ED,
Again, my responses are embedded below:
> [ED] Is one expected to detect any extra intelligence, or elevated
> virtue, or added value to the planet in persons who claim to have
> experienced Buddha Nature?
>
> [Bill!] No. 'One' is not expected to detect anything special in those that
> have had awareness of Buddha Nature.
>
> [ED-2] So, one sits on one's zafu for thousands of hours over decades for no
> reason whtsoever.
>
[Bill!-2] Yes!
>
> [ED] Until this concept-premise of 'Buddha Nature' is better clarified, I
> will tend to regard it as the purely natural phenomenon of a rather pleasant
> mind-space or mind-state arrived at after much Zen clear-mind (mind-less)
> practice.
>
> [Bill!] ...
>
> [ED-2] So your response is 'No': To clarify the concept of 'Buddha nature'
> one usually has to engage in thousands of hours of shikantaza over decades to
> experience the mind-states of kensho-satori, aka 'Buddha nature'.
>
{Bill!-2] My response was not 'no'. You didn't ask me a yes-or-no question.
You just stated something. If you want a yes-or-no response to your statement,
and from the impression of you I've gathered from reading 100's of your posts
here on the Zen Forum, I'd have to say 'yes'; I do believe your will regard
Buddha Nature as you've described until someone else clarifies it for you.
Harkening back to my original response, that isn't going to happen on this
word-bound text-based forum.
>
> [ED] I do not regard this perspective as discounting Zen practice in any way.
>
> [Bill!] Nor do I. Although I will say that zen practice is not at all
> necessary to realize (become aware of) Buddha Nature, nor is it the only way.
> But it's the only way I am familar with enough to recommend.
>
> [ED-2] Other techniques (in Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, Christianity) can
> entail 'higher' states of consciousnes, which may or may not be
> similar/identical to 'Buddha nature', and with different 'flavor'.
>
[Bill!-2] The only other techniques besides zen that I am familar enough with
to comment on are Christianity and Platonism. Both of these, I'm convinced,
are talking about the same state I talk about when I use the term 'Buddha
Nature'. Christianity uses the term 'Kingdom of Heaven' and Plaontonism uses
the term 'The One'. These are not the only terms used by them but are the most
prominent in my opinion.
...Bill!
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