Zen Master Seung Sahn...the goal of any meditation practice

the bees have started the spring garden

"But the correct practice of meditation means attaining one pointed mind without wanting anything. This is the goal of any mantra practice, not only Namu myoho renge-kyo. Any kind of mantra is the same. Even repeating "Coca Cola, Coca Cola, Coca Cola," if done with complete determination, will have the same result. The most important point is, How do you take away your thinking? How do you keep your mind? How do you keep your mind empty?  If you keep empty mind, that is the Absolute. We sometimes call that primary point. When you keep primary point for a long time, you can take away your primary cause. All your happiness and suffering come from primary cause. Then as you take away primary cause, your condition changes and you get a different result. You will change your suffering so that compassion and happiness can appear. This is the teaching of dependent origination.

So how do you take away primary cause? Only keep One Mind. When you are doing something, just do it. Just do it. In just-do-it mind, there is no subject and no object. Inside and outside become one. As a result, you can connect with universal energy. The name we sometimes use for that is primary point. When you keep primary point for a long time, then slowly, slowly, slowly primary cause disappears. Thinking makes your primary cause. So, taking away your opposites-mind takes away opposites energy, and primary cause disappears, like water when left out for a long time in the sun. It evaporates by itself. When you practice hard it is very easy to do this! But your thinking makes karma, and karma blocks the sun, so this primary cause water cannot evaporate as quickly."....pg. 148 in Seung Sahn's The Compass of Zen

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Back again for another Sunday retreat:

a half day or day of silent meditation/contemplation

For this retreat, if you are not a Chan (Chinese Zen) practitioner, you may bring your own silent meditation/ contemplation practice. If you do not presently have a practice, and want one, or are interested in Chan meditation practice, please contact Adrian a couple of days before the retreat.

Bring your own cushion; chairs are available. Bring a veggie lunch with a little left over to share, and eating/drinking utensils. There is a microwave but no drinkable water because of the water ban. 

Limited seating, please RSVP.
Contact Adrian Symonds: 250-650-9055 or adrian2@shaw.ca

March1, 2015 8:30 a.m to 12; 1:15 to 5 p.m. – Salish House, Lewis Park Recreation Centre, Courtenay Cost: by donation

1. MAIN WEBSITE: Cosmos Chan Zen Community at http://www.cosmoschan.org/

2. Master Cheng Yen in Facebook;

3. Listen to dharma talks with Gilbert Gutierrez http://dharmatalks.riversidechan.org/

4. Listen/download audio talks from the Tallahassee   Chan group at http://www.tallahasseechan.com/talks.html

5. the Western Chan Fellowship at  http://www.westernchanfellowship.org/

6. Questions?  Adrian at 250 650 9055; adrian2@shaw.ca and this blog http://comoxvalleyzenchan.blogspot.ca/