siska... yes bangkok... what stumps me is that buddhist countries, e.g. cambodia burma are so violent and anti- practising buddhism... i was stunned by bangkok,,the degree of corruption, the desire for material wealth, the sex trade..the contrast between rich and poor.. even in 1974.... it's so nice to see the temples...so nice to hear ..to believe.. but what actually get's into practise?... i see corruption, i see rampart greed...wrong practises... another reason india scares me shitless is the untouchables.. what a way to treat people..what a mind set..it makes me ill...it all makes me ill... the mind set of the human being who exploits others be they christian buddhist jew muslim etc... or even zen buddhists... all bad news... so much hypocrisy so much evil human behaviour... and then i read here i have to see all this as an illusion.. WHAT.. get real..it's real..that is reality edgar... and i'm suppose to go into some state..loose myself and not be real and all is honky dory...?... huh?..i don't get it... enlightenment..if it means loosing ones sense of responsibility for others... forget it..
what truly is enlightenment?..something to "hang on to" when the going gets tough.. the ah moment...the moment when we are free of ourselves?.. huh? enlightenment is knowing..that about sums it up for me.. just plain and simple knowing..and being. .. zen... to me is the ah moment... no rules .. free... knowing and being... intertwined... and then as joe says practising..... knowing and being merle Merle, If you couldn't survive Jakarta and Thailand (I simply assume you meant bangkok), then I guess it was a good decision you did not proceed to India. But you missed Bodh Gaya, one of the most impressive places I ever been. Why I came to zen was nothing special. I have had meditation practice with other traditions for a while before I had a chance to attend a session with Guo Jun fashi, disciple of Joe's teacher. Around the same time, I came to like koans more and more. Inexplicably, they make more sense to me than the Suttas (the Pali Suttas). So, I joined this forum to learn more about zen. I'm not sure if I could call myself zen, but looks like my current practice is similar to Bill's description of zazen and shikantaza. Siska Merle Lester <merlewiit...@yahoo.com> wrote: siska..i spent 2 weeks here... see link..t his is were i bought the artwork... yes indonesia was very colourful..and vibrant as i said in previous post however the extreme poverty made me "ill".. i am unable to witness people suffering.. the plan was to go forward to burma and india after thailand however the poverty and suffering was too much for me to bare.. plus i was at 28 pregnant with my first child.. so it was off to london..and roast beef with all the trimmings..i was so so craving for western food .. now i am totally addicted to asian food especially chinese... oh i spent 2 weeks in singapore in 1974 as well... what is your story if i maybe so bold to ask and how did you come about to be "zen"?... merle http://www.javafred.net/rd_sriwahnyi_1.htm
