Hi Margie,
I would agree with your post. I lived in Japan for 3 years and did
plenty of sitting, but my path was facilitated much more walking the
mountains with the yamabushi and in various other non-sitting events
interacting with various enlightened spirits.
Osho's quote below is spot on and is what I've tried to say here
before. The only way to understand Zen is to understand that
everything in daily life is meditation. People who do a little zazen
and then come back to daily life and are no longer mindfully
meditating as they go about their daily lives have little chance of
realization. I have nothing against zazen, only the notion that it is
at all necessary, or that's all one has to do. Not so.
BTW I also had a lightening experience once when I was hiking in the
mountains when lightening struck the ridge right beside me. It sure
knocked me out of myself alright, but unfortunately I also had a
splitting headache for the rest of the day. :-)
And like Neitszche at Alta Plana, some of my best Zen experiences
have been on mountains above the lake during thunderstorms.
Best,
Edgar
On Sep 29, 2008, at 8:56 PM, roloro1557 wrote:
--- In [email protected], Edgar Owen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Margie,
> Very precise and to the point description. More evidence that
sitting
> in a monastery doing zazen for years is often just a waste of time.
> Edgar
Hi Edgar-
I think zazen and other forms of meditation are tools that can work
well for some people, not so well for others. I also agree with Osho
that "There is no meditation when everything is meditation."
I know someone who sold everything he owned, went to a monastery in
Japan, and basically did zazen for three years. He never reached
Satori. He came back very bitter and angry.
I say that to say I think it all depends on the person. Everyone's
different.
Margie (roloro1557)
