Edgar, I've just done some research on Sheng-Yen and found some interesting points. He studied Chan extensively, including a degree at a Japanese university in order to spread the Dharma around the world. Near death, he declined a kidney transplant stating that it should go to some one younger. After his death, there were no monuments etc. erected as per his wishes, settling instead for a simple Buddhist ceremony. I also found many articles stating that he did a 6 year solitary retreat, but not one of them mentions that he survived solely on yam leaves and rice. If there was a chapter on them in his autobiography, as Joe states, then I would surmise that his point is about simplicity of diet as a metaphor for living life and *not* some claim to super-normal powers. It's not difficult for anyone without an agenda to deduce what kind of man Sheng-Yen was. You should take a 'leaf' out his teachings.
Mike ________________________________ From: Edgar Owen <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, 22 November 2012, 13:53 Subject: Re: [Zen] the zen spirit Mike, And if he didn't but claimed he did? Edgar On Nov 22, 2012, at 8:44 AM, mike brown wrote: > > >Edgar, > > >Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I'm more concerned with other things - like how >his students conduct themselves. > > > >________________________________ > From: Edgar Owen <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Thursday, 22 November 2012, 13:35 >Subject: Re: [Zen] the zen spirit > > > >Mike, > > >What's your answer and why are you afraid to tell us? > > >EDgar > > > > > > >On Nov 22, 2012, at 8:34 AM, mike brown wrote: > > >> >> >>>Do you believe any human being could subsist only on yam leaves and rice for >>>6 years or do you agree with me it's simply impossible? >> >>And the new Donald Trump.. >> >> >> >> >> >> >>________________________________ >> From: Edgar Owen <[email protected]> >>To: [email protected] >>Sent: Thursday, 22 November 2012, 13:07 >>Subject: Re: [Zen] the zen spirit >> >> >> >>Merle, >> >> >>OK, please answer a simple question and we will see. :-) >> >> >>Do you believe any human being could subsist only on yam leaves and rice for >>6 years or do you agree with me it's simply impossible? >> >> >>The fate of your immortal soul and entry into the Buddhahood realm rests on a >>correct and honest answer to this simple question! >>:-) >> >> >>I challenge everyone on this group who is at all interested in the truth and >>who understands that belief in falsehood is illusion and thus that truth is >>essential to realization to give us THEIR answer to this question. >> >> >> >> >> >> >>Edgar >> >> >> >> >> >> >>On Nov 22, 2012, at 1:44 AM, Merle Lester wrote: >> >> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> edgar..what do you take me for?..a fool..merle >>> >>> >>> >>>Merle, >>> >>> >>>Get real and use your brain Merle! It's not the number of calories but the >>>necessary nutrients for life are missing. >>> >>> >>>Hot water? Well I like that myself (I usually add several spices and >>>sometimes lemon juice) but I hope you don't think anyone can subsist on it? >>> >>> >>>Edgar >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>On Nov 20, 2012, at 5:22 PM, Merle Lester wrote: >>> >>> >>>> >>>> >>>> because he did no heavy labour all day he needed less food... >>>> how long did he live?... >>>>plain hot water is great!... >>>>does not believe in the principles of nutrition and you just ran with that >>>>joe?.. >>>>what?... >>>>where is your zen spirit?. >>>>.merle >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>Anyone who tries to convince you he lived on wild yam leaves and rice for 6 >>>>years begins to sound like the oriental typical guru putting one over on >>>>gullible disciples. >>>> >>>> >>>>How much did you pay him total for 'enlightening' you? >>>> >>>> >>>>Edgar >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>On Nov 20, 2012, at 1:45 PM, Joe wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>>>Edgar, >>>>> >>>>>Negative. >>>>> >>>>>I suggest a reading of Ch'an Master Sheng's autobiography. >>>>> >>>>>When he taught us, he would often urge us to eat "properly" in our daily >>>>>lives as we practice. But he added that he "does not believe in the >>>>>principles of nutrition". That was always very interesting to me, but I >>>>>never questioned him in detail about what he believed (or followed) >>>>>instead. I was already a vegetarian before I met him. >>>>> >>>>>On the veracity of his story of his cultivating the "Taiwan wild mountain >>>>>potato", I had no reason to doubt him. He mentioned that this potato is >>>>>different from what we call potatoes in the West. And I suspect it is not >>>>>related to our Solanaceous plants, which I think are only indigenous to S. >>>>>Amer., and not Asia. So the leaves of his plants may have been >>>>>differently nutritious, indeed!, compared with those of our Deadly >>>>>Nightshades. >>>>> >>>>>In fact, it is a type of Yam. >>>>> >>>>>I must assume that he also had Tea; maybe he did not mention it because >>>>>it's like an Englishman taking tea "for granted" as a commodity, except >>>>>more so!, for a Chinese! ;-) >>>>> >>>>>But, ...he taught us on Retreat to drink plain hot water, and we had urns >>>>>of it: I personally called this "Sheng Yen Tea". So, maybe he did not >>>>>have any tea at all during his 6-year retreat. It's possible that he may >>>>>have found Ginseng root on the mountain, however, too. >>>>> >>>>>He mentions the Yam potato leaves several times in his auto-bio, and in >>>>>fact, there is an entire chapter (Chapt. 11) there, called "Wild Potato >>>>>Leaves"... . >>>>> >>>>>For your reading, here is the reference to Sheng Yen's best-known >>>>>autobiography in English. The book is quite clear about his diet on the >>>>>mountain: >>>>> >>>>>Sheng Yen; FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW; THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CHINESE BUDDHIST >>>>>MONK, 2008, Doubleday. >>>>> >>>>>You can also see the Amazon page: >>>>> >>>>>http://www.amazon.com/Footprints-Snow-Autobiography-Chinese-Buddhist/dp/B003JTHRT6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1353436592&sr=8-3&keywords=footprints+in+the+snow >>>>> >>>>>Best, >>>>> >>>>>--Joe >>>>> >>>>>> Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> I suggest you use the same investigative intelligence you used to debunk >>>>>> the hurricane Sandy photos to debunk your teacher's story. >>>>>> >>>>>> No human being could live on only wild potato leaves and rice for 6 >>>>>> years. That's quite obvious. >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > >
