Urgent Sincerity

Mingben said,

"If people believe that the mind of the Way is apart from sincerity, apart from honesty, apart from that which is bitter or urgent – though they may have a hundred thousand devices and stratagems, they are just corpses in shackles. They are trying to fill up a net by blowing into it. Isn’t that absurd?"

If people aren't sincere then they are corpses in shackles...those are fighting words all right. But is it really that controversial? Some people go through their lives without reflecting on what they profess to be true.

I'm increasingly convinced that unless people are straightforward about their study and where they are coming from there isn't much of a conversation to be had.

As far as /r/zen is concerned, the 5 lay precepts form the basis of conversation.

Buddhism just offers people doctrines to say they believe in.

The part I find tricky is sticking out conversation with people who don't ask questions.

Submitted April 30, 2023 at 08:11PM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/EDv4Acx