Unfolding spiritual secrets…
Empty your cup
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Zen story from web.
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| Meditating on universe. |
Sometimes a story can teach much more than entire philosophical treatises
One such religion is Buddhism, which for centuries has used stories and parables to help people develop awareness. This culminates in the teachings of Zen Buddhism, which has used short stories extensively to arise in people a new understanding of reality. I will start this post with a Zen story, because that's how Guruji started this chapter..Zen stories are the ancient words and deeds of Zen masters, which have been passed through the ages, crossing the dynasties and cultures of forgotten peoples, originating with the Buddha himself. The insights that these stories seeded, as time rolled on, flowered into invaluable instructions for those wanting to reach liberation. These stories tend to be humorous, paradoxical, multi-layered, enigmatic, and written in a kind of rascally spirit. They’re tantalizing riddles that are sure to puzzle and captivate anyone. We need to experience something directly in order to really learn what it’s about. This is wisdom, as opposed to knowledge much like you’d acquire in a class at school, a parrot-like type of learning that serves as a nice basis for establishing the necessary foundation for certain larger tasks, but which can serve little real use elsewhere particularly in advancing your well-being.
This particular story he related:
Empty your cup
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| An overflowing cup. |
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?” He meant over the years we have gathered knowledge taught in school or acquired by us, but that is superfluous and is not going to serve any purpose in spiritual advancement, for that we have to empty ourselves. (And this can only be achieved with Guru's blessings.)
In my post Metamorphosed in mount Abu, I have mentioned experiences which are out worldly and beyond the reach of our limited contemplation. Though I shouldn't be telling you, as these experiences are too personal, and not to be disclosed. But I think my this post demands it.
My first experience was: when we visited Mount Abu, which is a small beautiful hill station situated in Aravalli hills, Rajasthan. It does not boost of much rainfall and during that time, we heard that it was having drought for the past six- seven years. But refreshingly when we visited this place, it was covered with thick layers of clouds and drizzling, giving a surreal beauty to the whole place. There was no sign of sun even in the days to come. I requested Guruji, that since this place is very famous for sunrise, I want to see it, it was around 10.am. and we were suppose to catch the evening train back to Delhi, same day. He told me affirmatively that "how can I show you Sun in this weather, and he went inside the Ashram" I was very much disappointed, A moment later I saw clouds broke and a beautiful sun peeped through them in its all full glory. OMG!!! what a phenomena. And when I went inside, He was sitting pensively with a mysterious smile on his face. The second one was, when he put his hand on my head like giving me blessings and told me strongly that "Rita, forget everything." And there I was, interestingly almost forgotten most of my acquired knowledge, which indeed reappeared, but after sometime and with much labor. (it was like emptying my cup at that moment).
There is one more experience I would like to share, though it is not spiritual, but a much needed lessen to me. The first one I related in my close encounter of different kind. meeting my soul-sister and the second one I am going to tell you now. It happened on Kanya pujan day. A small boy of around 2-3 year old came with group of girls asking for kanjak, and as it happened that his small feet got hit by door. After that he kept on repeating and showing me his injury. See aunty I got hit, I said lovingly, yes I know, I saw it, but after repeated reminders of his hit feel, I got impatient, and said, it is ok, rise above it. I am giving you so many gifts, still you are not getting over it. And then I realized in a flash of second that, this is what I have been doing for the last four years. I am continuously reminding God every time I kneel, that I am having bad knee pain. (as I have already mentioned in Triple S in Chicago.) Well, doing the same thing, and forgetting all the blessing I am getting from almighty. After that incident I stopped this habit of saying anything about my injured knee. It is really noticeable that all of us do get answers to our problems from our immediate environment, which we generally failed to grasp. So it is our shortcoming and not the universe, or nature or God. Which ever name you want to give. Which is out there, inside and outside us, omnipresent, omniscient, and benevolent.
But it is our mistake that our vision is too narrow that we failed to see the beauty of totality, and that's where we are different from the seekers, saints or spiritualists.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?” He meant over the years we have gathered knowledge taught in school or acquired by us, but that is superfluous and is not going to serve any purpose in spiritual advancement, for that we have to empty ourselves. (And this can only be achieved with Guru's blessings.)
In my post Metamorphosed in mount Abu, I have mentioned experiences which are out worldly and beyond the reach of our limited contemplation. Though I shouldn't be telling you, as these experiences are too personal, and not to be disclosed. But I think my this post demands it.
My first experience was: when we visited Mount Abu, which is a small beautiful hill station situated in Aravalli hills, Rajasthan. It does not boost of much rainfall and during that time, we heard that it was having drought for the past six- seven years. But refreshingly when we visited this place, it was covered with thick layers of clouds and drizzling, giving a surreal beauty to the whole place. There was no sign of sun even in the days to come. I requested Guruji, that since this place is very famous for sunrise, I want to see it, it was around 10.am. and we were suppose to catch the evening train back to Delhi, same day. He told me affirmatively that "how can I show you Sun in this weather, and he went inside the Ashram" I was very much disappointed, A moment later I saw clouds broke and a beautiful sun peeped through them in its all full glory. OMG!!! what a phenomena. And when I went inside, He was sitting pensively with a mysterious smile on his face. The second one was, when he put his hand on my head like giving me blessings and told me strongly that "Rita, forget everything." And there I was, interestingly almost forgotten most of my acquired knowledge, which indeed reappeared, but after sometime and with much labor. (it was like emptying my cup at that moment).
There is one more experience I would like to share, though it is not spiritual, but a much needed lessen to me. The first one I related in my close encounter of different kind. meeting my soul-sister and the second one I am going to tell you now. It happened on Kanya pujan day. A small boy of around 2-3 year old came with group of girls asking for kanjak, and as it happened that his small feet got hit by door. After that he kept on repeating and showing me his injury. See aunty I got hit, I said lovingly, yes I know, I saw it, but after repeated reminders of his hit feel, I got impatient, and said, it is ok, rise above it. I am giving you so many gifts, still you are not getting over it. And then I realized in a flash of second that, this is what I have been doing for the last four years. I am continuously reminding God every time I kneel, that I am having bad knee pain. (as I have already mentioned in Triple S in Chicago.) Well, doing the same thing, and forgetting all the blessing I am getting from almighty. After that incident I stopped this habit of saying anything about my injured knee. It is really noticeable that all of us do get answers to our problems from our immediate environment, which we generally failed to grasp. So it is our shortcoming and not the universe, or nature or God. Which ever name you want to give. Which is out there, inside and outside us, omnipresent, omniscient, and benevolent.
But it is our mistake that our vision is too narrow that we failed to see the beauty of totality, and that's where we are different from the seekers, saints or spiritualists.
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| Becoming one with universe. |
Pics from web.
Zen story from web.
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