buddha nature bill... you say no god then you say buddha nature..please clarify..thanks ... merle Merle,
Good question... The terms 'zen' and 'atheism' are not the same classes of things. My current working definition of 'zen' (not Zen Buddhism) is: "Zen is a human practice that assists in balancing the interplay between Human Nature and Buddha Nature. It does so by employing a variety of teaching techniques that are used to temporarily halt intellectual processes (Human Nature) which can obscure Buddha Nature. After an initial awareness of Buddha Nature zen practice consists of re-integrating Human Nature and balancing it with Buddha Nature." Merriam-Webster Online defines 'atheism' as: "a : a disbelief in the existence of deity b : the doctrine that there is no deity" So...I would say IMO zen practice is atheistic. It would be hard to imagine a deist (someone who believes in a deity)practicing zen as I know it. There is some wiggle room here if you describe the experience of holism (Buddha Nature) as 'God', but most uses of the word 'God' or 'deity' refer to some being separate from yourself. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote: > > question:...what is the difference between zen and atheism?.... > > is enlightenment merely an illusion? or perhaps even a delusion? > > > Merle > www.wix.com/merlewiitpom/1 >
