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Teaching You Zazen 2: All Who Must Die Have Died

2007/6/15 8:13:09

Human behavior, just like a stock's hub movement and oscillation, has its norms, and also its ways of breaking through those norms. The so-called pleasure lies in the debauchery of breaking through norms, just as profit lies in the oscillation of a hub. And there is one hub that, as long as you are human—as long as you are alive—you are trapped within: "You are first and foremost a living person." The day you are no longer trapped in this hub, you're a dead person. In other words, the reason humans die is precisely the destruction of the hub called "You are first and foremost a living person." So then, the stuff about God and souls is nothing more than taking this hub of "You are first and foremost a living person," and after a third-type buy/sell point appears, expanding it into the hub-type stuff of "You first and foremost possess an immortal soul"—expanding physical aliveness into the soul's aliveness. When the hub of physical immortality can no longer sustain its oscillation, they attempt to oscillate forever within the hub of soul immortality. This is the fantasy of all religious followers.

Buddhism is not a religion. Buddhism doesn't need fantasy. Buddhism doesn't need any hub of immortality. Where there is birth, there must be death. All who must die have died. All who must die have died—this is the most fundamental thing in Buddhism. If humans could live forever without dying, there would be no need for Buddhism. By the same logic, zazen is the same: precisely because where there is birth there must be death, all who must die have died, all who must die have died—that is why there exists so-called zazen. Zazen transcends life and death within life and death. Any zazen that cannot transcend life and death is nothing but fantasy. What does it mean to transcend life and death? It is life and death itself. Life and death itself has always been transcending life and death—this is one of life's greatest secrets.

Life—what is "birth"? It is the un-born being born. What is "death"? It is the un-dying dying. Life and death: the un-born being born, the un-dying dying. Within life and death, one attains great freedom of life and death. What is great freedom? It is life and death. If you cannot attain great freedom within life and death, that freedom is nothing but fantasy. So how can you attain great freedom within life and death? It is life and death. Life and death is inherently great freedom. Seeking freedom outside of life and death is nothing but fantasy. Life and death is not fantasy. Right now you are alive; a hundred years from now you'll be dead, your flesh rotted, your soul rotted, even the brain you fantasized with rotted. In the face of life and death, there is no fantasy. No fantasy—that is great freedom, because there's no need for fantasy. Whether you fantasize or not, there will be life and death, and it is all great freedom. And life and death does not actually live and die—it has always been thus, neither increasing nor decreasing.

At any given moment, ask yourself: is your leg you? Is your body you? Is your brain you? If you're using your legs, body, and brain to do zazen, then when you die and are cremated, this zazen will also vanish like smoke—such zazen can only be fantasy. Then, among all fantasies, what is the greatest fantasy? It is "I fantasize that I fantasize." If you find the word "fantasy" unpleasant, then substitute a more philosophical term: "knowing." "I know that I know"—this is the very thing that needs to be uprooted in true zazen.

In the pattern "I know X," X can be anything whatsoever—this encompasses all patterns of human life. All patterns of human life cannot escape this "I know X"; it's simply that X gets replaced by various different things. Even "I know that I don't know" is one such variant. These patterns are essentially equivalent, so starting from any single one yields the same result. For example, you sit down and feel yourself breathing, so you can start with "I know breathing." Even amid the ups and downs of stocks or the climax of a one-night stand, you can start from "I know the ups and downs" or "I know the climax"—there is fundamentally no difference. Climaxes can't happen all the time, but breathing can, so for convenience, we can choose "I know breathing" as the gateway to zazen.

