>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.
I don't want to start sounding like Alex, but 'Not Necessarily so.' >Someone is Enlightened when it sees things just as they are, not >contaminated by egoist/conceptual thinking. And you proceed to indulge in an orgy of 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. Generally they think about dinner. What to eat and how not to be eaten. >Does that means that "Enlightenment" means regressing to an animal mind? Was the Buddha an animal? >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? We vow to save all sentient beings. What is inferior? What is good? what is bad? >So how (why?) can "Enlightenment" lead to becoming an animal when an >animal cannot become Enlightened? Enlightenment has nothing to do with becoming an animal. Karma does. And you don't have to believe in incarnation/reincarnation / life/death dichotomies. You are reborn every moment you breathe. >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? exactly. >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 :) Stop thinking so much. What's for dinner? > <http://home.golden.net/~samu> < > There's a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in. < ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/hjtSRD/3MnJAA/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/
