Bill!, You may have answered the questions in more than 3 ways, but the only one that 'makes sense' is that everything is illusion, so Holmes in Colorado should be acquited. All doctors should shut down their clinics as it makes no sense to deal with illusion all the time. Physical chi can be detected by modern instruments and can cure diseases. However, you can say that the instrument only 'feels' it, so that kind of chi is also illusion. Anthony
________________________________ From: Bill! <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, 30 July 2012, 12:48 Subject: [Zen] Re: Chan and zen Anthony, It amuses me that you've accused me of 'sidestepping' a difficult question. I answered it 3 different ways. I'll try one more... [Anthony] "My question is whether or not you say the physical chi is also illusion. How does illusion cure a disease?" If this think you call 'physical chi' can indeed be 'felt' as other 'physical objects' are (and not just perceived to have been felt), then it is not an illusion. If it is only perceived then it is, or at least part of it is, an illusion. Illusion can indeed 'cure' (make it go away) disease because 'disease' is also an illusion. ...Bill! --- In mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com, Anthony Wu <wuasg@...> wrote: > > Bill! (not Bill), > I envy your capability of sidestepping a difficult question. However, it > dawns on me that Holmes in Colorado did nothing but illusion, so he should be > acquitted. In particular, he announced the illusion, before he did it. >  > Anthony > > > ________________________________ > From: Bill! <BillSmart@...> > To: mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com > Sent: Saturday, 28 July 2012, 11:31 > Subject: [Zen] Re: Chan and zen > > >  > Anthony, > > I'm not sure if you know what a very difficult question you've asked. At > lease trying to answer it logically is very difficult. It's a deeply nested > question. > > [Anthony] "My question is whether or not you say the physical chi is also > illusion. How does illusion cure a disease?" > > The best answer to your question was given by Joshu many years ago and it is > "Mu!". > > My poor (and very curt) attempt at answering it now follows: > > - Dualism is illusory, therefore... > - Physicality itself is illusory. > - All things such as 'chi' and 'you' and 'me' are illusory. > - The concept of 'disease' is illusory > - The concept of cause-and-effect is illusory > - ...so when you strip all that away you get Just THIS!, or "Mu!'. > > Or using dualistic (logical) terms to answer: > > - if we can sense something it is real - not illusory. It is Buddha Nature. > This includes things we can detect by 'extending' our senses with scientific > instruments - like binoculars. > - 'disease' is a state (of health) that we don't like. We can if we choose > try to influence the environment so this state of health changes (or of > course we could choose to stop disliking it and accept it for what it is). > - if the state we don't like changes or even disappears frequently when we > also perceive some other factor (like 'chi') then we might choose to believe > there is some kind of cause-and-effect relationship between these two > (illusory) events. > > Okay? ...Bill! > > --- In mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com, Anthony Wu <wuasg@> wrote: > > > > Bill, > >  > > I don't contradict your statement, nor do I agree with, as tht is a wide > > spectrum topic. My question is whether or not you say the physical chi is > > also illusion. How does illusion cure a disease? > >  > > Anthony > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Bill! <BillSmart@> > > To: mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Friday, 27 July 2012, 18:18 > > Subject: [Zen] Re: Chan and zen > > > > > >  > > Anthony, > > > > Anything metaphysical is illusory...Bill! > > > > --- In mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com, Anthony Wu <wuasg@> wrote: > > > > > > Bill, > > >  > > > Chi can be classified into two areas: metaphysical and physical. The > > > former is associated with your feelings of 'light' or 'warm currents' > > > flowing in your body. I am not clear about that. If you say it is makyo > > > or illusion, I don't agree or disaagree. But the latter classification of > > > chi, which can be detected by modern instruments and used to cure > > > diseases, is definitely physical and worldly, not at all illusion. > > >  > > > Anthony > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > From: Bill! <BillSmart@> > > > To: mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com > > > Sent: Thursday, 26 July 2012, 13:51 > > > Subject: [Zen] Re: Chan and zen > > > > > > > > >  > > > Joe, > > > > > > I think "...entirely Empirical and Experiential..." describes what I am > > > talking about. I would not use the word 'mystical' or 'spiritual' to > > > describe that though. > > > > > > Again I would say there's nothing 'spiritual' or 'mystical' about the zen > > > I practice. It's quintessentially mundane. I associate spirituality and > > > mysticism to religions, and I do not consider zen a religion - like > > > Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, etc... These religions all have varying > > > degrees of belief in spirituality and mysticism - and a lot of rules too! > > > > > > I do believe 'chi' is makyo (illusory). I have 'experienced' it myself in > > > many ways, but most especially as associated with my early zen practice > > > as 'joriki' - but I do believe it to be illusory like my 'experiences' of > > > good and evil, right and wrong, beautiful and ugly. > > > > > > I