"I know breathing"—this "knowing" has nothing to do with the breath. Whether inhaling or exhaling, this "knowing" is simply "knowing." At first, the force of the breath will pull you, causing your "knowing" to be dragged along by the breathing, and your "knowing" seems to arise and cease along with the breath. Gradually, the breath scatters like falling dust, your body and mind scatter like falling dust, yet this "knowing" shines alone like a solitary spiritual light—unborn and undying. And when you replace X in the pattern "I know X" with anything at all in the present moment of existence, under any X, this "knowing" still shines alone like a solitary spiritual light—unborn and undying. Zazen doesn't require sitting. You can practice zazen in all activities, because none of your activities can be separated from "knowing." Even in sleep, whether dreaming or dreamless, it is the same—your "knowing" still shines alone like a solitary spiritual light, unborn and undying.

Among all the people who have ever lived in this world, those who can reach this state number fewer than one in ten million—yet this is nothing more than a golden leaf waved to stop a child's crying, just toying with you. All who must die have died. All who must know have known. What is it ultimately? Investigate!

Appendix:

Today's movement still isn't much to talk about. After filling the gap below, hub oscillation continued. The key is everyone's waiting for weekend news, but actually, whatever news comes over the weekend, these two days have already digested it. So the late-session push back above 4144, closing not far below it, is perfectly normal. Currently, the third target of the rectification rally has been reached. Next will be the effort toward the fourth target of making a new high, though the premise is first standing firm above the 1/2 line of 4144.

On the individual stock side, among those 16 stocks, 600432 has already hit a new high; the others will gradually follow. These things inevitably have a sequence—otherwise you simply can't keep up. If the market can make new highs on schedule, then the vast majority of stocks that haven't yet hit new highs will perform for this purpose—this is an important profit point for the coming period. Additionally, those that have made new highs without large-level divergence and can retest and hold the previous high—those are another type of profit opportunity worth watching.

From a medium-term perspective, the emphasis on environmental stocks will gain more recognition than when this ID stressed them at the beginning of the year. This is a major national direction and still worth medium-to-long-term attention. Besides the environmental and new energy stocks among those 16, stocks like 600636 can also be watched on a medium-term basis. That stock is one of the environmental stocks that already has some earnings support, unlike many that are still purely conceptual. So for medium-to-long-term capital, it's worth watching. The stock is consolidating at the neckline of a monthly double bottom. Look for buy points on retests—don't chase the rally in a frenzy, or you'll be stuck suffering.

Weekend—go enjoy yourselves.

Replies​

缠中说禅 2007/6/15 8:14:54
Today's market commentary will be appended to this post after 3:30 PM. Heading out, see you later.

缠中说禅 2007/6/15 15:30:42

Today's movement still isn't much to talk about. After filling the gap below, hub oscillation continued. The key is everyone's waiting for weekend news, but actually, whatever news comes over the weekend, these two days have already digested it. So the late-session push back above 4144, closing not far below it, is perfectly normal. Currently, the third target of the rectification rally has been reached. Next will be the effort toward the fourth target of making a new high, though the premise is first standing firm above the 1/2 line of 4144.

On the individual stock side, among those 16 stocks, 600432 has already hit a new high; the others will gradually follow. These things inevitably have a sequence—otherwise you simply can't keep up. If the market can make new highs on schedule, then the vast majority of stocks that haven't yet hit new highs will perform for this purpose—this is an important profit point for the coming period. Additionally, those that have made new highs without large-level divergence and can retest and hold the previous high—those are another type of profit opportunity worth watching.

From a medium-term perspective, the emphasis on environmental stocks will gain more recognition than when this ID stressed them at the beginning of the year. This is a major national direction and still worth medium-to-long-term attention. Besides the environmental and new energy stocks among those 16, stocks like 600636 can also be watched on a medium-term basis. That stock is one of the environmental stocks that already has some earnings support, unlike many that are still purely conceptual. So for medium-to-long-term capital, it's worth watching. The stock is consolidating at the neckline of a monthly double bottom. Look for buy points on retests—don't chase the rally in a frenzy, or you'll be stuck suffering.

Weekend—go enjoy yourselves.

缠中说禅 2007/6/15 15:35:17

Today is the peak of make-up indulgence sessions. This ID must leave. Music session continues Sunday—feel free to suggest what you'd like to hear.

Heading out, see you later.