James wrote: > > We always seem to come back to the danger of written texts--and > the absolute necessity of sitting regularly under someone's > direction. Not to argue with that, I'll stick my neck out and say > that the absolute worst thing to do is sit on your own (or not at > all) and read only this and other internet Zen forums. > > Better by far to read Nagarjuna and Dogen (not that either of them > is easy) than only these Zen forums! At least you can be sure > Nagarjuna and Dogen knew what they were talking about--and had > tested it against their extensive knowledge of what's in the > sutras and commentaries we seem to be so fearful of opening. If > one comes as a complete novice to these Zen boards (as seems to be > the case for many, to judge from the way people introduce > themselves), it's very difficult to know what (or who, since a > fair amount of the discussion here seems to be directed at proving > particular individuals wrong on most or all points without > bringing any actual support for one's own view) to listen to and > what to ignore. > > James
Thanks James, yours is a very good post. It is my understanding that one has to keep in mind that what one is after (unless one is after a fancy lifestyle) can not be shown to us by anyone, Nagarjuna and Dogen included, one is after the taste of awakening to a life without the filter of our conditioning and the control and fear of ego, and in the same way that no amount of intellectual work can make one knows the taste of chocolate if one has never eaten chocolate before, no amount of intellectual work can make you know what real peace of mind and love is, as well as understanding emptiness . So reading, meditation and the guide of a good teacher is all part of the practice. Metta Carlos ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/WwRTUD/SOnJAA/i1hLAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZenForum/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
