This weeks’ topic for reflection is the seventh of Dogens’ Eight Awakenings of Great Beings, cultivating wisdom. To me cultivating wisdom sounds like weeding, watering, fertilizing and growing wisdom. It’s there already, it just needs to be taken care of and nurtured so it will grow and be useful. This wisdom or prajna is in the moment, before opinion or point of view. It’s open, clear and responsive. It’s compassionate, caring and not self centered. Wisdom is different from knowledge. Knowledge is a noun. You obtain knowledge and can own it. It’s yours. Knowledge is relative. Wisdom is more like a verb. This wisdom is not-knowing and not relative. It is not relative, being in this moment.
Delusion clouds wisdom. Delusion is anything we see and believe that is not true. The wisdom is there, we just don’t see it because we are focused on our delusion. For example we might believe the idea that we are not good enough. We could also believe the opposite that we are entitled to something. Holding tight to the idea makes it a belief and puts it at odds with being open to the way things are and could be. The idea is not the problem. It’s believing it to the point of denying reality instead of seeing what is true and working with that which is wisdom.
Life is filled with change and transformation. In spite of our best effort to direct and make plans, reality can pull the rug out from under us. Trying to control with oppositional tactics and denying truth is a dangerous approach leading to paranoia. Wisdom helps us to recognize the truth of whatever situation we find ourself in. Change is the way things go so why not get with the program and embrace it.
Wisdom is simply waking up to what is. Awakening is open and not stuck. Notice where you seem to stick or hold on or try to control. Then simply let it go, (if you can). Return to this moment. Returning doesn’t mean watching passively. Jump in and do something. Yes, this is the opportunity of being truly alive. Being alive sometimes means grieving which is a natural emotion. There’s wisdom in grieving as a natural way of transitioning through loss.
We cultivate wisdom by practicing the previous six awakenings. Please share your thoughts and practice as a comment to this post or join us Sunday morning for zazen and discussion.
Please join us for morning Zoom zazen from 7:00 to 7:30 Tuesday and Thursday, and Sunday morning Zoom zazen and discussion of the topic for reflection blog from 8:00 to 9:00 Pacific Time. Here’s the Zoom link:
Meeting ID: 811 6100 3357
Passcode: 278259
Gassho,
Futai
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