ED, It's always problematic to take one quote as the definitive teaching of any spiritual master and this quote is a good example. Much of Nisargadatta's teachings are to work on nothing but the words 'I am'. From this arises an awareness of awareness itself as our ground of being (and therefore making meditation ultimately non-essential). This is pretty close to the central teaching of Dzogchen in the Tibetan Buddhist path. Although not strictly Zen, does it matter? I think it was Jack Kornfield who said that the Buddha left us the jewel of upaya (skillful means) which means that there is a great mandala of Buddhist teachings for different kinds of people and cultures. It's a good thing that people from different schools of Buddism are keeping those great ways to Awakening alive. The mistake is when people say, "Only this way leads to Truth". I know Nisargadatta is not from a Buddhist school, but I think focusing on his differences is as much as a mistake as it is to, say, concentrate on the differences between vipassana and Zen. It's baby and the bathwater thang.. Mike
________________________________ From: ED <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, 8 July 2012, 23:55 Subject: [Zen] Nisargadatta Maharaj at odds with Zen? "We know the outer world of sensations and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little. The primary purpose of meditation is to become conscious of, and familiar with, our inner life. The ultimate purpose is to reach the source of life and consciousness." - Nisargadatta Maharaj The above statement appears to be at odds with Zen. Is it? --ED
