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**Pataacculakp** · 01-18-2011, 08:08 AM

"The practice of 'letting go' is very effective for minds obsessed by compulsive thinking: you simplify your meditation practice down to just two words – 'letting go' – rather than try to develop this practice and then develop that; and achieve this and go into that, and understand this, and read the Suttas, and study the Abhidhamma... and then learn Pali and Sanskrit... then the Madhyamika and the Prajña Paramita... get ordinations in the Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana... write books and become a world renowned authority on Buddhism. Instead of becoming the world's expert on Buddhism and being invited to great International Buddhist Conferences, just 'let go, let go, let go'.

Great quote Aloka,

I take the opportunity to share this Zen story about letting go...

Kitano Gempo Abbot of Eihei temple was ninety-two years old when he passed away in the year 1933. He endeavored his whole life not to be attached to anything. As a wandering mendicant when he was twenty he happend to meet a traveler who smoked tobacco. As they walked together down a mountain road, they stopped under a tree to rest. The traveler offered Kitano a smoke, which he accepted, as he was very hungry at the time.

"How pleasant this smoking is," he commented. The other gave him an extra pipe and tobacco and they parted.

Kitano felt: "Such pleasant things may disturb meditation. Before this goes to far, I will stop now." So he threw the smoking outfit away.

When he was twenty-three years old he studied I-King, the profoundest doctrine of the Universe. It was winter at the time and he needed some heavy clothes. He wrote his teacher, who lived a hundred miles away, telling him of his need, and gave the letter to a traveler to deliver. Almost the whole winter passed and neither answere nor clothes arrived. So Kitano resorted to the prescience of I-King, which also teaches the art of divination, to determine whether or not his letter had miscarried. He found that this had been the case. A letter afterwards from his teacher made no mention of clothes.

"If I perform such accurate determinative work with I-King I may neglet meditation," felt Kitano. So he gave up this marvelous teaching and never resorted to its powers again.

When he was twenty-eight he studied Chinese calligraphy and poetry. He grew so skillfull in these arts that his teacher praised him. Kitano mused: "If I don't stop now, I'll be a poet not a Zen teacher." So he never wrote another poem. Just 2 Zen Cents,

01-18-2011, 08:08 AM	#15
Pataacculakp Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 463 Senior Member	"The practice of 'letting go' is very effective for minds obsessed by compulsive thinking: you simplify your meditation practice down to just two words – 'letting go' – rather than try to develop this practice and then develop that; and achieve this and go into that, and understand this, and read the Suttas, and study the Abhidhamma... and then learn Pali and Sanskrit... then the Madhyamika and the Prajña Paramita... get ordinations in the Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana... write books and become a world renowned authority on Buddhism. Instead of becoming the world's expert on Buddhism and being invited to great International Buddhist Conferences, just 'let go, let go, let go'. Great quote Aloka, I take the opportunity to share this Zen story about letting go... Kitano Gempo Abbot of Eihei temple was ninety-two years old when he passed away in the year 1933. He endeavored his whole life not to be attached to anything. As a wandering mendicant when he was twenty he happend to meet a traveler who smoked tobacco. As they walked together down a mountain road, they stopped under a tree to rest. The traveler offered Kitano a smoke, which he accepted, as he was very hungry at the time. "How pleasant this smoking is," he commented. The other gave him an extra pipe and tobacco and they parted. Kitano felt: "Such pleasant things may disturb meditation. Before this goes to far, I will stop now." So he threw the smoking outfit away. When he was twenty-three years old he studied I-King, the profoundest doctrine of the Universe. It was winter at the time and he needed some heavy clothes. He wrote his teacher, who lived a hundred miles away, telling him of his need, and gave the letter to a traveler to deliver. Almost the whole winter passed and neither answere nor clothes arrived. So Kitano resorted to the prescience of I-King, which also teaches the art of divination, to determine whether or not his letter had miscarried. He found that this had been the case. A letter afterwards from his teacher made no mention of clothes. "If I perform such accurate determinative work with I-King I may neglet meditation," felt Kitano. So he gave up this marvelous teaching and never resorted to its powers again. When he was twenty-eight he studied Chinese calligraphy and poetry. He grew so skillfull in these arts that his teacher praised him. Kitano mused: "If I don't stop now, I'll be a poet not a Zen teacher." So he never wrote another poem. Just 2 Zen Cents,
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