Oh, howdy, Bill, Joe, here, in Arizona.
Hunger arises naturally, as does compassion, in the awakened sentient being, a.k.a., a Buddha. I think this is what Anthony was getting at, following all the syntax that I've reviewed in these threads most recently. It's been a good and busy time in the Group since lately I chimed-in. Someone had posted a response that claimed that one need not *practice* compassion (as Theravadins do, in their meta-studies of Metta), just as little as one need practice, say, "hunger". I don't agree, by the way; the geniuses who came up with the details of Theravadin practice, which has survived to this day, are not to be slighted in that way, nor are their beneficiaries (those who practice in that vaunted tradition). Of course, it is not our tradition. There are no such doings in zen practice. By "zen", Anthony may mean any nonspecific Ch'an or zen tradition. I think that the unequivocal answer to Anthony's Q. is that there is definitely a notion of compassion in Zen, and that it is perfectly the behavior and comportment of a Buddha. That's a high standard for practitioners, and one that is perfectly enabled by the wisdom and compassion built into our practices by our ancestors. Just practice, and Thee shall see. You bet, Anthony; just don't give up the ship! --Joe --- In [email protected], "Bill!" <BillSmart@...> wrote: > > Anthony, > > I can't answer you because I'm not sure what you mean by 'zen'. ------------------------------------ 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/
