Thanks, taking responsibility there Bill! I ducked it. --Joe
> "Bill!" <BillSmart@...> wrote: > > Hey Merle and Joe, > > I hope you don't mind me butting in... > > You asked, "Who was the very first to embrace zen?". > > The answer all depends on what you mean by "embrace zen". > > If by "embrace zen" you mean "realize Buddha Nature" I would say you'd have > to go back to the very origin of life, whenever that was. If you want to > limit that to humans I guess you'd have to go back to the first human, and of > course I don't know who that was. The Bible names this person 'Adam', and of > course 'Eve'. I think at first they lived in a state in which they > constantly realized Buddha Nature. This was called The Garden of Eden. They > were in constant communion with God then. It's only when they ate the fruit > of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that they were kicked out of > the Garden. To me that means when humans evolved to a point where they begin > to think dualistically (subject/object - to rationalize), that ability began > to conceal Buddha Nature. So in the beginning (whenever that was) everyone > realized Buddha Nature all the time, but when humans became more and more > rational they moved farther and farther away from that. > > If by "embrace zen" you mean who was the first one to realize and identify > Buddha Nature in the linage that we now identify as Zen Buddhism, the very > first one would have to be Guatuama Buddha, or maybe you could say the first > student that he prompted to realize Buddha Nature - Mahakashapa - during his > 'Wordless Sermon at Vulture Peak'. > > ...Bill! > > > > > --- In [email protected], Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@> wrote: > > > > > > > >  hey joe... > > > > if you don't mind me butting in... > > > > who was the very first person to embrace zen?... > > > > or let's put it this way..the originator?.. > > > > surely it's not something startlingly new?... > > > > surely even in the cave era..( early man)  there would have been a few zen > > folk amongst the midst.. > > > > tis it not a  way to view the world.... or interact with the world.. > > > > .and i was under the impression zen went to the nitty gritty.. > > > > the heart of the matter with out all the" fluff, bubble and endless reams > > of "homework" as you put it... > > > > you dive into the cold salty pool head first so to speak.... > > > > your thoughts?.. ------------------------------------ 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/
