#39 Rhode Island

 CLEAR MIND/DON'T KNOW

I zoomed in to the Providence Zen Center for their Sunday morning sit and teaching.   I came early for the meditation instruction and I was the only attendee; although the sit and teaching comprised 12 online and about as many in-persons at the PZC.   I really appreciated Derek's instructions to sit comfortably, and attend to body, breath and mind.  He suggested breathing in with the chant 'Clear Mind' and out with 'Don't Know'.    This fit perfectly with an ongoing struggle I've had with the narrator in my head.  

Often, while 'meditating' on breath, I am really just trying to manage a long conversation about how I am doing, what I am looking at, whether I am good at it and so on, all from some imaginary knowing entity (me), which is really just a big pile of loose files.   Saying "I don't know" seemed to help more of a true witness and participant be with the present moment.  

After introduction, we sat for two twenty five minute sits with an optional walking in between.  After that, Agwang, fresh off of five weeks retreat, talked about the wisdom in seeing one's own mind, and she suggested that in working with our responses to others, to lunch, to anything, life becomes a koan. 

After that, Head Dharma Teacher Kwan Haeng Sunim gave a well-thought talk on the four great vows, which seem so very impossible; for example 'sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them."  Kwan Haeng explained that it is mostly a matter of orientation, and of course getting closer to 'not knowing mind.'  Of course I can't save all beings, but if I lean in to helping, to understanding, and to asking the questions 'who am I?' and 'what is this?', then I gain some ability to live in this state.  

The Kwan Um school of Korean Buddhism, of which PZC is the largest entity, was founded in 1972 by Seung Sahn, who innovated and adapted a few streams of Buddhism to modern America, including expanding the accessibility and role of authorized teachers within the tradition.  Seung Sahn admitted to sexual improprieties in 1988, and the school has strict ethical guidelines in place as a result. 

The Seven Sisters

There were seven sisters who practiced very seriously. One day, they all went to a funeral. On the way home after the funeral, they passed by a cemetery. In Korea, when someone dies, we bury the body in the ground or we burn the body. They also do that in India. Sometimes they even throw the body into the river for fish to devour, but sometimes they just leave the body on the ground in the cemetery. That time, the seven sisters passed by a cemetery and saw a skeleton on the ground. 

One of the sisters pointed to the skeleton and said, “Where is its master now?” The youngest sister tapped on the skeleton and said, “What is it? What is it?” In English we also say, “Just this. Just this.” The sisters heard that, and all seven simultaneously got enlightened. 

At that time, a great light appeared and up in heaven, the Heavenly King saw this great light coming up from the earth. He was very curious, “Where is this light coming from? What’s causing this light?” He went down to earth and found the light was coming from the seven sisters’ minds as they simultaneously attained enlightenment. The Heavenly King bowed to the sisters three times and said, “I’m the chief god in heaven and I have great powers, and in honor of your enlightenment I would like to offer you anything you want. I have the power of granting anything you want. What do you want?” 

One of the sisters said, “We want three things: We want the valley without echo. We want the tree that has no roots. And we want the ground with neither dark nor light.” The god of heaven was completely stumped. He had no idea where they were. So the sisters said, “Only go straight don’t know.”