Guy, You wanted to see other people's reactions to the story and that's what you got. I don't really understand where you saw a spiritual "bitch fight" or that anyone who responded was trying to be "spiritually superior". You finished your post with:
>Had he spoken a single word he would have failed the questions, his action in >the moment spoke louder. Now this can be true, but it can also be contradicted as seen in the koan I responded with (i.e giving a spoken answer). If you want a relative truth you can't make such an absolute observation. Mike ________________________________ From: Guy <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, 22 March, 2011 20:32:33 Subject: Re: [Zen] A true Buddha Wow, lots of different points of view expressed here. Maybe i should just further explain. Hotei answered the master with real action in the moment, not an intellectualization of it. Real action in the here and now is Buddhism/Reality. Hotei could have done any number of things, as long as they were real action in the moment. I'm not looking for a spiritual "bitch fight" here. Trying to prove intellectual or Zen superiority is pointless and a waste of time. I simply wanted to see others reaction to what i consider a great story that encapsulates what Zen really is at a human level(the reletive truth as opposed to the Absolute truth). Be well, Guy --- In [email protected], mike brown <uerusuboyo@...> wrote: > > Guy, > > > >>>Had he spoken a single word he would have failed the questions, his action >in > > >>>the moment spoke louder. > > > >I was simply going to ask you, "Who says?", but Edgar and ED already did > >that >in > > >in a round-about way. Instead, let me leave you this koan to save you > >getting > >your finger cut off at some later date ; ) > > > >Fa-yen asked the monk Hsüan-tzu why he had never asked him any questions > >aboutZen. The monk explained that he had already attained his understanding >from > > >another master. Pressed by Fa-yen for an explanation, the monk said that > >when >he > > >had asked his teacher, “What is the Buddha?” he had received the answer, > >“Ping-ting T’ung-tzu comes for fire!” > >“A good answer!” said Fa-yen. “But I’m sure you don’t understand it.” > >“Ping-ting,” explained the monk, “is the god of fire. For him to be seeking >fire > > >is like myself, seeking the Buddha. I’m the Buddha already, and no asking is > >needed.” > >“Just as I thought!” laughed Fa-yen. “You didn’t get it.” > >The monk was so offended that he left the monastery, but later repented of > >himself and returned, humbly requesting instruction. > >“You ask me,” said Fa-yen. > >“What is the Buddha?” inquired the monk. > >“Ping-ting T’ung-tzu comes for fire!” > Mike >
