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Simple
Minded
by
Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
March 21, 1998
Simplicity
is not so simple. For example, there is nothing simpler than sitting in
zazen. There's not much that we need to do. We just sit with our ears
over our shoulders, nose over the navel, aligned. We feel the movement
of the breath, the sensations of the body. We pay attention to the details
of our experiencing. And, as Zen Master Anzan Hoshin has said, we watch
our minds run down the wall. It is simple, but we often don't experience
it as simple. So why is that?
The reason simplicity is not as simple as we think it might be is because
our thoughts and the ways in which we think are themselves so complex.
Anzan sensei often speaks about simplicity and richness -- and complexity
and poverty. He points out that reality, experience, is very simple, very
straight forward and yet at the same time is very abundant, very rich.
Our thoughts and storylines however are so entangled that we wind up with
a great deal of complexity, but this complexity tends to simplify and
reduce our experience. And so our thoughts tend to be like cartoons.
When we choose the limited views of our simple-minded thoughts over the
richness of reality, we delude ourselves. For example, compared to seeing
someone's face, a caricature of it is a poor imitation. The differences
between the reality of seeing someone's face before us and a cartoon-like
thought image of it is vast - all the details of colour, texture and nuances
of expression. I had an experience recently which will illustrate my point.
Now there's not much that is simpler than walking through a door. If somebody
else is trying to walk through the door at the same time, then you pause
and get out of the way. But people get into power games about who is going
to do what.
The other day, the Sensei and I were at a computer store. We were just
walking out, just moving into the doorway, when a young man barreled in
and then just stopped right in front of us. The Sensei paused momentarily
to see what he was going to do. He came straight at us, just trying to
push everything in front of him. He was determined, not even to get into
the store, but just that we were going to get out of the way because he
was there. So, we moved to one side and let him rush through. The Sensei
looked at me and couldn't help but laugh aloud and I just couldn't help
it either. It was all just too obvious.
So there is this disparity between simplicity as it actually is and the
simple-mindedness that people have when they are wrapped up in their stories
and are therefore unable to deal with what is going on. The mind needs
to become truly simple-minded, as simple as reality is and then to be
open to that richness. But because there is that disparity, because there
is that gap or distance between how people usually are and what's really
going on, it is very much like the structure of a joke.
It's quite simple to understand how a joke works. It works on two different
levels. It leads along a certain plane and then there is a level shift
and it is that level shift that we find to be funny. Now, although it
is very simple to explain a joke, that explanation wasn't particularly
funny because although we can understand the structure and what is generally
true about something, it is the details that are actually fun.
How self-image is, is a kind of joke because it thinks that this
is what is going on. And it is not. And so, often, when the Sensei encounters
this he just can't help but laugh because he gets the joke. He sees who
we are, that how we are is an avoidance of the richness of who we are,
and how ridiculous the suffering we impose on ourselves is. Much of the
time, when he begins to laugh under those kinds of circumstances, the
other person begins to laugh too, even though they don't know why. Actually,
at the moment that they are laughing they do know why, but later on, when
they try to think about it, they don't understand anymore.
The simplicity of zazen shows us how to explore the details of experiencing
and through this practise, we begin to really have fun. We begin to realize
a freedom from taking the mechanisms of self-image seriously or personally.
And we find that when we release them, and allow ourselves to pay attention
to our lives as they are, things can become very simple. When things are
allowed to be simple, we have much more fun. Our understanding changes
and our humour changes.
When we become stupified by the patter of our patterns, instead of continuing
to follow along with it or struggling against it, we begin to get the
joke. Perhaps we might laugh, or grin, or cry. After all, when we recognize
how caught up we were in nonsense a moment ago, it can be a little embarassing.
But to who? Who do we think we are when we take that stance seriously?
Then we realize that this is another pattern. Ack! What now? Should we
laugh, be a good sport about it? Would that be the right "Zen"
kind of thing to do?
It is not a matter of laughing at our own expense. It's more like releasing
grasping and avoidance and stepping past complexity. You don't have to
do anything about the patterns. Simply sit. Simply walk. Simply talk.
Simply listen.
Sitting shows us that this moment is simple. This simplicity is richness
and abundance. And it also shows us that the complexity of usual mind
equals poverty and simplification.
I think that usually if someone were to say to us, "Oh, you are so
simple-minded" it would be an insult. It would mean that we are something
like foolish or half-witted.
But you know, in the context of practice, "simple-minded" might
well be said as praise.
But our practice is beyond praise and blame. It's all much simpler than
that.
Have a good morning.
 
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White Wind Zen Community. All rights reserved.
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