It’s a solemn day, folks.
We have reason to mourn.
That’s right…it’s raining outside.
Still came up with a good post title though, didn’t I?
Do you know why?
Because I study Zen.
Do you want to know something else?
Question and answer isn’t a big part of the life of a hermit who studies Zen. (I mean, don’t get me wrong: we query ourselves often as far as I know. I’m and improv actor, and soliloquy comes quite naturally to me during many daily activities.) But there are not very many activities in daily life where I encounter question and answer—even when all I do is study Zen.
Which is why I wanted to question you guys about TFnarcon9’s engaging and interesting post on the subject of AMAs in this forum (which I think are great: I think some of you lazy slackers should do more). Oh…there will be ZM quotes too, I assure you—but first, the quotes I’m interested in:
Zen is a tradition of questions and answers.
The whole thing spins around questions and answers…and so will the forum.
—From TFnarcon9’s post
I find these statements about Zen highly reductive, and also that they reduce the purview of this forum to a specific field of Zen that is totally arbitrary and makes little to no sense to me.
I’m not saying that the Cases aren’t exactly what they are, and I’m not saying that the Zen Masters weren’t asked a lot of questions that they answered in various ways, and I’m not saying monks and Zen students shouldn’t be questioned to death, and I’m not saying answering questions isn’t very interesting and a very good way to get to know someone, as well as interact with other Zen students.
But, like, seriously? That is so reductive. No wonder we get harassed for talking about the very literature the Zen Masters studied and quoted. No wonder people get harassed for discussing any other type of Zen literature than cases. No wonder it is basically forbidden to discuss historical facts in the general conversation.
That’s kind of my six shooter from the hip take.
But here is my question for you guys:
- do you agree that “Zen is a tradition of questions and answers”? Or do you think “Questions and answers are a huge part of Zen” is a better way to put it?
- Do you think this forum should “spin around question or answers”?
Or like me, do you think this means it doesn’t “spin around Zen” by leaving out the other stuff?
What do I mean by other stuff?
Like…these cats lived in communities together right? Zen communities? Do you think all of their conversations and activities were restricted to questions and answers? That seems highly unlikely, doesn’t it? If so, why should this Zen forum focus on just that? As far as what is integral to actual Zen study, would it not make more sense, if one had to choose a topic, to focus just on encouraging people to garden their own vegetables outdoors? Wouldn’t that kill a lot more bird pathers with one stone, than question and answer taken to Sunday school levels does?
(Again: I am not against question and answer or AMAs)
Because here is the thing. The gong an don’t seem to be about question and answer to me. There is a literal fuck to of question and answer in them—and there was obviously a lot of question and answer integral to Zen and life in the Zen communities—but I would definitely not describe what we see in gong an as “being about question and answer”…not what is actually going on in them. (The way I look at it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
And so to me, saying the forum should be about question and answer is leaving out a lot of Zen and Zen study, especially of the literature and how the literature of quotation that was created by the Zen communities was made, using the very teachings they revealed in their question and answer sessions as building blocks.
Question 3 (The DOOZY):
- Do you think the gong an are about question and answer?1
I’ll just comment with some quotes.
(The Zen literature we study here seems seems more about QUOTES to me, than about question and answer, by a factor of 100 to 1….because it is made of quotes. I know I am just nitpicking, but for a reason.)
Whenever I see that people have misunderstood, I quote ancient stories to question them: For example, Jingqing asked Xuansha, "I have just entered the school; please point out a way in." Xuansha said, "Do you hear the sound of the valley stream?" Jingqing replied, "Yes." Xuansha said, "Enter from here."
—Foyan
Hmm! A Zen Master who quotes ancient stories as a method of inquiry!
A monk asked, "It is said, 'To reach the way is not difficult; the only setback is that of choice. The moment you use words, it is a matter of choice.' Master, how do you teach this to the people?"
Joshu said, "Why don't you quote all of the ancient saying?"
The monk said, "That is all I can say."
Joshu said, "This is indeed an example of 'To reach the way is not difficult; the only setback is that of choice.'"
(Joshu 92)
An excellent standard example of question and answer.
I think Joshu is just referring to the fact that the guy chose to not learn more of the full scripture to quote than he did.
What do you think, do you like that reading?
If you like it, here is question 4:
- Do you think that if he had studied the whole scripture to quotable level that we would bother Joshu with questions about it or not!
Now—gimme your answers, r/zen! You know what Zen is about in here!!!
(Also: happy Friday.) (Also: Did you have a happy St. Patty’s day? Mine was smashing [full moon disclosure]. I also realized I hadn’t celebrated it in 7 or 8 years and couldn’t figure out why, since I am half Irish, and then—oops! I realized I forgot I was Irish even one day a year when I quit drinking! Do you know how funny that is to an Irish-American person that that is actually true!?! If there are ever Irish students from Ireland here, please say hi for sure!)
1 Do not hesitate to comment in depth. I will read it all!
Submitted March 19, 2022 at 07:21AM by lin_seed https://ift.tt/l8hUx5D
No comments:
Post a Comment