As zippy as this observation may be, still, from where I sit, its invitation is outshone by the fact that, simply put, it's true. Honesty is not easy, as anyone pursuing heaven will tell you without thinking twice. Just about the time you think you've got things tucked under your belt, you notice your fly is open.
The Zen teacher Rinzai (Linji) once built a fire under the monks in his care with his needling encouragement, "Your whole problem is that you do not trust yourselves enough." How's that for a hell-raiser?
Heaven, like hell, is not for pussies.
Don’t you ever wish we had the actual context of admonition like those given by the great masters like Linji?
ReplyDeleteI mean were these young novice monks?
Weak minded knuckleheads?
Did Linji think that the men who became monks were really lacking in self confidence even after completing their novitiate training? Wasn’t he responsible for that training?
Should they have been ferreted it?
I’ve always believed he wasn’t really talking about self confidence in the normal sense, but instead of the surety that comes from deep awakening.