In Zen practice there is a great emphasis on non-conceptual thinking, on "just sitting", "just eating", "just ....". Words are not priced and the same is true for reading scriptures (not for the scriptures themselves) instead of "just sitting". Knowledge is not considered a value, it's considered an obstacle. Someone is Enlightened when it sees things just as they are, not contaminated by egoist/conceptual thinking. Don't animals do exactly that? Animals don't have conceptual thinking, don't read, don't speak, don't waste time learning, and see things just as they are, their views are not spotted by conceptual thinking and false ideas because they don't have false ideas. When an animal sits it just sits, it doesn't think about the nature of life, about the universe, about yesterday or about tomorrow. Does that means that "Enlightenment" means regressing to an animal mind? Isn't an animal considered an inferior form of life because rebirth as an animal is considered a bad thing and an animal is considered not able to become Enlightened? So how (why?) can "Enlightenment" lead to becoming an animal when an animal cannot become Enlightened? And why do we have the capacity of conceptual thinking, the capacity to imagine, to think about future and about past, the ego and the capacity to use words if that is something bad that keeps us away of enlightenment? But without those capacities then we would be.....just hairless monkeys. My dog just sits now, is he now a Buddha doing zazen? Why mu? :) My head hurts :)
------------------------ 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Current Book Discussion: Appreciate Your Life by Taizan Maezumi Roshi. New or used at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1570622280/ref=ase_actionheroesc-20/002-4507763-9442460?v=glance&s=books> 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/
