yes mike...i must be on guard..however who can we judge?.. do we let the pollies and religious mob and the media run amok?... you can have religious and even zen folk babbling "bullshit"... do we swallow all hook line and sinker regardless? so we remain oh so pure? see no evil hear no evil sweep it all under the carpet and carry on "sitting" whilst folk suffer merle
Merle, You referred to her as that "Subhana dame" when she is a respected Roshi from the Diamond Sangha. That doesn't really sound like it's the "end of the story". My point is that you seem to have formed a low opinion of her based on a story your mind/ego has constructed when you don't really know the reality of why you didn't get a reply. I'm not picking on you specifically because we all do it to varying degrees. I just think it's good to be directed to it when it happens. Remember to pay attention! I think you termed it to "be on guard". I think that's also what Joe meant about prejudice cutting us off. We simply reinforce the ego when we judge others. Mike Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPhone ________________________________ From: Merle Lester <[email protected]>; To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; Subject: Re: [Zen] Types of Meditation Sent: Tue, Apr 16, 2013 9:29:48 AM mike..you are referring to her not me...i am not interested it was joe who was badgering me..remember..i tried she did not respond end of story..merle Merle, Why would I contact her? However, if I did want or need to contact her, but were unsuccessful, then I'd just simply try until I did. There'd be no need to make up my mind about her based on a story I've made up in my head. Mike Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPhone ________________________________ From: Merle Lester <[email protected]>; To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; Subject: Re: [Zen] Types of Meditation Sent: Mon, Apr 15, 2013 7:41:24 AM not that subhana dame?..why don't you contact her mike ?..merle Bill!, No worries! I especially agree with him about both practices being two sides of the same coin. The article also went on to say that how he doesn't mix them as they are both unique and he doesn't want to water them down. I also agree with this. It would be interesting to read what Subhana says about her dual practice. Mike Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPhone ________________________________ From: Bill! <[email protected]>; To: <[email protected]>; Subject: Re: [Zen] Types of Meditation Sent: Mon, Apr 15, 2013 5:20:59 AM Mike, Thanks for the post and the references. What little I do know about Vipassana meditation did lead me to believe it was goal-oriented. Many teaching techniques employed by Zen Buddhism which involve zazen are also goal-oriented. But as you know and as is stated in this post shikantaza is not. Thanks again...Bill! --- In [email protected], uerusuboyo@... wrote: > > Bill!,l<br/><br/>I just found this from Gil Fronsdal who is both a Zen and > Vipassana teacher.<br/><br/>"How was it to practice Vipassana after years of > Zen training?<br/>The core of Vipassana is mindfulness, or the practice of > being clearly present to what is happening in the present. In a sense it is a > tool that can be practiced within a variety of practice approaches. The > context for the Vipassana teaching I encountered in Asia was one of being > goal-oriented. U Pandita, my Burmese teacher, was adamant about striving for > nirvana, for deep insights and attainments. If I had been a new meditator, I > wouldn’t have survived in that kind of environment. I would’ve gotten > tied up in ambition and self-judgment. But in my Zen practice I had been > practicing a radical acceptance of the present moment for many years. I was > pretty resilient and not easily discouraged. While I tried to follow the > Vipassana instructions as best I could, at the same time I saw how > helpful they were for me to be more thorough in the Zen practice of > shikautaza-just sitting.<br/><br/>Did working within the two different > traditions bring up any conflicts for you?<br/>I struggled a fair amount, > trying to reconcile goal-less Zen practice-in which practice and realization > are thought to occur together-with the goal-oriented Theravada tradition, in > which you work toward later realization. Eventually I came to understand that > these approaches not only complemented each other but could be seen as two > sides of the same coin. Soto Zen taught me to emphasize the purity of the > moment-to-moment process of sitting in meditation; Vipassana taught me how > that process opens to greater freedom even when we don’t fixate on freedom > as a goal. My Vipassana practice taught me that the radical acceptance of > myself and of things-as-they-are that I learned in Zen included an innate, > natural impulse toward liberation. I didn’t have to be goal-oriented > as much as I needed to let go of any obstacles to this innate impulse. One > of the hindrances I had faced in Zen practice was complacency-a comfort-able, > lightweight acceptance-in which I lacked the motivation to see the ways in > which I was still subtly attached or resistant to reality. Vipassana, > especially with its emphasis on seeing clearly what is happening in the > present, helped break me out of my complacent state.<br/><br/>Do you bring > Zen elements into your Vipassana teachings?<br/>From the Zen tradition I > emphasize that each moment of sincere mindfulness practice is complete and > satisfying in and of itself. I encourage practitioners to investigate what > gets in the way of realizing this. I teach that the goal should be reflected > in the means, in the practice. If the goal is to be at peace, some form of > peacefulness should be a part of the practice. To become compassionate, > practice compassion. To be generous, practice generosity. To be free, > don’t let the practice or attainments be objects of > grasping."<br/><br/>This is only part of a larger blog you can find at: > insightmeditationcenter.org/books<br/><br/>Mike<br/><br/><br/>Sent from > Yahoo! Mail for iPhone >
