To Forget the Self
"To study the Buddha Way is to study the self,
To study the self is to forget the self,
To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things"
-Dogen Zenji, Genjokoan
- You are not a "self" who is aware.
- The sense of self is just that, a sense. Not unlike hearing or seeing.
- Importantly, this can be directly verified in one's meditation practice.
- This is why the "self" cannot get enlightened, any more than your hearing or seeing can.
- The sense of self arises in our awareness. In Zen this is referred to as original nature or Buddhanature. In Dzogchen it's called rigpa.
- Your open awareness can't be improved upon or damaged. Recognizing this, there is nothing to do.
- Furthermore, awareness has no preference between stillness and movement, so we are also free to take action when it's appropriate
