

    "That conflicts with such & such teaching!"

    "You're giving the wrong impression!"

    "That just sounds silly"

    and on and on.

    Anyway, just so you have some context, I wrote this after reading an article by John Tarrant Roshi:
    The Great Way is Not Difficult

    So, this stream of thought flows from that. I've personally had difficulties with narrowing down the path to 'such & such activities' & other abstract ideas. This article really opened me up to a much more direct & less narrow approach in my practice. Hope you all can find some inspiration in that article.

    with metta
    _/\_
  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Fede, I love that answer, and completely agree.

    Oh, wait, I have an Army answer for that.

    What is the path?

    Well, our magnetic azimuth is this, but there's a mountain in our way. Guess we're climbing. Who's got the Sapper/Ranger/Special Forces tab? Lead the way.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2007
    I got hot coffee and dunkin' doughnuts. That enough?
  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Actually, fede, on one of our field exercises, we put the tab theory to the test. My squad was led by a Sapper, the other squad by a regular nco. My squad did everything the hard way first time, with first time gos all around, while the other squad got completely lost and we had to send out a search party for them.

    Therefore, the more you are willing to put forth and suffer through early on, the easier the path becomes.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2007
    bushinoki wrote:
    .....the other squad got completely lost and we had to send out a search party for them.

    How embarassing was THAT - !?:D
    ............Therefore, the more you are willing to put forth and suffer through early on, the easier the path becomes.

    Funny that.... But maybe it only seems initially difficult because it's so new.... once you become accustomed to it, and you realise the difficulties that lie ahead, being of a more able frame of mind, they don't appear as daunting. Sometimes, the challenges are welcome, put a smile on our face, and we relish them, rather than see them as oppressive.

    Maybe....?
  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited June 2007
    fede, for that ftx, we had two days of missions. The first, I hated all the challenges and obstacles. The second, after seeing how much easier things were, it was more like "hill, what hill, keep moving."

    The lesson here is that the true path is not always easily discerned, but might mean crossing mountains and desert to get to your destination.

    Oh, that reminds me, having to pick cactus thorns out of steel toed boots, and my feet, really sucks.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2007
    *Ooooooooooch!!*:hair:
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited June 2007
    having to pick cactus thorns out of steel toed boots, and one's feet and other such unpleasant distractions

    still

    will not

    hijack us from the path.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2007
    I recall a walk in the rain forest near the Tambli Surla temple, at the foot of the Western Ghats in Goa. Provided with stout sticks, we were guided by two or three boys from the local village along an almost-invisible path. All at once, the boys began to remove their shoes. When we asked what they were doing, we were told that there had once been a temple there. Hardly a stone remained but the local people remembered and still revered the ground on which it stood.

    It was a great moment: to remove our own shoes and stand silent for a while on sacred ground that looked and felt no different from all the rest of the jungle. And to learn that sacred ground can be found in all places, on all paths, however faint and overgrown.
  • not1not2not1not2 Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Nirvana wrote:
    having to pick cactus thorns out of steel toed boots, and one's feet and other such unpleasant distractions

    still

    will not

    hijack us from the path.

    Is picking cactus thorns out of steel toed boots seperate from the path? ;)

    :om:

    metta
    _/\_
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited June 2007
    It all depends on what your definition of "is" is.

    The point of the pilgrimmage is the journey, is the path. Not the destination.

    that's what I've heard.
  • not1not2not1not2 Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Nirvana wrote:
    It all depends on what your definition of "is" is.

    The point of the pilgrimmage is the journey, is the path. Not the destination.

    that's what I've heard.

    :)

    metta
    _/\_
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2007
    Thus have I heard:

    " 't is better to travel hopefully, than to arrive".

    Om backatcha.....:thumbsup:
  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited June 2007
    I always thought the point of traveling the path to a destination was to learn as much as you can along the way.

    And cactus thorns are sometimes just a part of learning as much as you can.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2007
    And let's not forget we leave no discernible, permanent footprints..
  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited June 2007
    The Path is the Goal.

    Palzang
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2007
    ....And the Goal is the Path......

    Oh stop a minute !

    I need a cup of tea! :thumbsup:
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited June 2007
    And we lucky beings, fortunate enough to be born human, can have our tea in leisure in a cup and not have to lap it up on the sly as a dog might.

    If you can find tea while on the path, you might well be on the right path.
  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Nirvana, unless it is powdered ice tea from an MRE. Then I question myself, why the hell did I pick a combat arms job, especially one where I go to ranges and the field so much. Oh well, 11 months and counting to reclass.
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Hang in there, Bushi. We're here with you whenever you feel like chatting. 11 months will fly by and in the meantime you can practice where you are. We can always practice no matter where we are. Much love to you.
  • Arctic-StrangerArctic-Stranger
    edited June 2007
    Ok powdered tea may be a bit extreme, but in spite of, I am sure your practice will take you to wonderful places while you are in, and then after.
  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Honestly, I have learned alot during my time in the military. You truly learn how strong you are, and what you are truly capable of when you push yourself to the limit and beyond. Meditation has been the foundation of it all. I get home from work each night and do nothing but relax.
  • NirvanaNirvana aka BUBBA   `     `   South Carolina, USA Veteran
    edited June 2007
    First my (apparent) discounting of the cactus thorns, now my (apparent) discounting of (as I call them) Meals Ready-to-Eat! Boy am I in trouble with you, good Bushinoki!

    My nephew got out of Baghdad Saturday, and is now under decompression in Germany. He'll fly to D.C. Friday. Such a relief. He'll be out in two months and move back to Minnesota.

    It was his second time, there about six months this time. He's Air Force and in intelligence or counterintelligence, so he had it easy in the Green Zone all the time.

    I wish you all the best, really, Bushinoki, and always enjoy what you have to say. Just stick with it and don't let anyone make you do anything you'd ruther not. :p:
  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited June 2007
    Nirvana, don't worry, you're not in trouble with me at all. Glad to here your nephew made it out okay. Intelligence isn't that safe, it involves alot of foot work and talking to people. Counterintelligence can be even more dangerous, as you are sometimes setting up false operations for the enemy to focus on, and can put you directly in the line of fire.

    Don't worry about misjudging the military. It's one of those things you have to truly experience to know about. It's also not for everyone. One of the things I'm glad about this is that I can provide a perspective on life that very few others (in the grand scheme of things) have.
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