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 saying that your lineage has moved away from Zen and if not, how would you respond to being challenged concerning it?
What lineage? By the time someone has a concern for lineage, they've already missed the point by a thousand miles. Reading earnestly and coming to understanding directly from the teachings of the historic Zen masters is all someone needs 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?
It changes over time of course, but now I'm reminded of the case of Huangbo seeing his traveling partner cross over to the other side of the river while miraculously standing on his hat. What a ridiculous and attention-seeking fellow to do such a thing! haha
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, sit, or post on r/zen?
If there can be a low tide, then it's not the Dharma. Of course not really to those who know, but that's just something that sounds cool to impress newcomers. Bravery on the tatami, bravery on the battlefield. And like Foyan taught, there is nothing that is not it.
[mood]: Nine Inch Nails: Into the Void https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4lTMOmH8Dw
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Feel free to ask me anything you wish of course; I don't mind. Not that I'm going to answer everything that comes up, but we'll see how it goes. It would be interesting to discuss and debate Zen more often in the forum, but I think my personality gets in the way a lot here and causes trouble for people, and that's something I'm trying to learn about and get better at.
Also, I was told that it would be a good idea to apologize for some of my prior behavior. I am actually really sorry and deeply apologize for the times when I detracted from the topic of Zen here in the forum, and I hope to be a better contributing member of the forum in the future. If anyone was offended or upset by anything I did before, now is the time to speak up so we can address it and get it out of the way of the Way.
Submitted October 10, 2020 at 10:15PM by __WanderingRonin__ https://ift.tt/3lBPFZt
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