Merle, Bill, et al.,
My teacher Sheng Yen was pretty clear about "Prayer"!
(But please understand that a Zen teacher teaches different ways at different
times. This is because there is no fixed "TRUTH" -- no fixed Dharma, they say
-- so, a teacher dispenses only what is practical, and what can be effective,
UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. It is always like Medicine. A Zen teacher's job is
to cure, not to "educate").
That said, let me say what he said:
He sometimes said that Prayer is not *necessary* for a practitioner.
We should put our energy into our practice, and not look for energy from the
"outside". And -- now, believe this if you will -- if we get energy or
assistance from spiritual beings, there is often a price to pay: something to
pay BACK. Not all beings are benevolent: we have all heard of "demons".
But Sheng Yen would sometimes also teach Pure Land practitioners, mostly
Chinese immigrants living in USA, or elsewhere. These people practice
recitation of the name of Amida Buddha. They have faith in what they call the
power of Amida to help them be reborn in Amida's Pure Land, some day.
Sheng Yen would say, however, that Amida really does not have power, and that
there may not be such a being. He'd say, however, that Amida *IS* like a
REFLECTOR, and can be helpful to us as such. In other words, many millions of
people putting faith in Amida result in a certain expenditure of these many
humans' energy, and the idea of "Amida" reflects this energy and power and
concern directly back, sometimes pretty well focused.
So, in other words -- I think! -- this "Amida" is thus like an object of
concentration, and the power and life invested in it will manifest in our own
lives, or others'. But it merely, passively, REFLECTS the energy that WE give
it. That was Sheng Yen's teaching on this.
But, don't hold me to this! I was never TOO clear about the Pure Land
practices and beliefs, and I did not investigate them, nor lean that way. But
it is very common that Ch'an teachers will have some students who are Pure Land
people, devoted to the recitation of the name of Amida, as well as people whose
practice is Ch'an. This is a legacy from old China; and, now, Taiwan.
In the old countries, the Pure Land people FAR outnumber those who will sit
still for Ch'an.
--Joe
> Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote:
>
> Â why not pray?
>
> compassion universal love and understanding is that not pray?
> merle
------------------------------------
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/
