Merle,
Thanks for asking, Merle.
You asked if I had a self. I wrote back about how it goes with me.
I asked if you have a self.
And, now, if you feel you have a self, do you feel "bound" by it? Do you feel
that its habits keep you from right behavior at times?
These limitations are the things that a correct Zen practice with a teacher and
group can help you to first dissolve. Then you are free to act in accord with
circumstances, and not be bound by the habit-energy of an illusory self
accreted over time by karma (karma is just simple CONDITIONING by stuff that
happens to us, and stuff we have done and thought).
Buddhism teaches that there is no fixed self, and I think the Zen school does
not disagree. Zen teaches very little in an explicit way about such things:
they are treated already in Original Buddhism, and all of them are all
re-discovered by each person at Awakening anyway. Written on our Human viscera.
This is not a metaphor. So, no need to study these things academically, or
get all wrapped-up with them (but, it's interesting!). Better to carry out
what your Zen teacher instructs: that's the way toward Awakening in Zen. All
Hail!
--Joe
> Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote:
>
> joe..i do not understand what you mean... merle
>
> Merle, are you bound by feeling that there is an immutable self in you, AS
> you? (it's my turn to ask a question).
>
> --Joe
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