Wandering Ronin introducion: Welcome yet again all you buddhas, bodhisattvas and absolute bastards! I'm holding my second official AMA at this time, because I've experienced some noticeable shifts in my practice and understanding of Zen more recently. I also feel that I owe it to the community do AMA's more frequently because of how often I post original threads and add comments as well. Time to pay the price for all of my constant mischief and turmoil, hahaha! You may notice that I've calmed down a bit from my earlier proselytizing and more lofty goals of becoming a leader and a teacher here, which I believe is a nice benefit to understanding Zen even better than before. It is what it is, as they say. Ask whatever you want, and I'll answer everything I can.
Not Zen? 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?
Dogma and anything referring to lineage or historic texts is not authentic living Zen. Not even Zen is Zen for me anymore, and it is quite irrelevant once you actually know what you are doing. Live that life, baby! Forget the pointing finger and the moon while you are at it, because they are mere distractions. The only thing of importance is the matter at hand, and nothing else. I believe that when the Zen patriarchs denounced seated meditation, they were correctly trying to prevent people from creating more attachments to seated meditation. Every single aspect of your practice holds equal importance in Zen, and every single aspect holds no importance in Zen.
What's your text? What text, personal experience, quote from a master, or story from zen lore best reflects your understanding of the essence of zen?
My latest Zen text that I've discovered is an absolute secret, but I'll share it with you all anyway because not everyone will understand how to find it. Pick up any book where you are. Use any book that is readily available, and it should have nothing to do with the subject of Zen. Open it, but don't read the words, as those are just binding concepts. Merely observe the actual ink itself, and see how it was printed directly onto the paper. Imagine how the ink soaked in just enough, staining the paper with these strange binding symbols. Imagine how the pages were put together and bound into an object, and observe how this phenomena rests in your hands. This is the true "Zen text" that many have seemed to miss in their constant studies and debates.
Dharma low tides? 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?
Zen is not for everyone, and it is not something to take lightly. It can take years upon years just to understand how to sit in zazen properly, comprehend the literature and to conduct oneself in a manner that is in accordance with the Way. You must let fall body and mind; what this means in part is that you must be absolutely fearless when it comes to matters of life and death. Live once gloriously as the hero you should be, or die a thousand deaths as a coward. I try to help people along and understand what has worked for me if I can, but ultimately, these are our own burdens to bear. Concepts are only concepts, and all concepts are false.
Submitted March 17, 2018 at 10:48PM by WanderingRonin77 http://ift.tt/2GDIaOq
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