seventh world of chan buddhism - Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun

As part of his treatment he is asked to rebut all of the old arguments he once invoked
in support of his strategy. He had so often told himself that people loved pageantry and were
spiritually uplifted by it; that he was an inspiring role-model for those who required lessons
in deportment; that he exemplified the priestly refinement and grace which characterized his
religion; that the pride he took in himself was a reflection of the pride he took in his Lord,
etc.
The ex-devil finally realizes that since the Buddha, himself, cast off his finery and
wore the simple garments of the poor, a follower of the Buddha can hardly `take up the cloth'
in order to preen.
Right Purpose also requires that we take critical notice of our states of mind. Whether
anxious, frivolous, irritable, depressed or excessively pleased with ourselves, it is necessary
to investigate the cause of our mood and to make the necessary corrections.
This can be difficult. It's easy to shrink our tongues whenever we find them waxing
eloquent about our master's accomplishments; but getting control of a negative emotion such
as anger, jealousy or contempt is an exponentially greater assignment... by ten or twenty
orders of magnitude. If we prate about our master, we merely run the risk of making
ourselves ridiculous to the people who politely walk away from us, but if we fail to control
our anger we can do serious damage.
Depending upon our individual anger thresholds, different sorts of situations threaten
us with loss of control: Sonny fails to return a library book and the fine is $2.50. Dad shouts
for half an hour about irresponsibility and money growing on trees before he gives him the
cash. Then he grumbles for another hour about kids nowadays and what his father would
have done to him if he had ever been so inexcusably delinquent in such a civic duty as
returning a library book on time. He cools down to the point where he is able to avoid
talking to Sonny for the rest of the day.
If the probable truth were known, first, the only time Dad ever went to the library was
when he used his presence there as an excuse to get out of the house at night; and second, the
one time he actually borrowed a book, he forgot to take it back and didn't remember it at all
until a notice came in the mail. And when his dad inquired about the notice, he lied, saying
that he already had taken it back. Then he sneaked the book into the library and put it on the
shelf causing, ultimately, his indignant dad to inform the librarian that she was negligent.
This is the probable truth because this is how the Shadow conducts its business. When we
angrily scold someone we are usually accusing him of something that, more or less, we've
done ourselves.
Right purpose requires a person to observe his own responses and to gauge them
disinterestedly for appropriateness. The Shadow is the ego's blackplumed champion.
Whenever it thinks it must ride out to slay a dragon - especially a tiny dragon - the ego has a
problem.
CHAPTER 12 RIGHT THOUGHT OR PURPOSE
S EVENTH W ORLD O F C HAN B UDDHISM
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