On 7/27/05, Bill Smart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > I must say I am confused here -- what would you say is the difference
> > between Zen practice and Dharma study?
>
> Your question is a good one and could be reconstituted into a very
> complex question: 'What is the relationship between Zen and
> Buddhism?'; or a very simple one: 'What is the difference between
> studying and practicing (doing). I started to write a long response
> to those unasked questions but reconsidered, so here is my answer to
> your question as asked:
>
> Everything you do could be considered Zen practice. I consider Dharma
> study to be a subset of Zen practice. So is zazen. So is taking out
> the garbage. A lot of people put great emphasis on Dharma study. I
> think too much emphasis. In my practice I have found zazen much more
> effective in the long term than Dharma study. Taking out the garbage
> has been very valuable for me also.
Bill, that was a smart reply (no pun intended!)
Here is my response:
Everything you do could be considered Dharma study. I consider Zen
practice to be a subset of Dharma study. So is taking out the garbage.
A lot of people put great emphasis on Zen practice. I think too much
emphasis. In my practice I have found Dharma study much more
effective in the long term than zazen. Taking out the garbage has
been very valuable for me also.
I don't mean to sound flippant here, Bill. Just trying to alert your
mind to the possibility of an alternate point of view.
Dharma is everything. The Buddha said that it is not his invention, it
is his discovery. It just is.
Zen and zazen are just forms of the particular application of the
Dharma study. They cannot possibly be greater than Dharma.
Current Book Discussion: Appreciate Your Life by Taizan Maezumi Roshi
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