2012.07.12 _ 93

So... karuna-metta meditation before my PaB session... what would happen if I chose a politician for the "difficult person"? :) I hadn't done that before, but my previous main choices were "compassioned out"! So Mr. Romney... what do you have to say for yourself ... that's the same today as it was yesterday? ;-)

For some reason, this old story spoke to me today, and seemed to crystallize what I am.



No Water, No Moon

When the nun Chiyono studied Zen under Bukko of Engaku she was unable to attain the fruits of meditation for a long time.

At last one moonlit night she was carrying water in an old pail bound with bamboo. The bamboo broke and the bottom fell out of the pail, and at that moment Chiyono was set free!

In commemoration, she wrote a poem:

In this way and that I tried to save the old pail
Since the bamboo strip was weakening and about to break
Until at last the bottom fell out.
No more water in the pail!
No more moon in the water!

My interpretation of that story (I don't think there is any 'correct' interpretation,) is that the bottom falling out of the pail symbolized her letting go of views she laboriously carried around with her. It happened by itself when the conditions were right, she didn't do it herself, in fact she tried to prevent it...

I found this commentary:
'...The pail of water is like our minds. We carry it with us wherever we go. It is always filled and brimming over with thoughts. Most of us are not in a Zen monastery doing walking meditation. Most of the time we are probably not aware of our thoughts. Our minds are like a weight we have been carrying our whole lives. We don’t realize our minds are simply a reflection of life, not life itself. It is like Chiyono carrying the bucket and watching the moon, forgetting that the real moon is up in the sky.

Because of our minds we see the whole world like the reflection of the moon in the water. We don’t see reality; we see only the reflection as it is filtered through the mind. Strangely we think we are seeing the real moon. The reflection of the mind, like the moon’s reflection shimmering in the water, is often distorted.

Chiyono was walking along and her mind was walking along with her, interpreting everything she saw - just like the reflection in the water. But she was aware because of her practices with meditation.

Suddenly, the pail broke. The water rushed out, the moon’s reflection disappeared - there was nothing.

Within her, within her awareness, the straps holding her mind broke - just like the bamboo holding the bucket. Without the straps the mind was gone and the reflection was gone . There was nothing. This was Chiyono’s enlightenment....'

Read more at Suite101: Zen Story: Chiyono | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article/zen-story-chiyono-a330052#ixzz20QrBAi5B

What broke was attachment, not only her attachment to ordinary worldly things and fancy ideas, but her attachment to mind itself. Her attachment came apart, no matter how she resisted. No longer contained, her mind was free. And her awareness was no longer limited to viewing a tiny portion of 'what is' through that one small distorted mirror.

Question: You have become like Chiyono. Your attachment is gone. You no longer suffer because of it. And you meet people on your way who are also carrying old buckets slopping with water, each bucket bound with bamboo. What do you do?

:) a bit sleepy to check in too much, but enjoy this story and both of your takes on it. Will read more closely tomorrow too, and consider question. :)

Today's report:

Spent hours with a remarkable woman whose view of life knocked my socks off. Feel fortunate. She brought to mind the not oft used word "countenance"...

Contemplating compassionate countenance.