Life Beyond the Image

What is Enlightenment?

2010-03-06T04:16:35Z

Question of the Week: What is Enlightenment?

I’ve been reading your site for a short time now, and I’ve got a question. I havn’t yet found anywhere on this site any real description of what enlightenment is. So, what is enlightenment? What the hell is this thing everyone seems to be looking for?

The words and phrasing of what it may or may not be are really irrelevant. However, I do realize people need to have mental constructs. It makes them feel they can really ‘deal’ with something if they can first know it. Then, based on what is known, they can make some move toward it in order to own it. But this probably doesn’t help with your question.

Irrelevancy aside, let’s see if we can come up with an answer in ten words or less, just to keep it simple

Enlightenment is limitless expansion within a limited field.

The limited field is this physical world we all live within. And the limitless expansion…well, I will leave that for you to see on your own.

Beyond Technique

2010-02-25T10:30:09Z

Question of the Week : On Losing the Self

Please please tell me is there a way to lose the way you lost. I am desperate almost…

…I know the theoretical answers. I am not looking for answers. I am looking for peace…

…I have heard answers like no one can help get what you already have, or be what you truly already are… I know those answers. please help.

If you are looking for peace, and you have not found it in the answers, walk away from the answers. Walk away from what you’ve been taught.

This does not mean you will no longer be serious about what is going on within you. And it does not mean you will have ‘given up.’ The problem does not reside within you, but within the answers you’ve been given.

I have heard the answers you’ve mentioned many times before. The All Is One, You Can Only Be What You Are, Sleeper Awakes From The Dream, or whatever it might be. But these phrases will do nothing to placate you, as you’ve probably thoroughly investigated them to the best of your ability.

Imagine a painter. She has all of the right tools and equipment, and lacks nothing for the physical exertion necessary to paint. She moves a brush covered in the brightest crimson paint toward blank canvas and leaves a tight, vibrant slash of red. She does not necessarily know where she is going. She may have a vague notion or image, but it is incomplete in her mind.

She understands the act of painting itself is all the teaching she will ever need. If she were ever to ask How? her answer would always be incomplete, because something other than painting would be teaching her how to paint.

That is not to say there is anything wrong with technique; learning how to manage and use materials, how to properly handle oil paint or maintain brushes, or whatever it is; but technique alone can never teach you how to express yourself fully as a human being.

In searching out the answers, you are asking someone else to hand it over to you. And this is wonderful from the perspective of technique, as it is necessary in the physical world. But what you seek is so beyond the physical, it defies description.

It is a land beyond the shores of technique.

I am not sure if these words will be helpful to you, but regardless, I hope you uncover peace for yourself; the peace that resides within us all.

Good luck to you…

The Beauty of Living

2010-02-16T23:20:19Z

There is a great beauty in this world, untouched by the mind; the beauty of living. It lingers, barely a moment away and is always just beyond the reach of thought.

We try to see it, but eyes fail.

We try to hear it, but deafness roars.

We try to take it, but hands are broken.

We try and fail.

But it is always there like a sprite; the spiritus. The lively bit of the breath that moves us, loves us.

It is our trying to attain that makes it difficult to breathe, difficult to move, difficult to love.

We try and we chase, then curse the maliciousness of the pursuit, as if it were cast upon us from the outside. But we do all of this to ourselves.

This beauty of living is lively, jumping from beyond the veil, trying to get our attention. It loves us, cares for us, and lives for us. But you can’t try to see it, hear it, or take it.

You cannot try to live. You can only live.

Do not desire to be free. Instead, be free.

Simple

2010-02-07T10:48:59Z

All of us writing on this subject (on enlightenment and what-not), have probably described, or at least tried to describe, this thing that has no business being described. We can all clearly see that the description will never capture the truth.

And yet, we go on…

Perhaps it is cruel of us to say anything. To provide that hope to another. The hope that the seeker might find this thing through brute force, like a hand thrusting itself into the water, hopelessly trying to contain all of it…

But can anyone be blamed for the hope of another?

Not enlightened yet? You’ve not meditated enough. You’re not silent enough. You’ve not read enough. You’ve not given enough. Or maybe it is because you’ve not taken my exclusive 12-week You Can Be Enlightened, Too seminar.

Hmm…perhaps someone can be blamed for the hope of another.

Liberation seems cruel, for it is all so simple. But human beings create the cruelty by trying to make it complicated. Is there anything as simple as living?

Takuin will go on…

The Return

2010-01-11T01:50:59Z

As those of you following me on Twitter or Facebook already know, Akiko and I are leaving for the United States today to attend to a death in the family. I’ll be there for three weeks.

