AboutJoe McSorley Expertise I can answer questions dealing with Taoist philosophy and Zen and not the historicity and religion of Buddhism and its different schools. I studied under Dr. Richard DeMartino and Masao Abe of the Kyoto School of Zen.
Question How come when I read information about awakening, and I feel a connection to it/I feel as though I understand, I still don't awaken? I'm still of the world, not letting go.
Answer Dear Christopher,
You answered your own question; you don’t let go, you still want to be Christopher in the world. You might read a book about sports or mountain climbing and feel that you understand it and connect to it but that doesn’t make you an athlete or a mountain climber, you have commit yourself to become that. Awakening is not about connecting to something or becoming full of something, it is about the total annihilation and reconstruction of the self. From this standpoint you cannot become awakened because it is you, Christopher, that stands in the way of awakening. So you may feel a connection or develop a deep understanding but it is not until you let go of yourself in a profound and thoroughgoing manner that you will have an opportunity to awaken.
Take care,
Joe
