Is Meditation Buddhism always anti-Zen? Yes, and here's why:

1. Meditation Buddhism and Zen don't have a common textual history:

   • The three books written by Zen Masters, Gateless Gate, Book of Serenity, and Blue Cliff Record rarely speak about meditation.
   • The core text of Meditation Buddhism is FukanZazenGi, and it is mostly directions for people on physical posture and breathing.

2. Meditation Buddhism and Zen don't a common doctrinal basis:

   • Zen Masters teach sudden enlightenment, not based on practices, virtues, or refinements.
   • Meditation Buddhism combines practicing prayer-meditation and Buddhist refinement doctrines like 8FP and 4NT.

3. Meditation Buddhism and Zen don't have common traditions:

   • Zen has traditions based on Dharma Interviews, recorded in thousands of pages of Sayings and instruction.
   • Meditation Buddhism has traditions involving discipline and monastic vows.

4. Meditation Buddhism has never found an audience, r/zen has 95k subscribers.

   • Meditation Buddhists often leave r/zen as soon as they find it. Others adopted multiple accounts in an attempt to circumvent Reddiquette restrictions against content brigading.
   • Zen students are interested in discussing Zen teachings, historical facts, and the practical demonstration of Zen views.

It isn't just a matter of Meditation Buddhists saying "pay attention to our religion, not to Zen Masters", which would be a kind of passive anti-Zen.

It's more a matter of Meditation Buddhism being very much interested in sitting quietly, which is antithetical to the core tradition in Zen of the Dharma Interview.

Submitted September 25, 2020 at 10:25PM by ewk https://ift.tt/33WC7Ax