The Great Dragon Samadhi (那伽大定)

業 識 忙 忙 那 伽 大 定

(Zen Sand, 8-159)

yè karma
shí consciousness
忙 忙 máng-máng busy busy

那 伽 nà-gā
dà great
dìng samadhi
Victor Sogen Hori translation: “The turmoil of consciousness is the Great Naga Samadhi”
my take: The mind that you don’t want to look at, and the mind that is not looking at it, is the Great Dragon Samadhi.

Interestingly, 忙忙 is also found at the very beginning of the first line of the first Ox Herding poem:
忙 忙 撥 草 去 追 尋
(busy busy pulling grass go chase search)

Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice, by Victor Sogen Hori

Another edition, but without translations (but it’s better for searching characters)

Photo by Perry Correll/Shutterstock.com

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