From: "mackkup"> i dont go to a Zen anything nor do i have a Zen teacher
nor do i read Zen books (except for "Zen 24 hours a day") i would like to
practice the meditation part but most of the time im to lazy or busy. what i
am interested in is the truth and letting my anger go and i believe Zen
encompasses this. unfortunately there are people here that dont want that
and thats fine cause only we can walk our own path. spiritually i want to
grow and there are folks here that want that as well so i dont see a problem
with expressing myself to see where im at on the path. Mack>
Dear Mack,
Like 99.9% of the folks on this list, I believe that you are very sincere. I
share all of your goals. I do not have a Zen teacher. The only Zen Center
around here charges $20. per zazen session and more for everything else, and
with that money I would rather take my family to the movies or a picnic,
etc. I do not meditate as much as I want to, sometimes hardly at all. I am
often angry about something, and I want to let that anger go.
BUT, in order to even be remotely on a path, you have to at least follow the
breadcrumbs. If you can't participate and don't meditate much, at least read
some good Zen books and maybe it will get you to do Walking Meditation
(kinhin?) or something along the lines of zazen during a rote activity. It
will also help you to be literate about Zen.
The Zen path is like a well-paved expressway. Millions of people have been
on it through the straight and narrow. Others have followed in less
traditional ways. You might think of them as being on the perimeter road for
local traffic that often runs parallel to many expressways. Then there is
the occasional dillettante who knows where the roads are but is driving
around in the city looking for something else. Then there is the person that
read about the road and maybe drove by one day and continued in another
direction. Or you can think of your own variation.
The point is that if your connection to something is so tenous that you are
like an astronaut who has been cut loose from the space capsule and is
floating away into empty space, then you need to do decide whether to fish
or cut bait.
I do not think that just living from gut instincts is what Zen is about. In
all the books that give the idea that these Zen Monks lived by the seat of
their pants, what is often omitted is their back-story. Most of those Zen
Monks started life as rich, well-educated people. Some were princes,
warlords, or the children of very important, rich people who usually paid
for their kids to be well-educated.
The Zen Monks weren't just hobos or bums in ancient times, nor are they now.
The Monks who were from poor families spent years studying with the Zen
Masters (who were well educated) and though they may have gone among the
common folk and acted like rubes, they were not dummies. In modern times,
nearly every Zen Monk is a college graduate or Ph.D. or other doctorate.
These guys/gals love earthy country-folk sayings, but they have deep
backgrounds and education.
So I humbly believe that in order for this list to even be considered on the
perimeter road of any kind of authentic Zen, we need to actually refer to,
read, think about, and discuss our ideas in the context of what real Zen
Masters, etc. had to say. Otherwise, why call in the Zen Forum?
You really should consider joining the Street Fighting Zen group because you
can explore anything you want. It encompasses the idea that Zen is whatever
you want it to be. It is for the person who is interested in Zen but does
not have the time to read, study, meditate, take a class, go to a Zen
Center, etc.
Current Book Discussion: Appreciate Your Life by Taizan Maezumi Roshi
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