Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

[Prince Loeffler]

Has anyone here read the book by Shunryu Suzuki. There is a chapter that I still cannot understand. Can anyone help me ?

____________________________________________________________________
On page 31, CONTROL. The passage is:

"To give your sheep or cow a large spacious meadow is the way to control him"

on Page 32 on the same Subject:

"The best way to control people is to allow them to be mischeivous"
___________________________________________________________________

Any help is greatly appreciated...Thank again !

[Gene Williams]

Prince, My absolutely favorite zen book...I keep it on my reading table right by the Bible and Shakespeare, and Dickens. Now, if I gave you the answer, that would not really be in the zen spirit, would it? What do the aikido people do when attacked? Look at that as a hint. Gene

[Prince Loeffler]

aaarrrgggg !:D :D Gene! I am gonna keel over from think too hard:p .
oops ! Wrong attitude...Must calm mind !


Seriously, I am starting to like this book. No matter how many times you read this, it seems to lose the insights.

Thanks Gene As always !
:D

[CEB]

Originally posted by Gene Williams
....What do the aikido people do when attacked? ...

Get beaten up?

[Gene Williams]

Ed, You can be very difficult...:D

[Samurai am I]

Ha Ha I get it....I think.

[mech]

What ever doubts you have, you yourself are giving your own answers

in this respectively two...

"aaarrrgggg ! Gene! I am gonna keel over from think too hard .
oops ! Wrong attitude...Must calm mind !"


"Seriously, I am starting to like this book. No matter how many times you read this, it seems to lose the insights.

Quite excellent!

mech
manuel chiquito anderson

[captnigh]

I love this book. The picture of Suzuki on the back is great. Everytime I read it, I realize something new, not just about my meditation, but about my mind and spirit.
Truly an inspirational work.
And it makes a great gift!;)

[wendy ongaro]

prince- a similar saying in our culture would be-

"Give him enough rope and he will hang himself."

I also think of the Tarantino film Jackie Brown when Deniro's character is asking Jackson's character why he trusts Bridgette Fonda.

LOUIS Do you trust Melanie?

Ordell stops unloading.

ORDELL If this is about you ¤¤¤¤ed Melanie, I don't give a damn. I ain't
a fool. I leave you alone with a bitch like Melanie, you're gonna be
¤¤¤¤in' that twenty minutes after I'm out the door. So say "thank you"
and I'll tell you, "you're welcome."

LOUIS That's not what I meant when I asked did you trust her.

Ordell looks at him.

ORDELL She tryin' to work your ass against me, ain't she?

LOUIS Yep.

ORDELL You didn't even hafta say it. I know the woman.

LOUIS Well, why the ¤¤¤¤ keep her around?

ORDELL (smiling) ëCause she my fine little surfer gal. She can't do me
no harm. Fact she think she can play you against me shows how little she
knows. You could teach that bitch for days how it is ëtween me an you,
she never understand a damn word.

LOUIS Why do you let someone know your business you can't trust?

ORDELL I don't hafta trust her, I know her.

LOUIS What does that mean?

ORDELL You can't trust Melanie. But you can always trust Melanie to be
Melanie.

Louis starts unloading.

LOUIS I still don't understand why you keep her around.

ORDELL I told you, man. (smiling) She my fine little surfer gal.

Let people be true to their natures, and you can predict their actions with little effort. When you can predict their actions, you have control over them.

This is how I would interpret that Koan.

[captnigh]

Exactly- you are in the best position when you know what the possibilities are.
Another good part of the book is early, when he's explaining Breathing, he touches on the pitfalls of dualism. It changed my life. I read it for the first time twelve years ago, and it still sits in my mind as boldly as the day I first read it.
Good, Bad, Right, Wrong are all concepts that exist solely in your mind.

[Prince Loeffler]

Thanks Wendy,

Hmmmm..I didn't think about that. I liked your interpretation. I approached my sensei regarding its innterpretation and he just smiled at me ( much like Gene here ;) ) and told me to re-read it and stop trying to analyze it. I got so deep into trying to figure it out, that I was further and deeper away from what the book was trying to convey.

Captnight:

I just started reading this book about 3 weeks ago. From the looks of things I am gonna have to spend 30 years minimum:D

[wendy ongaro]

you and me both. I often like to read zen koan and the tao just before bed as a reflective practice. I just open the book to whatever page it happens to fall open at by chance, read it and reflect on it, sleep on it. sometimes the passage will provide direct insight into whatever problems I am dealing with at the time. sometimes it is just an interesting exercise.

