When a student monk asked his elder
" how do I find enlightenment "
the old monk said , " have you eaten your porridge ?"
“yes” said the young monk .
"then wash your bowl " said the master .
You see , you can become enlightened , attain mental clarity , by performing mundane activities , but your state of mind must be pliable enough to accept the richness and beauty in the simple things .
Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis , Behaviorism , Gestalt Psychology , Phenomenological Existentialism , The Cognitive Movement . It goes on and on . But what has happened to simple common sense ?
Of course , Im not discrediting the academic study of psychology at all .
That would be ridiculous .What I mean is rather than run off into their minds , entertaining all sorts of notions and concepts that will give them nothing but doubt , and skepticism , some people should think of what is essentially sound , solid advice , that will help them move forward in life and embrace humanity , love humanity . Feel the need for harmony .
If your study of the mind is not making you think this way , then something is wrong .
If I may be so bold, the story also means that the bowl is like the mind and the food in it represents the “knowledge” that sticks to your mind and keeps it tied down, so washing the bowl is a way to create a clear no-mind.
The master was telling him to stop asking questions about something that you can’t learn how to do.
Another interpretation is that the disciple will find enlightenment by seeing the importance in what he otherwise may have seen as just mundane activity .
The house must be clean , the fridge , the floors , dust swept , things kept in an orderly fashion . And likewise the mind must reflect the environment , uncluttered , free of harbouring negative emotions , free of dust & cobwebs you could say .
And of course this idea is reflected in christianity when it says that godliness is next to cleanliness .
If we are searching for enlightenment , we must always work from the bottom upwards, that is to say , sort out the basics first , pay your way , keep clean , wear clean clothes , have a clean house , and then gradually extend that to cleaning out the body & mind .
The house must be clean , the fridge , the floors , dust swept , things kept in an orderly fashion . And likewise the mind must reflect the environment , uncluttered , free of harbouring negative emotions , free of dust & cobwebs you could say .
That’s not really true. I know of one Eastern training that has one sit in a barrel of pig shit with the lid closed. It’s all about learning to ignore the pig shit and what it means to the rest of us.
I don;t like the imperatives. I don’t like MUST. I mean, if the teachers say it or imly it in anything. Even if it’s in the form of pointing out to things which the teacher thinks ought to be done.
After all, why should everything be clean for the student if he doesn’t internalise it?
High order of Discipline is imperative in spiritual traditions if you want to go higher . Any master will tell you that , be it kung fu or sufism.
And its having everything clean that helps the student begin his internal work , exactly because most people are lazy and greedy and untidy , unmethodical .
No ?
Well dont forget the spiritual path starts with your mother , even though a master may make you , your mother moulds you , as a child you dont appreciate being orderly and tidy , its your mother who instills it into you that method and order are better.
Without discipline a person easily falls into bad habits . If what you think about the issue were true then entry into the sas and foriegn legion would never have been so tough.
Anyone could just stroll in .
Imperatives create the nearest thing to perfection .
The dude in the bathroom (a story that I told elsewhere) looked well-scrubbed believe it or not. I didn’t get that close though and was seeing red at the time so…
It is not bathing that I am speaking of, but the need to be tidy.
Too bad Asians eat with their hands all of the time. Did you ever see a table after people from Asia are done?
Meanwhile, thanks for knowing that I’m big, because I am. I see the art of life in a certain amount of clutter, but I don’t need clutter. I’m an artist at heart you know.
but seriously. fuck pie may. masters are obsolete, equality is neat. spelling is dead as well. pie mays problem was that he thought he was better then the dirt, and uma, and other races. who the fuck wants a master Answer:a slave, no wait slaves dont want masters eithier…let me change that…what are masters for??? answer: slaves.