I’ll be able to check e-mail and comments sporadically, and I’ll probably keep to one post per week, as usual. I am not sure if I’ll be writing about specific events during my stay, but most likely, the posts will be related in some way.

Be good, and take care of yourselves…

To Sit With Nothing

2010-01-04T10:52:06Z

Takuin sat in the morning and tried to find its self. Despite all the talk of nothingness, oneness, and liberation, it wanted to see the truth. The sun descended before it finished.

Takuin is alone.

Most Popular Posts of 2009

2009-12-30T15:14:38Z

This is a list of the most popular posts on Takuin.com for 2009. This list is not solely based on comment count alone, but also on the quality of the comments, the variety of responses, and also the amount of email received for the post.

2009 was a good year. This site has grown beyond what I might have anticipated, and the response from readers, through email and comments, has been wonderful.

I’ve had many wonderful conversations through comments, skype, and in-person, and I know this will continue for some time to come. I appreciate all of you that take the time to read each post, comment or send email, and I am also appreciative of the lurkers on the site (those that look, but never participate).

I am really looking forward to meeting more of you in 2010, and I am excited to write and speak more on this nonsense I seem to be known for.

Thank you all very much!

The 12 Most Popular Posts of 2009

In Chronological Order:

January – Where does it hurt?

A very short post on hurt, and the target of the hurt. Does the victim or perpetrator exist at all?

February – Water Fasting – Day 17

17 days into a 28 day food free experiment. This post recaps the first two weeks, and also goes into basic functioning during a fasted state.

March - Mayumi’s Letter

The final message of a recently deceased friend.

April – The Grief of a Buddhist

How a human being might come up against loss and grief.

May - Zen and the Cockroach

An actual experience, and a koan of sorts. But I will not explain the possible meaning.

June – Are You Enlightened?

This short back and forth is from a conversation on enlightenment with my friend Boosy.

July – A Question for My Peers…

A question for my peers on the importance of ‘teaching’ enlightenment. Now over 100 comments.

August – Are You More Than Experience?

A short post questioning the importance of experience.

September – Does the Wind Blow?

The wind blows, but is it really there at all?

October – Notions of I AM

A short back and forth with Mike Sayers on the notions of what we think we should be.

November – The End, The Beginning

The shortest post I’ve ever written. This piece also inspired the meme, A Silent Post.

December – The Wound of Forgiveness

A group writing project of sorts between myself, Albert Foong, Tom Stine, Daphne Lim, and Davidya, on the subject of forgiveness.

Beyond the Known

2009 also saw the release of my first book, Beyond the Known: 365 Days of Exploration. I have received a lot of feedback so far, and even found out that it works with the Kindle (with a few glitches here and there).

It was an exciting process to put that book together, and I might release something completely different for 2010. Stay tuned to find out!

2010

I don’t think I will change much on this blog for 2010. I will still keep posting one or two articles per week, and keep up my responses to all of your comments.

But there is one thing I might do a bit differently; I may start being more personal in my writings. As many of you have probably noticed, I very rarely tell personal stories. But there may be something of value hidden away within one’s experience that might benefit someone else.

I am still not sure how I’ll approach this, but it is something that will most likely come about here and there, little by little.

Am I Missing Anything?

What would you like to see on Takuin.com? More of a certain kind of post? More audio? Video? Is there something I’ve not written about that you would like to explore together? Please leave a comment below and perhaps we can begin 2010 with something new and interesting.

I appreciate all of your support over the last three years, and I look forward to all of our encounters in the years to come.

Stay safe, and be good!

どうもありがとうございました

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The Wound of Forgiveness

2009-12-22T08:32:39Z

This post is a group effort of sorts. A few other writers are posting on this same topic of Forgiveness today. Links to their sites and articles follow at the end of this post.

Junko asks:

What happens when someone hurts you? How does Takuin forgive a wound?

The way you are using the word Forgive, in order for forgiveness to flower, there must first be a wound of some kind. Something that hurts me in some way that I carry around for whatever reasons.

I will not deny the suffering of another; that someone might carry around events heavily in their mind, torturing themsleves day and night. But you asked Takuin the question, so let’s see what comes up.

(For this discussion, I’ll use the word Forgive as you’ve used it above.)

The Wound

We can call the result of physical damage a wound, as it can be measured and observed in the physical world. You can certainly hurt this body; kick it, stab it, destroy it, or otherwise impede or slow its physical functioning; but that is an extremely limited and insignificant action.

Physical wounds do not require forgiveness because it has nothing to do with Takuin. You might hurt this body physically, and effect it for years to come, but that is as far as it goes. Nothing carries over.

But what about a wound beyond the physical? How can you forgive that?

Is there a wound that is beyond the physical?