[Gene Williams]

Hi, I am glad that so many of you are reading Suzuki's, "Zen mind, Beginner's Mind." He has a second book, "Not Always So", which I like as well. For those of you in arts that do kata, read Zen Mind again and everywere he speaks of sitting, substitute kata for sitting. Now, bring that into your practice. Gene

[captnigh]

I did not realize he had another book. I can't wait to check it out. Thanks, Gene.

[Prince Loeffler]

Thanks Gene ! Your timing is great as I am on my way to Barnes and Noble. I hope they have this book !

[captnigh]

It's cool to see a conversation begin about this book.
In the part entitled "Negative And Positive", he says:
"Dogen-zenji said, ' When you say something to someone, he may not accept it, but do not try to make him understand it intellectually. Do not argue with him; just listen to his objections until he finds something wrong with them'".....
You teach yourself, given the chance.
In the expert's mind there are few possibilities.........
What do you think?

[Gene Williams]

We all like to argue. I do it and it is enjoyable as long as no one gets upset. But, when you think about it, it is never "big mind." People have to find their own way and we cannot intellectually persuade them which way that is. I think we are really arguing with ourselves when we argue. Now, we have to ask ourselves "why" are we arguing, then? Gene

[Prince Loeffler]

Good Point Gene ! In my personal view, often a friendly banter can often result in productive ideas. This works well in business, where a new product or concept is introduced, often you have the skeptics who will attempt to persuade you that the "product", concept or "Ideas" won't work or sell. Once you can persuade the nay- sayers, you are pretty much trying to persuade yourself.

[wendy ongaro]

It's not unusual in medicine to have a patient who is dead set against a treatment, even though it works, because of a misunderstanding or misinformation on the patient's part. If I suggest a treatment, and the patient shoots it down without even giving it consideration, I let it be (unless, of course, its a life threatening situation). Often another, less effective treatment is initiated, and I communicate clearly to my patient that I do not expect the treatment to be as helpful. In a couple weeks, the patient will often return with his problem unresolved, and will be open not only to my current recommendations, but the ones I make in the future about other problems.

Why do I choose this strategy- one, I don't have alot of time to argue, two, I am not going to gain the patient's trust by arguing, and three, why waste my emotional energy in conflict? ultimately, I'm not the one who has to be sick. I want to see my patients healthy and happy, but it amazes me how many people don't really want to be healthy and happy, so why should I throw effort after foolishness and get in the way of their ambitions?

So when I read this parable, this is what I think of.

[dlm303]

I bought the book and Barnes and Noble last night and am planning to start reading tonight. After reading this thread, I can't wait for the journey to begin.

[gmellis]

I'm not much into the whole answer a question with an all-knowing glistening-eyed question (although some aspects of zen are attractive, especially the lay variety), so I'll just give me interpretatins.

_______________________________________________
On page 31, CONTROL. The passage is:

"To give your sheep or cow a large spacious meadow is the way to control him"
_______________________________________________
Basically, animals are naturally averse to confinement and closed spaces. If you have seen footage of chickens and pigs and other livestock packed into cages and 200% capacity or more, you know that they become deranged and very violently psychotic. Why? Because ALL animals need space to roam. But if you put those same animals on a free-range farm, they would calm down and be quite happy and cooperative, and probably wouldn't even notice that they were still confined to a designated area within fences. The same with humans. If you impose too many restrictions on them and dictate their behavior to the point of they feelinglike they have no freedons at all, they will become deranged and have to express those forbidden drives or desires in sociably unacceptable ways. A prime example would be the Victorian upper and middle classes in England. Intense levels of suppression of their own behavior to abide by extensive social norms created all those dodgy venues in the backstreets and the underbelly of society for them to release their desire to be more animalistic: brothels, SM parlors, opium dens, and more. The extremes of suppression cause extremes in the opposite behaviors when the person find the outlets (which will arise to capitalize on that very phenomenon). If you want people to be cooperative or passive without having to crush them down and risk a backlash with unpredictable consequences, make them feel like they are free, despite them bein in a fences in pasture designed to your own liking. This ties into the next quote below.


_________________________________________________
on Page 32 on the same Subject:

"The best way to control people is to allow them to be mischeivous"
_________________________________________________
This is an incomplete version of a well-known application of human psychology. The general law is much more expansive, in that it doesn't restrict freedom just to mischeivousness, but the freedom to be whatever the individual wants to be (within certain limits). The law is spelled out quite beautifully in Robert Greene's the 48 Laws of Power (a book I highly recommend for those who may not want to coerce people, but at least want to defend against control and coercion by schemers and plotters around office), the brief explanation of the law within the table of contents goes like this:

Control the Options: Get Others to Play the Cards you Deal-
The best deceptions are the ones thaat seem to give people a choice: your victims are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose.Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.

