Hi Merle,
Chan historically is a mixture of Buddhist language and Taoist
practice. If you read the Xinxinming by the third patriarch, it sounds
very much like Tao Te Jing by Lao Tzu.
Bill is right that the essence of Chan existed when there is universe,
before language or human being.
We don't have to be a Buddhist to practice Chan.
Chan is a tool, boat, method for us to let our divine shine through.
Even Bill calls the divine within, Buddha Nature, yet we need to be
mindful that Bill is not a Buddhist. :-(
JM
On 8/22/2013 4:00 PM, Merle Lester wrote:
JM.... CLARIFICATION...please..
bill say he practises zen however he is not a buddhist...
i was under the impression zen was part and parcel of buddhism...
that zen is the way we can approach buddha nature... and let it shine
through..
zen is a tool, not an end game in itself?... thank you JM...merle
Dear Aham,
Zen is about letting our inner divine, labeled as Buddha Nature, to
shine through. Let it be our guide in our daily life. And the only
way that it may shine through depends on the purification of our
physical, mental and spiritual hindrances.
Because our inner divine, same as the external almighty, is all
knowing, all wise, all powerful, all harmonious.
JM
On 8/22/2013 2:07 AM, Bill! wrote:
Aham,
IMO zen is a set of teachings that first enable you to experience
Buddha Nature ("to see things as they really are" in Vipassana-speak)
and then to incorporate that experience into your daily life.
These teachings usually do employ a meditation technique - zazen -
which in Japanese means 'sit zen'. Although there are many beginning
techniques used to learn to do zazen and the most popular does
involve using the breath as does Vipassana; but all zen techniques
(zazen, koan study, chanting, bowing, etc...) are all geared to bring
you eventually to a meditative state called 'shikantaza' which means
'just sit' or 'only sit' in Japanese. It is the same (I believe) as
what the Buddhist Sutras refer to as 'samadhi'. It is in this state
that you may experience Buddha Nature ("see things as they really are").
From what little I know about Vipassana there are a lot of
similarities with zen, and of course there should be if they are both
taking you to the same place.
There are participants in this forum that know more about Vipassana
than I, and also participants that probably have a different opinion
of what zen is than I've just wrote out.
I hope you'll hear from them.
Welcome to the Zen Forum...
...Bill!
--- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com>, "reconceiving1942" <aham@...>
<mailto:aham@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I am new here in this group.
> I am familiar with some meditation techiques, where vipassana
became the strongest one for me.
>
> What exactly is zen?
> is zen a mediation technique or a quality of life?
> If so, can any one describe this quality?
>
> Aham
>