Zen story: Enlightenment only lightens the mind with its own lamp of ego.
By emptychair
@innertalks (23745)
Australia
October 18, 2020 9:48pm CST
The old Zen master, Wandonra Repercuske, had been "enlightened" for nearly 50 years, according to his master, who had verified this, and appointed him as the new head monk, at the Dohai Monastery, in Dohai, just before his own death, around that time too.
He was not completely happy entirely, though, with his life, as he approached the end of his own life.
And so, he started studying the spiritual works of other religions too.
He read some of the writings of the great Indian sages.
This was one quote that he read:
"Your own Self-realization is the greatest service you can render the world."
Ramana Maharshi, the Indian spiritual giant, and sage, (1879 to 1950) apparently is credited with saying this.
"Now has this idea got any real merit to it, when we are not of this world anyway?"
he asked himself, thoughtfully.
These were his thoughts in answer to his own question:
"The world lives on, in its own way, for its own purposes, and the quicker that we realise this, the quicker we will see that the only way to aide the world is to be a pillar of love in that world."
"Nothing else matters, and to be self-realised is neither here nor there, being just another part of the ego satisfaction of the mind, unnecessary for the lover, just loving."
"The heart knows."
"The mind tries to know, but when the mind becomes enlightened, most of these high-brow types actually love less, and are intellectually loving thereafter, rather than real loving."
"We need to just love, and the rest is added naturally in the right amount of conscious matching to do the works of love in our life for God too."
he concluded in his thinking.
"Thoughts, and even enlightenment too, can never capture love, because they are too slow."
He added as his final thought on this matter, for that day.
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com
Enlightenment only holds a dim torch up to the power of the light of love.
2 people like this
2 responses
@DocAndersen (54399)
• United States
19 Oct 20
what an interesting view, thoughts are too slow to catch love, so, can we as thinking creatures ever fully understand love?
2 people like this
@innertalks (23745)
• Australia
19 Oct 20
In a one word answer, "No!".
I do not think that our minds can ever grasp the full meaning of love, nor of God, for God is love, and the Bible tells us this, that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, his mind works differently than the one that he gave to us.
Perhaps his thoughts are more emanations of love's energy, carried out of him by his spirit, rather than by thoughts, like we think.
That is why we are told to love him, with our whole being, heart, soul, mind, body, strength, and then we might get a bit closer to understanding his love.
One part of us can never do it on its own, understand anything fully, especially love.
@innertalks (23745)
• Australia
20 Oct 20
@DocAndersen Well, if the shards of love are sharp enough, they might prick us into more loving too...lol...
Yes, maybe we are the dogs, sitting under God's table, and only getting the scraps, that fall from that table to the floor, the specks of love, that have fallen from love, that's painting a "nice" picture, ( a nice picture, but not necessarily a nice situation for us to be in) with your words.
Does God then love us fully at all times, or does he more only shower us with drops of love, not the full downpour, at times?
Perhaps, I have answered my own question, for continual downpours drown us eventually, but is that good, or bad?
It is good if we are ready to lose ourself in the drowning, but not good, if we are not yet ready to do this, and so too much love will actually scare us off, in its way.
God loves according to the need of the recipient, as which God does all other things too.
@DocAndersen (54399)
• United States
20 Oct 20
@innertalks that is interesting i would say the shards of love we understand seem huge. But I do as well wonder if we are simply getting the flecks that have fallen from love. The fleck of dust in Horton Hears a Who.
2 people like this
@innertalks (23745)
• Australia
19 Oct 20
Thanks. I am glad you liked what I said there.
1 person likes this