Now mind you, this person uses very powerful and sometimes offensive (to the white doves amongst us) language to describe very real laws applicable to controlling fellow humankind. Nonetheless his historical case studies are spot on in rvealing how these laws were effectively utilized.

Anyway, while there are a few nice things in zen, I have never liked the answer-question-with-question-thereby-not-really answering-anything-but-looking-like-I-could-if-I-wanted-to-thereby-making-myself-look-wise style of trying to help people actualize their lives. It's based on the premise that people have plenty of time just to sit around like cloistered monks and ponder questions to somehow create some kind of psychological serendipity. Life is short, and our lives will be over in a flash. Would you rather ponder sayings of wisdom that have been acknowledged as true through the ages or some question which may or may not really have any bearing on taking you further down the road of wise living. There is a quote in the bible that goes "It's better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Like I said, there are some things I like about Zen, but smart-assed (even if well intended) questions to questions should only be used sparing, bit exclusively, in my humble opinion. And their frequent use creates doubt in me whether the person knows jack-all about real wisdom and the real world. No intent to flame here. Just being frank.

[Gene Williams]

Greg, I think you are over-analyzing;) Gene

[wendy ongaro]

I do like just throwing out ideas when it comes to these parables. My interpretation or your interpretation may not be right, correct, or even close to the mark, but they all make us consider different aspects of the natural order of both man and the universe. I in no way feel I have THE ANSWER- just a perspective.

[gmellis]

Gene,
I think you are under-analyzing.:D Greg

[Gene Williams]

I'll add some if you'll subtract some:p Gene

[joe yang]

I gave my sheep and my cow the whole outdoors. Now they can never run away. I can never find them, but they are there for me somewhere.

[wendy ongaro]

sounds like ranching in Wyoming. hope the don't run into any lonely cowboys :D

you know why it's called "mountin' time" out here...where men are men and sheep are nervous...

[El Guapo-san]

Try this interpretation out.

The cow and sheep only will see what is in front of them. They can't percieve anything else or go to a higher level of perception. Give them a wide field with lots of grass to eat, and they will always stay because they see no barrier. They have their desire.

If people are mischevious, then they are caught up in their own small thoughts and carrying out of their desires, looking at every blade of grass, clover and plant that is in front of them. People, who are capable of higher thinking, will often see barriers where they do not naturally exist.

Either way, both are trapped and can be directed, neither breaking out of their 'karmic habits' or going beyond the barrier of their own desires.

Neither group can see the wind rippling across the entire field, but even if you can, is it the grass moving or only your mind which causes the motion?

(This isn't entirely fair since I've been reading the Mumonkan.)

J. Vlach, Amsterdam

[joe yang]

Does a cow have buddha nature?

[Joseph Svinth]

California cheese is made by cows who say, "Aum."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/110963_cheese05.shtml

http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2003/03/24/tidbits.html

[joe yang]

Mu.

[joe yang]

Oh master of internet dairy research, could you confirm Wisconsin's motto? Is it really "eat cheese or die"?

[wendy ongaro]

O.K. Here is a koan that gives me a little trouble.

Heaven and Earth are not humane. They regard the ten thousand things as straw dogs.
The Sage is not humane. He regards the common people as straw dogs.

The space between Heaven and Earth- is it not like a bellows?
It is empty and yet not depleted:
Move it and more always comes out.
Much learning means frequent exhaustion.
that's not so good as holding on to the mean.

Thoughts? Opinions? Interpretations? Bring them on....

[Joseph Svinth]

Joe --

That's actually from listening to the radio -- the California Cheese ads include talking cows saying "Aum." Honest.

Wendy --

Short version: Bliss happens. So does sh*t. Therefore, take the middle path.

Background? Straw dogs were used in sacrifices (e.g., given exaggerated devotion), and then discarded.

Long version: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Daoist_Text_Symposium/message/447 and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Daoist_Text_Symposium/message/18

Keyword search: "straw dogs" AND humane

[wendy ongaro]

The second stanza was the easier to understand. I had an instinctive idea about the first- that all things were to be used and manipulated according to their nature. As mentioned in the posts you quoted, to be humane is to consciously act against one's spontaneous inclination. It is akin to not being able to say "no." because you think of yourself as a 'nice person'. You therefore lose the ability to respond appropriately in a situation.

But the role of straw dogs in China I did not understand, and now I do. :)

Thank you.