Mike,
They say that "possession is 90 percent of the Law."
I guess the Exorcist would agree. ;-)
But we also hear that, in the Law, one's INTENT is a big thing, too.
Now, a Zen teacher might beat a student, out of compassion. An "outsider",
seeing this, might call the cops. Someone beating a puppy, seen by a neighbor,
might ALSO be visited by the men in blue.
One is a "Zen" situation, the other not. So, I guess, as in the Law, it's the
intent, not the action, that carries the most weight in the eyes of the Law.
Of course I agree with you that the sadist is not beating the dog out of
compassion.
I don't know for sure what to say about the "Zen, or not Zen" question. Maybe
Zen can include -- must include -- even things like outbursts of anger. And
outbursts of compassion, as in the Zen teacher's case.
In the 1960s, there were some ads in magazines offering instruction in art, or
art appreciation. Each ad featured two paintings, or drawings, side by side.
And there was the caption: "Good Art? Bad Art?" That's all I remember.
What I remember better is a SPOOF of these then-common ads, in a college
lampoon humor magazine. It showed two photos of Picasso's "Guernica" side by
side, but one was rotated 90 degrees. There still appeared the caption: "Good
Art? Bad Art?"
Sorry... don't know where I was going with this. Just connecting dust trails
in the mind.
--Joe
> mike brown <uerusuboyo@...> wrote:
>
> If everything is Zen, doesn't the word lose its currency? I see the
> statement, "There's only as much Zen on a mountain as you bring" more
> accurate and helpful. I wouldn't describe a sadist beating a puppy as Zen.
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