know this is one of the more important areas that my zen practice > > > diverges from Zen Buddhism but most especially Chan. > > > > > > ...Bill! > > > > > > --- In mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com, "Joe" <desert_woodworker@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Thanks, Bill. Those are GREAT teachers who you worked with. > > > > > > > > I knew Maezumi, and he was our first teacher in Tucson, before the > > > > sangha here early-on decided to become aligned with Aitken Roshi and > > > > the Diamond Sangha. We became the first affiliate of the DS, and there > > > > are now about 21 such around the world. > > > > > > > > Maezumi came to Tucson once or twice and held sesshin here in the > > > > earliest days of ZDS (Zen Desert Sangha). > > > > > > > > But I was not here (in Tucson), then. > > > > > > > > I knew Maezumi Roshi in New York City and sat with him at Bernie > > > > Glassman's place when Maezumi finally came to visit Bernie after Bernie > > > > set up a place of his own. Maezumi "kept away" from Bernie's for at > > > > least a year, so Bernie and his sangha would not be distracted by a > > > > more experienced and older teacher. I remember Maezumi Roshi fondly, > > > > although I did not have dokusan with him. I sat with him on a few > > > > nights when he was at Bernie's first place in NYC, in Riverdale (before > > > > they later bought the Greystone Mansion), while I was Sheng Yen's > > > > student. It was 1980, and I was Sheng Yen's student since Feb., 1979, > > > > and became Sheng Yen's Disciple in May, 1979, on a 7-day Ch'an retreat. > > > > > > > > I became good friends with John Daido Loori, who, like Bernie, was also > > > > given transmission by Maezumi. I did not join John's fledgling Zen Arts > > > > community at Mt. Tremper NY because I was leaving the USA to do > > > > research in radio astronomy in the Andes, but I was there at the start. > > > > My friend, the late Lex Hixon of the Pacifica Network of radio > > > > stations, station WBAI-FM-99.5 in NYC was hugely instrumental in > > > > getting Bernie and John lots of publicity on his weekly Sunday 3-hour > > > > radio program, "In The Spirit." > > > > > > > > All the literature of ZCLA was very influential on me in the 1970s and > > > > very early 1980s, and to this day. I continued to receive THE TEN > > > > DIRECTIONS regularly when I lived on a mountain in Chile, through the > > > > Diplomatic Mailbag. > > > > > > > > Koryu Roshi, I did not know, but I love his photograph which I saw in > > > > some of the ZDS literature. I think in the ON ZEN PRACTICE series, by > > > > Maezumi and Glassman, in 1978 and 1979. His kind face made a very > > > > memorable impression, but I have not seen it in years. I think Glassman > > > > studied with him, too, and said that Koryu Roshi only worked koans, and > > > > Bernie worked koans with Koryu. > > > > > > > > You and I use "spiritual" in very different senses now. I consider > > > > everything about our practice to be spiritual, even the most mundane > > > > and everyday things, all the way up to and through realization. For you > > > > it seems to connote something different, maybe something not noticed by > > > > Science or yet verified by scientific instruments. > > > > > > > > I'd say that "Chi" is not to me spiritual in the sense in which you say > > > > understand spiritual: to me it is instead entirely empirical and > > > > physical. If one has not experienced chi and its circulation and its > > > > effects, then perhaps it is just magical talk. But even as a scientist > > > > I can assure you that it is sensed by the practitioner. Not because we > > > > cultivate it, but because it goes with the territory when we are > > > > practicing well. And it is *not* Makyo. > > > > > > > > I think that by "spiritual", you personally may mean something like > > > > "magical", and "manifestly-false", or "naive", for we Modern folk. I'd > > > > say that Chi is not so. Nor are the powers that are often remarked on > > > > upon awakening. These are experiences, not hidden suppositions. > > > > > > > > On the other hand, I'd say that all of our practice is Spiritual, yes, > > > > all, even the most mundane and "everyday" aspects. It's not that I am > > > > here trying to trivialize the "Spiritual": it's that I am, with all > > > > respect, going about elevating the mundane to the miraculous, ...but > > > > only because that is the way I see and experience it, even after 60 > > > > years. > > > > > > > > It's not an EFFORT of mine. It's an Appreciation: A word I learned from > > > > your/our Maezumi! > > > > > > > > Hail, > > > > > > > > --Joe > > > > > > > > PS By the way, "Mystical" means entirely Empirical and Experiential. > > > > This is to distinguish it from "REVEALED" religion, which is through > > > > texts, scripture. Mystics are Empiricists (or, Experimentalists). > > > > > > > > > "Bill!" <BillSmart@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Joe, > > > > > > > > > > All of it (zen/Buddha Nature) is not spiritual - IMO. > > > > > > > > > > > (If you will, who is/was that teacher who taught in such a way?) > > > > > > > > > > I've had 2 formal teachers in my life and neither taught me that zen > > > > > was or was not spiritual. That topic just didn't come up to the best > > > > > of my recollection. These teachers were first Koryu Osaka Roshi and > > > > > second Taizan Maezumi Roshi. My involvement with these two roshis > > > > > began in the late 60's and continued through the 70's, but I kept in > > > > > contact with Maezumi right up to his death in mid-1990. > > > > > > > > > >
