How people lie about lying about meditation

What is meditation, and why do people lie about it?

1. They lie that people lie that they're doing it; it's a lie to say most religions say you need special instruction and supervision. Notice that no evidence whatsoever has been given for this claim

2. They lie that people lie that they are not doing it; some religions claim that their method in practice is ordinary... Yet people lie by saying everyone still needs special instruction in supervision. Notice that no evidence whatsoever has been given for this claim.

3. They lie about where it comes from. Zazen was not invented by Dogen, because we all know Dogen borrowed the instructions for zazen. So the claim that Dogen invented it is a lie.

4. They lie that people lie about what it is supposed to do... But more often they just don't even know what the doctrine says because they've never read it seriously. What is the purpose of lying about this? It's a lie to say Zazen is supposed to create Buddhas that come into the world only during Zazen practice. Notice that no evidence whatsoever has been given for this claim.

5. They lie about lying about what it does: Zazen for example, can be a gate to enlightenment. There's no evidence that it can't be.

6. They lie about lying about Zen: It's interesting because it turns out that people who misrepresent sitting meditation tradition also misrepresent Zen. There are people in this forum who have no affiliation with anything but a library card and they consistently lie about Zen.

• A great example is people who say r/Zen has an anti- meditation cult. That's not ridiculous... people agreeing isn't a cult thing, but people subscribing to fringe beliefs and constantly battling a fake "enemy" while suppresing open discussion of other views is cult mentality.
  

There's a long history (well documented to at least 900 CE) of zen masters rejecting certain forms of meditation... But they also frequently recommended other forms of meditation. See Wumen, Dahui, Foyan, Hongzhi, etc. The list is lengthy.

"Just be natural in accordance with our mind, do not engage in the practice of insight and do not stop your mind['s] activities" - Patriarch's Hall. Notice how this doesn't actually reject many forms of meditation. In fact, that's literally the definition of shikantaza.

.

My comment: One of the most concerning things about all this is that it points to cultures where lying is part of the culture. Once you pick at one lie, all these other misrepresentations unravel. I've had people tell me that some kinds of lying aren't that big a deal... well, if that's true, why do it? If you are not affiliated with a church and your views are your own, why not say that? If you have strong sympathies with a cult and friends in that cult, why not say so? If you live by yourself, why pretend you are in a monastic community of one?

Far more alarmingly, though, it's clear that most of this lying is a constant cycle for the liar. It seems in that context that the lying isn't an accident.

Submitted March 13, 2023 at 06:59AM by FingersTyping https://ift.tt/QkWhHuS