A lot of western Zen says that there is nothing you have to do to be a good person. I think this a response to the feeling that many westerners have of being bad. We have a very materialistic culture, very little of the natural supports to a sense of ourselves as good, neighbors and extended family who know us and recognize our place in the world, threats to our survival that focus the efforts, hard physical work to still the questions of what is today for. So we sit around in various unnatural occupations that are not a matter of life and death, far away from the group that raised us, and a gnawing doubt about our essential goodness grows.
No one believes that there is no difference between snatching anpurse and helping an elderly neighbor. Many people believe that the effort to judge every thing that happens makes for more suffering than just responding to each situation that comes up. And many people, in the US at least, believe or fear that they are are essentially bad and have to do something to be ok. For those people, zen will remove this belief. On Thursday, April 21, 2011, Maria Lopez <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Steve: > > Truly sorry to hear about your hard words. Be reasured that post wasn't > attack to TNH in any way. Thank you for sharing your religious views. > > Mayka > > > --- On Thu, 21/4/11, SteveW <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: SteveW <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Zen] Another Article Of Possible Interest > To: [email protected] > Date: Thursday, 21 April, 2011, 5:40 > > > > > > --- In > [email protected] <http://uk.mc862.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com>, > Maria Lopez <flordeloto@...> wrote: >> >> Steve: >>  >> I didn't say that TNH approach was correct or incorrect. I only stated >> that that way of Walt Disney world atmosphere created with the purpose of >> watering what are the wholesome seeds in one. And that is an effective >> way of healing and transformation and preparing the grounds to get later on >> into the real thing.    It served it purpose very well. I owe a lot to >> it. But I'm now in a different moment in which I'd rather not to make >> distintions with the positive and the negative arising in me. I don't try >> to be positive or negative any longer. I recognise what arises in me, I > experience that with whole impact that that has in my whole body and > mind.  I don't have to practise to be jolly or feel diminished because a > non social unpleasant welcome emotion is expresed and get psycological > admonition afterwards by the flock as the walt dysney construction > gets disturbed by it. I have only to be present with myself presence and > aware of >> whatever arises. >>  >>  TNH is at the base of any evolution I may be having in zen. I learnt a >> great deal of very valuable things from him which has saved me from years of >> sitting down. >>  >> Mayka >>  >> >  Maria, perhaps I misconstrue what you are saying, in which case I am > sorry. But your words represent all that is deplorable about this amoral > Westernized Zen, imo. You treat TNH's teaching on simple goodness with > contempt when you compare > it to "Walt Disney World". > I think that you have just given up. Simply to be fully present as you hurt > others is not enlightenment. This Westernized Zen is just nihilistic > existentialism, imo. Sarte said that it really didn't matter whether you > helped an old lady across the street, or else hit her over the head and stole > her purse, as long as you were being "authentic". This has nothing whatsoever > to do with the enlightened teachings of the Buddha,imo. Again, if I simply > misunderstand you, then I apologize. > Steve >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
