March 27th Synopsis and Subject for April 17th

      The discussion ranged from quotes to personal experiences. In the quote category Tara Brach’s term “selfing” was mentioned and much of the early discussion focused on the manner in which we keep the sense of self, or “I,” alive. How we feed the need, which is part of the human condition, to not only support this unique sense of “me,” but also to avoid the undermining effects of an identification with Impermanence and Emptiness in our everyday existence.
      Nadine offered a poignant example by sharing an experience wherein she realized that there was no reason to state her differing opinion regarding a perspective offered by someone in a recent group discussion. She recognized that there was no reason to do so, except to support her self-identity, and that there was no heuristic value to such an act in that particular situation.
      There was discussion as to the nature of an enlightened experience, and the benefit in acknowledging that everything is a flowing of life in each moment. It was noted that the openness to, and the embracing of this flowing stands as a foundation for gaining an equanimous posture vis-à-vis our sensate experience.
      We were honored once again with a wonderful series of thoughts by Mary Ann who really captured the essence of the discussion in the following thoughts.

“I” stands alone like a tree
With a crown and a root system.
Branches sprout –bud into limbs.
The tree fills in the middle,
Becomes a container of ideas, experiences,
Actions, cells, thoughts.

I think therefore I am Descartes noted -
I might not think therefore I might not be
I imagine.

Evolution naturally loosens attachments.
The radiational fallout from too much everyday awakening
Creates a pulling away from the self known to man,
Like ice breaking away from its cap;
The ocean claiming the shore a little bit at a time.

Like the tree, life engages one in the middle,
Between the crown and roots.
The roots being the ultimate compass,
The crown the disengaging tower.

The growing away from self starts with the creation of self
On the way to enlightenment.
The material world dims and the light of peace
Hovers over the middle passage – the trunk and branches –
Into the crown and roots and the “I” flows into all. – Mary Ann 3-26-2011

      We were able to look into the insubstantial nature of the “I” while at the same time, accepting it as a necessary aspect of human existence in the material world. We talked about the value in coming to a clear understanding of the interconnected, impermanent, nature of this sensory existence - while at the same time, recognizing the limitations inherent in attachment to our thoughts and perspectives. The group concluded with the following quote from one of Japan's foremost Rinzai Zen masters; Soko Morinaga Roshi.

"Within you there is eternal life. This life arises as form and continues, instant by instant, appearing and disappearing. Moreover, this flickering, appearing and disappearing, is not the flickering of a solidified individual self; it is the sparkling appearance and disappearance of a fusion of the self and its surroundings, in union."

      The next meeting has been tentatively scheduled for April 17th and the location will be forwarded soon. The subject of this meeting with be gleaned from the teachings of Stephen Batchelor.
      He has suggested that the Buddha’s enlightenment can be understood as his awakening to the Four Noble Truths. However, contrary to understanding them as Truths, with a capital “T” as we are prone to do, he suggests that these teachings can be understood as a “plurality of truths which are profoundly linked and constitute a process.” And that this process can translate the idea of conditioned-arising into a way of life.
     He says that the Buddha described conditioned-arising as “the dharma itself.” His awareness was initially an insight into conditionality which subsequently led to the Four Noble Truths, not visa-versa.
      Now, if you have pushed-on up to this point, let me be succinct and identify the next subject up for discussion as follows. How do the Four Noble Truths arise out of the Truth of Conditioned-Arising?