Interesting comment. I agree with you on the "word games of the overeducated elite".
However, I'd caution against going into another extreme and 'tossing the baby out with the bathwater', as the saying goes. Which is what this list seems to be reaching a consensus on, and very rapidly. Just because someone may have devoted their practice to intellectual pursuit of Dharma, and had failed spectacularly, doesn't automatically mean that the intellect is worthless. I implore all of you, tread carefully here. Keep in mind that it is possible to use our intellect in two ways: using the right view, and using the wrong view. If the right view, our intellect turns into an incredibly powerful sword of wisdom, that cuts through ignorance like no other means could. The wrong way -- the intellect ends up in a pathetic mess, the likes of which we've seen in Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber, and the rest of their ilk. There is a reason why we're endowed with intellect. Furthermore, and arguably, the intellect is pretty much the only thing that makes us disctinctly human. And, according to the Buddha, being human is the most opportune position to practice Dharma. Alex --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > 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. > > > > ===== No karma was produced during the composition of this letter __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/UwRTUD/UOnJAA/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/
