Vipassana Retreat, Installment 20

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2009, 7:45 PM

SHINZEN’S FINAL DHARMA TALK

            How does one find the still point of the turning world?

            Each time one notices a vanishing, one becomes adverted (?) to where phenomena arises from. One can’t actually see it, but if you witness enough turnings, one can get a sense of it.  One can turn one’s attention toward “it”, but the source itself is not turning.

            If you persevere the “Do Nothing” technique, nothing will “do you”.

            -SEPARATE

            -ATTENUATE

            -UN-FIXATE

            -ANHILILATE

            -DO NOTHING

            Some travelers on this journey encounter power beings, or acquire special powers. One has several options at this point.

            -One can freak out and leave the path.

            -One can get addicted to the special powers, getting sidetracked from the true direction (toward Zero Point) and become a new age spiritual capitalist materialist.

            -One can realize that these experiences are only FEEL/IMAGE/TALK, and not get sidetracked.

            -All mystic paths have one common denominator: the development of HIGH CONCENTRATION.

            -Another common denominator is EQUANIMITY. It manifests as ASCTETICISM (self-denial, self-torture) in Christianity.

            Shinzen ended the talk by reading excerpts from “The Four Quartets”, by T. S. Elliot. He prefaced his readings by explaining that it was a long poem about the path of liberation written during the dark days of WW 11 in England. The poem had many similarities in theme to Shinzen’s dharma talks throughout the retreat.