Willy, can't you do better than this?
It is full of the usual generalizing platitudes and says nothing about the approaches of Soto and Rinzai, much less about Mo-Zhao versus Kung-An practice. You don't even explain the differences. Actual practitioners of sitting-zen (zazen) seem to find a parallel between the two forms of practice. Why can't you? .. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "richardjwilliamstexas" <willytex@...> wrote: > > > > Bob Price: > > In all those years with Paul Reps in Kyoto and all > > that "What is Mu" music I've never had such clarity. > > > Apparently we are on the same path, Bob! > > After 'just sitting' with Suzuki for some time and > alowing my mantra to come of it's own accord I began > to realize that 'just sitting' without the mantra > would really be 'dead sitting' and THAT is what > prompted me to try the Rinzai Zen approach with Paul > Reps. > > It may be that Dogen Kigen got caught in the infinte > regress you mention for he is VERY wordy. Soto Zen > style is the epitome of 'control techniques' as you > may know, so I was somewhat surprised at the almost > opposite approach of Rinzai Zen. > > So, I attended the Zendo of one Samuel L. Lewis on > Precita Avenue in San Francisco for some time. Lewis > was a desciple of the Zen Master Nyogen Sensaki, who > opened the first official Rinzai Zendo in the U.S. > and was the first Zen Master to live in the United > States for any length of time. > > Apparently, Nyogen Sensaki had empowered both Lewis > and Paul Reps to teach Rinzai Zen. Reps collaborated > with Sensaki to produce the book 'Zen Flesh. Zen > Bones'. > > Lewis was adamantly opposed to the Soto Zen approach > of Shunryo Suzuki. I can remember countless hours at > the Rinzai Zendo listening to Reps and Lewis reviewing > the koans and listerning to the 101 Zen stories form > the Blue Cliff Record and adding his purport. We > often met on Alan Watt's houseboat 'The Vallejo' for > 'sesshin.' > > Read more: > > 'Centering: The Supreme Awakening' > http://www.rwilliams.us/archives/centering.htm > > Excerpt from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: > > 7. Devi, imagine the Sanskrit letters in these honey-filled > foci of awareness, first as letters, then more subtly as sounds, > then as most subtle feeling. Then, leaving them aside, be free. > > 14. Bathe in the center of sound, as in the continuous sound of > a waterfall. Or, by putting fingers in ears, hear the sound of sounds. > > 19. Intone a sound audibly, then less and less audible as feeling > deepens into this silent harmony. > > From 'Centering' > Translations of Bhairava Tantra > by Swami Lakshmanjoo > 'Zen Flesh, Zen Bones' > by Nyogen Sensaki and Paul Reps >
