You are currently logged-out. You can log-in or create an account to see more talks, save favorites, and more.
Gateways of Presence and Perception
Seminar_The_Gate_of_the_Moment
The talk delves into the theme of "The Gate of the Moment," exploring the concept of things and their entitylessness. It discusses the idea that objects only become entities through interaction and perception, such as how a bell requires a striker and an intention to create sound. The practice of zazen is presented as a way to gather and focus perception, likened to "sitting gathering" or "sitting absorption," by cultivating a one-pointed mind through practices such as counting breaths and avoiding mental distractions. The talk emphasizes perceiving each moment as a gate and the necessity of an attentive mind to notice this.
Referenced Works and Concepts:
-
Zazen
Zazen is described as a practice of "sitting gathering" or "sitting absorption," crucial for developing concentration and awareness. It emphasizes the importance of living in the moment and gathering one's focus. -
Concept of Entitylessness
The discussion on entitylessness highlights the dependency of objects on perception and action to be considered as distinct entities, illustrating a philosophical reflection on existence. -
Breath Counting
This practice is suggested as a method for developing one-pointedness and quieting the mind, which is central in the elaboration of the concept of noticing the gate in each moment. -
"Don't invite your thoughts to tea"
This metaphor underscores the importance of maintaining focus and not being distracted by unnecessary thoughts during meditation and throughout daily life.
AI Suggested Title: Gateways of Presence and Perception
the idea that it was a paper clip holder would gather. So I think the word thing actually is rooted in an etymology of that which gathers. So this being a bell, you notice it, you have a number of perceptions, and you, oh, that looks like a bell now that you mention it. Or it could be used as a bell. But then you have to have a striker. And you have to have someone to strike it.
[01:02]
Because if I just put the striker there, it just stays there, it doesn't do anything. So there has to be someone to pick it up. And then it also has to be someone who wants to hear it or wants to bring it. So here I'm speaking, of course, which I said I wasn't going to do, about entitylessness. Entitylessness. So, as I said to Eric earlier, a thing is an entity only when it knows it's not.
[02:04]
Because we can take things as entities, but we're only taking them as entities. So that this is a bell gathers through the striker my intention to hit it and so forth. So this knowing the world as the gathering of the world. And that's a technical definition of a Dharma. And it's a definition of what we mean by
[03:06]
moment's gate or the gate of each moment. So we could say if we want to take this title, the gate of each moment, that we won't notice that each moment's a gate unless we have a mind that gathers the gate. So that's the practice also, one-pointedness. Which is the main way to develop it is to... Discover and develop it is to count your breaths. I said I would talk about don't scratch, count your breaths. And don't invite your thoughts to tea.
[04:25]
But now we do have to invite our guests to tea into their room and things like that. So we'll have to talk about not inviting our thoughts to tea, tonight or tomorrow or sometimes. So let's gather the bell for a moment. and gather ourselves with the bell. So we could say zazen is sitting gathering or sitting absorption. I'm testing the translator.
[05:34]
He seems to keep passing the test. More or less. The bell is... We could say gathering into sound. Wir könnten sagen, die Glocke versammelt sich in Klang. In the sound gathering into your perception. Und wir können sagen, dass der Klang sich in eurer Wahrnehmung versammelt. And into your feelings. Und in eure Gefühle. Yeah, like that.
[06:25]
@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_78.32