ED, It is what it is and doesn't matter what name we give it. We all walk our own path to the place we were always at (It's the old adage that sometimes you need to go on a journey before realising that a journey is not necessary). I think the Buddha's story illustrates that. He tried many teachers, and used their teachings,before finally reaching awakening by his own efforts. My journey is evolving but I'm coming to the realisation that the state of mind conducive to meditation and ultimate liberation needs to be guarded every moment. I can quite easily see myself at some point becoming a monastic, but right now I'm enjoying samsara too much (The mundane bright and shiny things).
Mike ________________________________ From: ED <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, 1 August 2012, 15:57 Subject: [Zen] Re: Chan and zen Mike, But there is not only one way. Different strokes for different folks. --ED --- In [email protected], mike brown <uerusuboyo@...> wrote: > > Joe, > > Must admit that I haven't done much formal Zen practice for a long time. The last time in Australia was with Ian Sweetman Sensei (Ross B was in Hawaii) and somewhat occasionally in Sanshoji temple in Nara and even more infrequently in various temples around Kyoto. I began participating in the S.N Goenka Vipassana retreats in Kyoto (10-day retreats) about 3-4 years ago. I am very aware of Sharon Salzberg's and Jack Kornfeld's work but have never met them personally. The teacher who really stands out for me tho, is the late Ayya Khema, a female Therevada nun, whose talks/writings I would highly recommend. So you can see I'm kind of eclectic in my practice (Very much like Alan Watts as I also enjoy the teachings, but to a lesser extent, of Advaita Vedanta, Taoism and Dzogchen). As far as Zen is concerned, I agree with Joko Beck when she says that she would'nt cross the street to attend a talk by a famous Zen master (Meant respectfully, of course). But I > feel like a sponge when it comes to listening to the wisdom of Budhha and the masters of Vipassana. I think it was Sharon Salzberg who said that Buddha sorted his problems out 2,500 years ago, now you sort out yours. He certainly gave us the tools. > > > Mike
