I think everyone is getting a bit confused here. A prospective student of a Zen temple would have to prove their determination to the monastic life by waiting outside the temple gate for a certain period of time. The less dedicated would leave (and be spared the hell that would await the less resolute) and even those that proved their mettle and were let in still had no guarantees of residency. A `mere` beggar, or a person in an emergency would no doubt have been shown compassion and given food or the relevant aid needed. They are 2 different things entirely. Mike
--- On Tue, 11/12/12, Merle Lester <[email protected]> wrote: From: Merle Lester <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] Re: Compassion and zen To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, 11 December, 2012, 13:50 joe..disagree..goes against the grain of what i believe..everyone is welcomed says my doormat...although saying that i have a locked gate here..with beware of the savage dog sign...christ would not approve of turning folk away either.. merle Merle, Historically, those old places lived on the handouts and donations of others, already!, themselves!, and they had to be very, very careful about who they let in. In old China, there was even some sanction by the government, and the monasteries had to be extra scrupulous and truly frugal, and squeeze every resource to dedicate them for their established students, and for the best-of-the-best incoming neophyte candidates. They were like sports teams!: they didn't just recruit every neighborhood waif drifting in, to shoot some hoops. They knew how to recognize talent. And there was an established way of proving one's fervor and stamina. If you failed those tests, they sent you home to your parents. This is called true compassion! It resulted in a vibrant teaching system, and the preservation of the living Dharma, to this day. Else, we would not even be typing here! ;-) The monasteries were Places of the Way, not way-places (not Inns). I prostrate to those old teachers, head-monks, head-nuns, and those Gate-Keepers. And to the folks who applied and tried, but who were not suited to that life, and were turned away. --Joe -> Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote: > > compassion doeth not judge. > > .if a man needth shelter and food for a thousand nights that is what must be > done in the name of universal love and compassion. > > ..none of us know another man's journey...
