I was watching some fitness guy on youtube and he was talking about how misinformation is a really big problem in the fitness online communities. There’s a lot of people out there trying to sell you fad workouts that do nothing for you and will make you waste your time. People selling supplements that are not safe or don’t work. All because they want your money and your attention. He was saying that a lot of people get mad that he talks about these people in his videos in order to counter their factual errors and out-right lies. They say he is a hater or that he is negative and that he shouldn’t be tearing people down. So he responded,
"I am definitely a hater when it comes to blatant misinformation and to content creators who take advantage of their audience."
And it got me thinking about this forum, and the many misunderstandings and straigh-up lies that are spread about Zen constantly. I get a lot of people who say to me the same things they say about the fitness guy. "Why can’t you make an OP without criticizing everyone?" "Why do you hate meditation so much?" "Why don’t you just let them be?"
So I thought it would be useful to explain why I won’t just make posts about the cases from the Zen record without ever mentioning how people have tried to co-opt them to recruit people into their church. And since we are here to study Zen, obviously what Zen Masters said is the place we are going to start with.
Education: How to
Foyan said, "Now if I say this to people, they think I am criticizing everyone else, but if I do not talk about it, it will be hard to elucidate."
If you don't explain the misconceptions, people just keep walking along without paying attention to them. I've been shown by experience that if you don't compare what you are saying to something else, people think they understand. I'm great at explaining things, so whenever I talk about a subject I am familiar with, people think it's an easy subject. Until I start asking questions. Then it becomes obvious that they didn't really understand what the explanation implied, they only saw themselves understanding because the explanation was clear.
Leave them alone?
So, why do you not let the meditation schools and churches that call themselves Zen alone? Why not just study the Zen record quietly and share it with whoever is interested and not worry about what anyone else is doing? Foyan also said,
I am exhorting you in utter seriousness; I am not lying, I am not making up rationalizations to trap people, I will not allow people to oppress the free. I have no such reasons.
Going back to the fitness example. Why wouldn't I be intolerant of people who lie for profit and fame? Why would I let them waste people's time and energy while using the name of a tradition they have no relation to?
The claw and fang of Zen
It's conversation. The claw and fang of Zen is conversation. It's easy to see, too. As soon as you start putting things out in the open, and asking questions, people who are lying to you about Zen instantly crumble. They can't talk about it. Plain and simple.
So yes, having conversations is what people in the Zen tradition do. Notice how in Zen being silent is not a virtue? How ignoring religious bullies and liars is not valued by any Zen Masters? I think that's something to look into.
Submitted March 29, 2023 at 08:03PM by astroemi https://ift.tt/jWXlzPu
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