Random Interjections

I received a CD of Tibetan singing bowls from Zenmother. They are for "deep sound meditation." I tried listening to the CD while meditating the past few days, and it does have the capacity to sink me pretty deeply into a trance-like state. (Of course, it's not a complete trance-like state since I was thinking "Hey, I'm in a trance-like state" while in said state.) Japanese Zen purists would no doubt discourage listening to a CD while meditating, but I see no harm in it. It does help me to bring my mind into the present moment. I just have to remember that the deep relaxation that I feel after meditating in this way is not the goal of the meditation, just a pleasant side effect.

Also received another translation of the Diamond-Cutter sutra by Edward Conze from Zenmother. Neat picture on the cover of a giant stone Buddha head that's so old a tree has grown up partially surrounding it. I will probably go back and put in Conze's translation into my old posts. Conze also includes some commentary which may be helpful.

There is a large body of work known as prajnaparamita or "perfection of wisdom" or perhaps "wisdom that has gone beyond." The Diamond-Cutter Sutra and the Heart Sutra are the most widely-read and also the shortest. I read in Conze's book that despite long-standing belief that the Diamond Cutter and Heart Sutras were abreviations and summaries of the larger prajnaparamita works, that recent scholarship has indicated that these were in fact antecedents, and the oldest works in the prajnaparamita canon. I find this interesting because the larger works tend to incorporate more supernatural elements, as though Buddha's original teachings were later embellished with the trappings of a more standard religion.