thank you for your insight, i will take it in consideration. Mack
--- In [email protected], "Spider63" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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 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/
