As first step, there are many paths and presentations of the Buddha Dharma, and many different schools. Some schools place on emphasis on seated meditation more so than others, some place an emphasis on K'ung An practice, with endless variations on that theme.
So if you look for a school and it doesn't accord with your preconceived notions, if you think about it, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise.
Some schools place a lot more emphasis on the chanting of sutras than others do, and if you expect one or the other before you arrive and get the opposite, that's due the preconceived notions in your own mind only and isn't an indictment upon that school.
There are however, certain commonalities that go beyond the surface appearance that you'll only understand if you train, and not before as that gulf appears to be unbreachable for several reasons.
This is partly because Zen, despite how much has been written about it, remains an oral tradition. There are teachings handed down directly from master to student in an unbroken line that simple aren't written down generally speaking, if at all. I am not aware that some of the teachings are available anywhere online for example, but I may be completely wrong about that.
The other part is context related to the general cannon, specific sutras, and other technical jargon that the untrained lay person has little chance of understanding.
"Guest dust."
Is a phrase you may understand without context, but most likely it needs to be explained if you have no context to it.
The other glaring point that should be immediately obvious to people are interested, is the difference between monastic practice, and lay practice.
While the vast majority of 'Zen masters' whose works remain were without a doubt monastic practitioners, not all of them were.
So do you have to enter a monastery and engage in that style of training, or can you do it as a lay practitioner?
All depends on the person it seems.
Layman Pang along with Vimalakīrti are two of the seemingly most common examples used to shine a light on what can be achieved as a lay practitioner.
Nonetheless, you've have to be a bit simple not to notice that the vast majority of Zen masters and worthies are from monastic traditions, not from lay practice. (Whether this is because monastery had better written records or not I'll leave up to you to think about.)
What you may call Zen is renowned in both China and Japan for exceptionally hard training. Usually, westeners often don't deal with this particularly well as they are sadly coming from a wrong mindset, weak, indulgent, not very disciplined, they just don't understand and thus suffer more than they really need to.
Partly for this reason, I outlined the recommended physical training and the achievement of the three recommended postures so those who with the eyes to see might understand and avoid some of the difficulties I experienced.
It isn't easy.
No matter what you do, what you think, what you prepare for, it is still generally considered quite difficult, hence the failure rate. No, it can't be 'made easier' and when it is disaster usually results.
For those who are unaware, it was very common to make aspirants wait for three days outside the monastery before they were let in, constantly being told to go away and that they weren't suitable.
For those aware, or only aware of this practice now, there is something many people miss.
People knew that. They were aware that the general from was to be made to wait for three days before you are let in, they went up thinking they could manage...and many failed anyway.
You may think you are prepared from reading the stories, you may think you can hack it and remain unperturbed, but if the teacher is any good...well.
You're going to find it a bit more challenging than you ever remotely began to imagine.
You might think this is cruel, or pointless, but the reality is, if you can't rise beyond those challenges and pass the tests, you're really not ready for what comes next.
For those of you who embark upon the path to seek out the true teaching and train, I wish you the very best of luck and hope that you have read both my recommendations and those of others on how to prepare, and that you do so with both great diligence and as much intelligence as you can muster.
It certainly isn't easy, and it's renowned for hard training for very good reasons.
Take good care of yourselves.
Submitted June 02, 2020 at 09:43AM by TheSolarian https://ift.tt/2XmbmU0
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