I wonder if it is possible to be detached while practising something.
In Taoism, there is a practice called Zuowang, which is generally translated as Sitting & Forgetting, or Sitting in Oblivion. I wonder about that too. There’s really too much wondering going on when I’d rather be wandering.
If, for example, a Taoist has set aside some time to sit in a meditation position but then trying to forget everything, including the fact that they are sitting in meditation - that’s just noise, isn’t it? Something trying to fool itself that it is doing something but also forgetting about it?
The more I write this kind of answer the more I realise my neighbour’s cat is quite wise. I’m sure it laughs at our ideas of this and that. Do you think it is adept at practising being a cat? Is it attached or detached to being a cat? And does it do this every moment of its life?
I asked it…
It said, “Don’t you know who I am?”
I asked it “Do you know who you are?”
It blinked and lay amongst the flowers.
But the flowers aren’t really flowers. And the cat isn’t really a cat. And well, I’m not really looking at all of this and now typing about it.
Flowers are Something. The cat is Something. I am Something, as are you. And this Something says, “Don’t you know who I am?”
I said, “Never mind that, there’s Something much more important… must we be adept in both practice and detachment at every moment of life?”
The Something asked, “What are moments?”
The cat said, “Hey, will you keep the noise down I’m trying to sit in oblivion here?”
And the Something said, “You are in it whether you sit or stand. But what is this oblivion?”
And then you wouldn’t believe it, some Indian chap in a white loin cloth appeared sitting underneath this apple tree, right here, suddenly appeared. And he was next to a cow, with very long eyelashes. And the cow said, “What is asking the question?”
I looked at the cat. We each stared into oblivion. I did a little jig at how funny it all is. The neighbours think I am a bad influence on the cat.
Don’t they know who I am?
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