I Celebrate Myself: God Is No Where, Life Is Now Here
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Table of Contents
The grand rebellion
Nietzsche's 'God is dead' means man is born—God was slavery, bondage, prison. No prophets, saviors, or shepherds needed—man is not a sheep. The grand rebellion: destroy all fictions clinging to God—heaven, hell, theology, superstition. Sekito: 'No-mind is Buddha, Buddha is no-mind.' The three worlds are manifestations of your mind, like moon reflected in water. I celebrate myself and I celebrate you.
Ringing bells in your heart
God and no-mind are not synonymous. God is 'that' (far away, fiction); no-mind is 'this' (your reality, experience). God is belief; no-mind is experience. God is mental sickness; no-mind is pure health. God is prison; no-mind is freedom. Daiten asked 'What is no-mind?'—Sekito shouted 'Kwatz!' and left. Ten days later: 'Without raising eyebrows or moving eyeballs, bring your no-mind here.' 'There is no no-mind to be brought.' 'Basically, no-mind is.' Daiten was greatly enlightened. Ringing bells in your heart.
The paradise of yourself
The paradise of yourself. Politicians have become dangerously powerful with nuclear weapons—power corrupts, absolute power gives megalomania. Every politician is split: mask and real face. Psychoanalysts must declare politicians mentally sick. Daiten: 'What is Zen?'—'Raising eyebrows and moving eyeballs.' Sekito: 'Excluding that, bring your original face.' The original face is the paradise of yourself—not somewhere else but right here, when all masks are dropped.
Showering invisible flowers
Showering invisible flowers. Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses: Mohammed accepted three female deities then cancelled those verses, declaring them devil-inspired. Rushdie simply stated a fact accepted by Mohammedan theologians for centuries. Rajiv Gandhi's ban violates India's constitutional freedom of speech. Sekito's 'Song of the Grass Hut': 'Although the hut is small, it contains the Dharma world. A golden palace can't compare.' The immortal person in the hut is you—don't go away from this skin bag.
Don't knock, wait!
Don't knock, wait! Khomeini's death sentence on Rushdie proves God-oriented religion is priest-controlled murder. No law supports it—religions don't believe in dialogue, they believe in the sword. Two million dollars offered for Rushdie's head. This is their defeat, not argument. Gosetsu: 'Settle this with one word or I leave.' Sekito called 'Teacher!'—Gosetsu turned. 'From birth to old age, it is only the fellow there—don't look further.' Gosetsu was greatly enlightened. Don't knock—wait; truth comes when you stop seeking.
Come to your own festival
Come to your own festival. Freud: children find freedom only in dreams—parents, priest, God, morality all repress. Franz Strunz's child dream studies. The child doesn't yet distinguish dream from reality. Shodai asked 'What is Buddha?' Sekito: 'There is no Buddha nature in you.' 'Why?' 'Because you don't accept it.' Shodai stayed 30 years indoors, telling seekers: 'Go away—you don't have Buddha nature.' Come to your own festival: nobody can give you what you already have but refuse to accept.
Existence is celebration
Existence is celebration. God-oriented religions are dying—born-again Christians, fundamentalists are the candle's last spurt before extinction. Religions made humanity hypocrite through guilt—cutting the roots of joy. Tanka came with water tray instead of sickle, washed hair but didn't shave. Sekito laughed and shaved his head. Tanka walked away covering his ears as Sekito gave commandments. Tanka climbed on Manjushri's statue; Ma Tzu: 'My son is Tennen.' 'The path on the Stonehead is slippery—did you fall?' 'If I had, I wouldn't have come here.'