AMA II as well - might as well keep it goin

I did an AMA about 6 months ago on my previous account u/hereforfamiliar. Don't want to trick anyone. That's mostly the reason why I figured I'd do another one. Also, we've got some AMA inertia, which I'm all for.

Suppose a person denotes your lineage and your teacher as Buddhism unrelated to Zen, because there are several quotations from Zen patriarchs denouncing seated meditation. Would you be fine admitting that your lineage has moved away from Zen and if not, how would you respond?

Yes I would be fine. The response would not be exciting as I never had any allegiance to a Buddhism sect before Zen.

What text, personal experience, quote from a master, or story from zen lore best reflects your understanding of the essence of zen?

Joshu's "What else do you dislike."

This koan is all about the principle instead of the particulars...although like all zen masters the particulars are inherent in the statement as well.

On my previous account I did an analysis of this Koan, I don't have the link anymore...post it if someone can find it! (can mods do that??)...but I do have the text saved that I can copy and paste if anyone is interested.

What do you suggest as a course of action for a student wading through a "dharma low-tide"? What do you do when it's like pulling teeth to read, bow, chant, or sit?

I would try hard to not be in the position where someone I don't know is asking for advice like that. If you think I can look at my past and deduce effectively how I got whatever attribute the person seeks then you are mistaking me for a LVL. 5 Cleric or a Divination Wizard.

If I was feeling particularly nice I would ask them to go on a walk with me and I'd probably bring my binoculars (why is not everyone obsessed with binoculars...the most scifi things we have in this world are: energy drinks, electronic cigarettes and binoculars).

One of my favorite past times is learning about a person so that when they are in trouble, or feeling down I can maybe tailor some advice to them...it's much harder work than people make it out to be, it's aggressive warfare. I'll leave the general feel good stuff to Buddhists and Oprah.

Let's get the hardest dharma questions you can think of...I also like to talk about music, books and boardgames.

Submitted February 15, 2018 at 12:11AM by TFnarcon9 http://ift.tt/2EsATDf