A HOW TO GUIDE

If you are sincere in desiring this path to be, ponder over everything from your innermost heart.

Pondering: A way to dig up the root

Quickly, try the pondering and then hasten.
Why are you not preparing to dig up the root?

There is no one who knows the way to dig up the root,
the truth of this world.

My wife, who is more intelligent than I, once told me that she didn't have the slightest idea of the meaning of the word ponder as it related to this teaching. Indeed, she said that if I was going to continue to tell people to ponder deeply I should be prepared to explain what it means to ponder deeply and how to do it. That seems like a fair enough request so utilizing what we have already learned I will step through the method.

 When we are instructed to ponder we are also provided with the subject that we should ponder and the proper state of mind to accomplish the goal that is given. In this case we are going to try the pondering to "dig up the root , the truth of this world".

• Assuming that we wish to pursue the instruction our first step is to gather our resources
  • We have a mind and we can think 
  • We have a sincere desire to complete this experiment
    • Those two elements are all that we need. 
      • There is no special language
      • There are no special words or ideas 
      • Remember the truth that we seek to uncover can see our thoughts the problem is that our thoughts cannot "see" their own origin. 
• Our next  step is to be aware of our common worldly responses to what we are being instructed to do.

• The first and most basic literal worldly common response would be to assume that we should go and get tools, a shovel perhaps, to do some digging. This is obviously not what we are being instructed to do but as an interpretation it could be entertained from the text.
• The second worldly common response is not so obvious to us. In fact it is the response that makes it so difficult for us to successfully reach our goal. According to that worldly common interpretation the truth of this world can be dug up as "true ideas".  We would perhaps prefer that there exist common worldly ideas that when discovered will add up to knowing and understanding the "truth of this world".  This is really a difficult one for us to get beyond. To do so requires the sincere desire to do so.
• Though we may be in possession of some really spectacular common worldly truths at this point in our pondering we will want to set them aside. We are not setting them aside because they are not true. It is assumed that they are common worldly truths. We are simply setting them aside because they are in the way. They are covering a single deeper truth that we want to expose and reveal.

• Our next step is the final step in "digging up the root". 
  • With your eyes open smile.
  • Be aware of your minds voice and the mental images of that you can make in your mind. 
  • Watch them carefully.
  • Don't forget to smile.
  • Watch them and see where they come from and go to. 
  • In this way the root and truth of all things is revealed. 
  • Smile and enjoy seeing things as they are rather than as one might ordinarily imagine them to be. 

The buttons below will take you to some of the Ofudesaki verses that instruct us to ponder. Have fun and remember this is all about you, your mind and the truth of your origin.