Bill, I think that's right!
I think that the STATE of Zen, the STATE of Ch'an -- the STATE or condition of
no-mind -- is innate in humans, maybe in all sentient beings. But it can
become covered.
The Buddha Nature is INNATE, we've come to say, since Shakyamuni.
In awakening, we may think back to the condition of humans, say, 40,000 years
ago, or 400,000 years, or more, and appreciate the connectedness (more
IDENTITY, in fact) of people living in small and close communities, like a
sangha.
The closeness of people in a sangha on Sesshin, say, when at least some of them
are awakened, is like that. It's like communities were a long long time ago.
And then in this closeness one also realizes EXACTLY what Dogen means by Zazen
being the natural expression of our true nature.
When small communities sat like that 50,000 years ago, all was revealed, all
was shared, and the heritage and history of the group (tribe, band, community)
was passed from generation to generation. In the Zen sect, this is called
"Transmission".
Much later -- much closer to our times -- various programs of therapy developed
to help people regain what became easily covered-up after things became
complicated in societies.
Treatment Programs like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, etc., developed.
Not Twelve-Step programs, necessarily, ...but EIGHTFOLD Path, FOUR Noble
Truths, TEN Grave Precepts, TEN Commandments, Holy TRINITY, etc.
I smile, upon remembering the story about the monk, who, on awakening, said,
"There's really NOT MUCH to so-and-so's (his teacher's) Buddhism after all!!
To call it "spiritual" is too much icing on the cake.
To call it "not spiritual" is missing (and dis-sing) the true and miraculous
blessedness of it.
--Joe
> "Bill!" <BillSmart@...> wrote:
>
> Anthony,
>
> No, zen predates Buddhism, Siddhartha Buddha and all the other Buddhas.
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