Thanks for the last few postings that put into perspective the sutra reading. Zen is life and it is Buddhism. There is a context that the sutras (in part ) offer but it needs to connect into life. As a teacher of Buddhism at University and a resident of Asia for many years I can say that the Sutras are a part of practice but reliance on them as the primary element of Buddhism has killed Buddhism. Nothing is sadder than seeing the heartfelt questions and struggles of young people in Buddhist lands dismissed by arrogant scholar monks "when you pass grade 9 in pali studies then you know the answer." The alternative is not mushy New Agism but teachings that are intergrated into life experience both on the part of the teacher and yes by us the students. Without a mature practice (applying mindfulness in daily life) most sutra reading is prajna (wisdom) killing, an evasion of activating intelligence in favor of becoming a know-it-all authority. All great revivals in Buddhism while not rejecting sutras spoke from non-conceptual wisdom and challenged student to do the same. Sadly american buddhism is already half dead because it is the word game of an over educated elite (I include myself) that has made an ego business of it.
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