You might tell me, someone said this or that, and it wasn’t true, and it hurts me badly. Where is this wound, and whom does it hurt?

I am not trying to build up an ideal world for you where people carry nothing with them; no hurtful words, devastating events, or whatever. I can only express how it unfolds within this organism.

There is no wound beyond the physical. What is beyond the physical can never be hurt by any word or event. It doesn’t cause a stain, leave a mark, or become scabrous over time.

Liberation, the truth of what you are, oneness, or whatever you might call it, cannot be hurt, nor does it desire to be free from hurt. There is no messenger to carry the message, and no construct to house it in.

This is not a matter of ignoring anything, or turning your back to the world. If you do indeed have some pain from memory, open the door and greet it at once. Find out if it actually holds any weight whatsoever. Find out if it is anything more than eloquent hearsay.

To Forgive

As I mentioned above, this is not to deny any pain you might feel within yourself, and I would never try to convince you otherwise. But why do you need to forgive?

It might sound like a silly question, but why? Is it for the other person? Is it for you? Only you can answer this, as no one else can know precisely how you are functioning from moment to moment.

Do you want to forgive in order to be free of pain? Or do you forgive so your life might have some stability and structure, even if that structure is destructive?

If you don’t mind, I’ll tell you a small personal story. Have a listen…

(If you are on the RSS feed, or reading this through an email subscription and you cannot see the audio player, please click through to the post to listen.)

For her, forgiveness was just a tool to get what she wanted more than life itself; to not be alone.

What is Forgiveness to You?

I know there are other definitions of the word Forgiveness, and different faiths might interpret the word to mean something entirely different from the way we’ve used it today. But Forgiveness, as we’ve been using the word, arises from the wound, from the pain, from the hurt.

If there is no wound, where is forgiveness?

What is Forgiveness to you?

A few other writers took up their pens (or keyboards) to write on this same subject today. The initial idea was to all write on the same topic, but with our own unique expressions. I am sure these other contributions will be wonderful and well worth your time to check out.

Albert Foong at Urbanmonk.net – Our Innate Innocence – Reflections on Forgiveness

Tom Stine at Tomstine.com – There Is Nothing to Forgive

Daphne Lim at Joyfuldays.com – The Gift of Forgiveness

Davidya @ In 2 Deep – Deep Forgiveness

If you want to join in, please leave a comment below. You can also write your own article on forgiveness and link to it from the comments. I’d love to read what you have to say on the subject.

Enjoy!

Beyond The Known E-Book Now Available

2009-12-17T10:59:49Z

It is finally here…

Beyond The Known – 365 Days of Exploration

To download this book for free, right-click the above link and save as.

About the Book

398 Pages / 2.79 MB

This book is a calender of very short meditative explorations; one per day for an entire year. Some are statements, some are questions, and others just simple movements of words. Each one can be used as a jumping off point for your own daily meditations.

None of the phrases in the book are definitive. In other words, they did not arise from a center of belief, or the conclusions of self. And although some of the ‘days’ in the book will seem definitive, conclusive, or opinionated, do not accept them as true or false.

The words are not important anyway. What is important is to see how you rise to fight, rise to agree, or rise to flee.

Download For Free

This book is free and is not restricted, but it must always remain free. Other than that, you may do whatever you want with it. Send it to as many people as you see fit. Quote it. Give it away on your own site. It really doesn’t matter to me.

If you find you have enjoyed the book, you could throw a link my way, but you don’t have to do that, either.

Beyond The Known – 365 Days of Exploration (Right click to save as)

Note: For those of you having already received a pre-release of this book, the version on this page is slightly updated from the one you have. Cheers!

Upcoming E-book Release – Beyond the Known

2009-12-15T06:31:02Z

Just a quick note for everyone…

On Thursday the 17th, I’ll be releasing my first e-book. It is called, Beyond the Known: 365 Days of Exploration. At almost 400 pages, it will seem daunting to any reader. But don’t worry…it is not as bad as it seems.

From the Preface:

This book is a calendar of short contemplations; one per day for an entire year. They are all very slight of word, and easy to take in at a glance.

Most of the pieces were written after meditation. Some were taken from live dialogues and skype calls I’ve held. And others were taken from my replies to comments on Takuin.com. But each one is designed to stand on its own, as an object of exploration.

It is meant to be a day by day exploration, and hopefully something you’ll be able to dig deeply into. Each post, or day, in the book is comprised of as few words as possible, to better allow you to explore with as little baggage as possible. (The longest day in the book is only five lines, and the shortest is a mere three words.)

It will be free of charge, and available on the 17th of December. Just in time for you to begin your own exploration on January 1st! Or December 17th.