rawstrength
10-13-2008, 11:03 AM
Pick up a brush, and you end up writing something; pick up an instrument, and you want to make music. Pick up a cup, and you think of sake; pick up dice, and you think of gambling. The mind always, follows what the hand touches. It is for this reason that we should not engage in sinful pleasures for even a moment.
If by chance we glance at a line of holy writ, we somehow end up reading on, perhaps even correcting an erroneous notion of many years. And if we had not opened the book, would we have ever realized our mistake? This is the value ofchance stimulation. For ifyou sit before the altar, beads in hand, sutra open, you may accumulate merit despite a general lack of devotion; and if you sit in meditation-even with distracted
thoughts-you may find yourself moving toward a sense of concentration without knowing it. Phenomenon and essence are not two things, but one. Ifwe are true to the outward form, the inner reality cannot fail to mature. Thus it is wrong to declare such things empty formalities; they deserve praise and respect.
If by chance we glance at a line of holy writ, we somehow end up reading on, perhaps even correcting an erroneous notion of many years. And if we had not opened the book, would we have ever realized our mistake? This is the value ofchance stimulation. For ifyou sit before the altar, beads in hand, sutra open, you may accumulate merit despite a general lack of devotion; and if you sit in meditation-even with distracted
thoughts-you may find yourself moving toward a sense of concentration without knowing it. Phenomenon and essence are not two things, but one. Ifwe are true to the outward form, the inner reality cannot fail to mature. Thus it is wrong to declare such things empty formalities; they deserve praise and respect.