Talking about Zen to the average person?

Friends of mine have said that telling people what I study is confusing... so I created some cheat sheets!

Zen v. Japanese Buddhism

1. Zen contemplates the teachings... Japanese Buddhism practices meditation.
2. Zen has no doctrine or practices... Japanese Buddhism is defined by a specific doctrine and a specific practice
3. Zen is not compatible with Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism has been debating which doctrines you have to accept Buddhist for roots of years. to be
4. Zen is a sudden enlightenment of an empty realization, Japanese Buddhism is gradual attainment of virtue.
5. Zen is not needing redemption or saving, Japanese Buddhism is about saving yourself through prayer.

What is Zen?

1. A transmission outside of [practices]
2. 2. Not coveyed by any [instruction]
3. 3. Seeing the self nature [suddenly, not gradually]
4. 4. Becoming [as authoritative as] Buddha

Zen is the Buddha Mind school. Zen Masters have two tradings that Japanese Buddhists don't: public conversations with anyone and everyone; and the creation of historical records about these public conversations. These "koan" records are passed down and argued over as part of the public confrontation. Koans aren't riddles or mysteries or puzzles, that was a claim made by Japanese Buddhists who have never really connected with the Zen tradition.

Zen's gate is not having a gate.

A gate is any doctrine like ten commandments, or practices like prayer meditation.

Japanese Buddhism has a messianic figure (like Mormonism's Joseph Smith) named Dogen.

Dogen's Book-of-Mormon type bible said the gate was a kind of prayer meditation that Dogen himself invented. Dogen, like Mormon's Joseph Smith, claimed his prayer meditation was linked to another culture, just like Joseph Smith and his book of Mormon was linked to Christianity.

It's a long conversation with scholars and history on one side, and the mediation worship on the other.

Flavor of Zen

Zhaozhou's Good Thing

The master was leaving the main hall when he saw a monk bowing to him.

The master struck him with his stick.

The monk said, "But bowing is a good thing’”

The master said. “A good thing is not as good as nothing.

. . .

Dongshan's Capable of Conversation

One time the Master said, "If you would experience that which transcends even the Buddha, you must first be capable of a bit of conversation."

A monk asked, "What kind of conversation is that?"

"When I am conversing, you don't hear it," said the Master.

"Do you hear it or not?" asked the monk.

"When I am not conversing, I hear it," replied the Master

. . .

Nanquan's Cat Chopping

Once the monks from the east and west halls were arguing over a cat. Master Nanquan held up the cat and said, “If any of you can speak, you save the cat. If you cannot speak, I kill the cat. ” No one in the assembly could reply, so Nanquan killed the cat.

That evening Zhaozhou returned from a trip outside [the monastery], Nanquan told him what had happened. Zhaozhou then took off his shoes, put them on top of his head, and walked out. Nanquan said, “If you had been here, you would have saved the cat. ”

.

Welcome! ewk comment: Questions? Concerns? Confusions? I'm super happy to discuss textual reference with newcomers! I'm glad to demonstrate how this is derived from Zen texts that students what to bring up.

Let's avoid sealioning from people who claim to study but couldn't find the precepts with two hands, a map, a flashlight, and a compass though, okay?

Submitted February 05, 2022 at 07:58AM by ewk https://ift.tt/luSI2LH