ED, My answers are embedded below: --- On Mon, 18/10/10, ED <[email protected]> wrote:
From: ED <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] Questions, questions, question To: [email protected] Date: Monday, 18 October, 2010, 11:03 PM Bill, Anthony and All, Yes. One can tap many sources on the Internet for a definition of 'zen', and derive little understanding as to what zen is really about. For an insight into zen, one may better seek answers to a series of questions such as: o What, if any, is the worldview of zen? o What are the most common motivations and expectations that direct individuals toward zen practice? o Is it the case that zazen and other zen practices, over a long period of time, under the guidance of an accredited Zen master, can alter the neurophysiology of the brain, resulting in the experience of 'enlightenment' or equivalently, the realization of one's 'Buddha nature'? 0 Is the enlightenment process something other than what is suggested immediately above? o Can a person ever cultivate enlightenment in the frantic ambiance of the world of today? Yes, that is why you can go to an orgyhouse to get enlightened. o What are the recommended lifestyles, foci, practices, behaviors, attitudes, etc. recommended for the pacification of one's mind and the realization of Buddha nature? o Is it the case that pacification of the discursive (see below) mind is essential to the realization of Buddha nature, and is also one of the hallmarks of such a realization? o What would the usual feeling state of an enlightened person tend to be like? o How does enlightenment influence moral and altruistic behavior? o What are the benefits to self and others of the realization of Buddha nature? o In order to attain and maintain his/her enlightened state requires focus, time and effort. This being the case, is the pursuit of the enlightened state and its maintenace compatible with productivity and creativity in the modern world? No way. But what use is productivity and creativity? The world is going to break apart whatever you do. o Could an enlightened person even function satisfactorily in the world of today? o (Please suggest other questions that might further an understanding of zen.) Another question: which is a more appropriate place for an enlightened person: asylum or orgyhouse? --ED Addendum: o discursive: dianoetic + digressive o dianoetic: proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument o digressive: rambling thought or speech; tending to depart from the main point; not relevant, focused or precise --- In [email protected], <billsm...@...> wrote: > Ed, Zen is definable. All terms (names) are definable. Whether any particular definition accurately communicates what's intended and is useful is another question entirely. Merriam-Webster Online defines zen as ": a Japanese sect of Mahayana Buddhism that aims at enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation". That is a good definition of Zen Buddhism, but it is not the way I would define the zen I practice. …Bill! Anthony, Is 'zen' definable at all? If so, what is a defininition of 'zen'. --ED
