Call me Ken. My intention is not to deceive anyone. I was once a confirmed Catholic. I have a B.A. in Philosophy and have read some books about Zen. The first time I ever heard the word “zen” was in a movie called The Karate Kid. The monks were bowling with their eyes closed. In recent years, I have been trying to understand my own mind. I have selfish motivations; that is, I heard the Buddha released himself from suffering and I, too, want to be free. I am not proud of this and I know that there are others who suffer more. My hope in introducing myself to this community is that it might be like home.
Not Zen? (Repeat Question 1) 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?
My response: Lineage is very important. Zen is very important.
What's your text? (Repeat Question 2) What text, personal experience, quote from a master, or story from zen lore best reflects your understanding of the essence of zen?
This is my present understanding of zen: “To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control him,” said Shunryu Suzuki.
Dharma low tides? (Repeat Question 3) 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?
My response: Always breathe or you will die. A dead tooth may be an eyesore, but I trust you to handle it on your own according to how you want to present yourself.
Here we go. AMA.
Submitted March 05, 2018 at 03:19AM by kphoover http://ift.tt/2FewSCz
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