Shohaku Okumura on Opening the Hand of Thought (251)

Okumura Roshi continues his commentary on his teacher Kosho Uchiyama's book, Opening the Hand of Thought. In this lecture, he continues to discuss the third of Uchiyama Roshi's "Seven Points of Practice." Recorded on March 10th, 2024.

[@aurora3655]

I’m not trying to be argumentative, and at the risk of sounding like a total dolt when it comes to Buddhist dogma…🤷‍♀️ how can there not be a self? The only way I can rationalize there not being a self, is in that there is no such thing as consciousnesses. A lot of ppl will argue that there very much is consciousness, I tend to think not. I tend to think that we, and everything else, are just products of conditions, and what we call consciousness, is just different conditions than the insentient…Or, there very much is a self, with autonomy over decision making power. I can focus on the bodhisattva path, or do “what thou wilt.”
Who is observing 🤷‍♀️ The Buddha wouldn’t be known, if there wasn’t a self 🤷‍♀️. Isn’t it our total screw ups in life that destroys our sense of self, and brings the Buddha into existence? But someone has to practice in order for that to happen….unless we are just products of conditions 🤷‍♀️
I think something got lost in translation from “mind” to “self”, to “no self.” I get discriminating mind vs no mind. I’m talking about things that cannot be properly described with words, but “mind” to me , as opposed to one’s body, that’s a valuable discrimination.

[@aurora3655]

But if there is no you, why feed yourself? Or tend to the needs of the body? Why protect the body and leave it intact🤷‍♀️ Why “feed the hungry ghosts.”

[@Think_Before_you_Speak-bz4bw]

I think it's more about non identification with thought, atleast while doing the practice. You then have an awareness of both realities. The one where you use your thinking mind, and the one you don't.