It would have been amazing if Trump realized the truth in that moment. In the video below you can see clearly the question was not computing in his head for a split second. There's no answer to that question in the state he is in. He knows it's true but he doesn't believe it. The periwinkle spins. Which one is he? Is he the knower of truth? Is he the believer of delusion?
Which one am I in each of my own doings? I try to watch my hands throughout the day.
Huffington Post journalist, Shirish (S.V.) Dáte asked the simple question "do you regret all the lies you told to the American people?" It was like watching my own conscience asking me to witness the deeds I am doing or have done. The believer of delusion, (some call the ego self), processes all information, both external and internal, through those same stages we saw the President go through. Couldn't hear it. What was that? Couldn't believe it. That's not mine. Who was that? Then ignore or deny.
It can also be vicious and territorial. Like one of the ways I interpret Trump's response. He appears to be throwing it back at the reporter seemingly to dare him to speak it again. The reporter does and then it seems to get deeper for Trump. If you look closely you can see it in his face how he gets even meaner and "who?" with a posture of dude you're talking to Donald J. Trump nobody dares that. Then he seems to pause for another instant and just turns and calls on someone else. Totally avoiding it all.
I see that's how I operate at times. My ego can be as strong it seems. Living from the perspective of the ego, we tend to promote and protect the self as Mujo says. That's when it seems okay or even important to lie or steal and do whatever I need to in order to be first in line or get what's mine. It's the natural relationship in duality. It's actually necessary but it gets very unhealthy at times and Trump is not alone. Practice is just watching it in ourselves.
In that moment when the President was in disbelief and paused for a second, if he had turned to the knower of truth and saw all the lies he tells, we would have witnessed a great light, the beautiful explosion of him becoming Buddha. The very moment the truth is realized is the light of awareness. It is sudden and a surprise. As we see in the video it is very difficult. Also we know that from our own lives.
Zazen is sitting as the knower of truth and letting the believer of delusion just flow by. Having courage and facing the truth. In the seat of Awareness (as I've heard it called), we witness our selves and all the world. We witness our outer actions and inner thoughts as well. It's us and Awareness who know the Truth. Be Awareness.
Zazen is not about doing good things or having good thoughts. It's not about making a better version of myself later on in another time. It's about my vow to be aware right here, right now. It's about my focus and concentration without excluding anything at all, like my own lies.
Mujo said after our last few jukai ceremonies, "remember don't be Buddhists be BUDDHA!"
Just be Aware.
We could have witnessed as he became a great Buddha! I still have hope.
A screenshot from the Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Of course, he was being funny and it was. It also broke my heart. Anybody can sit.