Churchill Elangwe: Poem Analysis
July 4th
Churchill Elangwe
Sudden awakening
All of us on this earth desire happiness and many of us go through great efforts to achieve that goal. Some look for happiness in material things, but are often disappointed because of the transitory nature of the material world. Others look to religion and spirituality for happiness, but too often their attempts fail because of the difficulties of most such paths and the lack of perseverance and discipline on part of the seekers.
It has been found that the energy that lies dormant in us, once awakened, can lead to eternal bliss and happiness. However, rigorous practice can be daunting for most of us, and as a result, most seekers using such methods fail to achieve the bliss and happiness they deserve. An example will be some one without patience would want to practice to the extreme in order to attain (satori) or sudden awareness, which is the key concept of Zen.
There are two type of …show more content…
The mind is like a mirror bright.
Take heed to keep it always clean
And let not dust collect on it.
A straitforward articulation of the necessity of diligent practice, She-hsiu hoped this verse would show the master that his student has at least some understanding. The first line states that the body is like the Boddhi tree which means the body is the basis for reaching enlightenment. The second line compares the mind to the bright mirror because the mind is the bright wisdom of Buddhahood. The third and the last line translates that our minds is not yet bright therefore we must keep is clean and prevent dust from collecting on it.
(Thien-An 29, 30)
Meanwhile, Hui-neng who has recently arrived in the monastery was still working in the threshing room when this happened. Immediately Hui-neng realized the author of the verse lacked full understanding. He got someone to write his reply and submitted it to the master:
The Bodhi is not like a tree
The mirror bright is no where
Churchill Elangwe
Sudden awakening
All of us on this earth desire happiness and many of us go through great efforts to achieve that goal. Some look for happiness in material things, but are often disappointed because of the transitory nature of the material world. Others look to religion and spirituality for happiness, but too often their attempts fail because of the difficulties of most such paths and the lack of perseverance and discipline on part of the seekers.
It has been found that the energy that lies dormant in us, once awakened, can lead to eternal bliss and happiness. However, rigorous practice can be daunting for most of us, and as a result, most seekers using such methods fail to achieve the bliss and happiness they deserve. An example will be some one without patience would want to practice to the extreme in order to attain (satori) or sudden awareness, which is the key concept of Zen.
There are two type of …show more content…
The mind is like a mirror bright.
Take heed to keep it always clean
And let not dust collect on it.
A straitforward articulation of the necessity of diligent practice, She-hsiu hoped this verse would show the master that his student has at least some understanding. The first line states that the body is like the Boddhi tree which means the body is the basis for reaching enlightenment. The second line compares the mind to the bright mirror because the mind is the bright wisdom of Buddhahood. The third and the last line translates that our minds is not yet bright therefore we must keep is clean and prevent dust from collecting on it.
(Thien-An 29, 30)
Meanwhile, Hui-neng who has recently arrived in the monastery was still working in the threshing room when this happened. Immediately Hui-neng realized the author of the verse lacked full understanding. He got someone to write his reply and submitted it to the master:
The Bodhi is not like a tree
The mirror bright is no where