--- In [email protected], "Bill!" <BillSmart@...> wrote: > > ED, > > I'm not saying that proselytizing is good or bad. It all depends on what you're selling.
What you appear to say is that to proselytize is good or bad to a buyer, dependent on what the seller is selling, and on the preferences of the buyer. This makes sense. > I just stated that from my experience the proseltizing associated with Zen Buddhism is from the Buddhist side, not the zen side. IMO, there is nothing 'wrong' with proselytizing. For instance, advertising is one form of proselytizing, and is a keystone of commerce. > Also there is a well-known credo in zen that a student will only ripen when he/she is ready. A teacher can't hasten that by proselitizing or marketing. It is a truism that a student will ripen at his own pace. The objective of proselytizing is to capture the seeker's interest in some specific belief system. To proselytize adults is not deemed to be illegal nor immoral in Western democracies. > I'll refer you back to all the zen stories, myths (and the parallel scene in FIGHT CLUB) where the would-be students are rejected time and time aqain, and only accepeted when the teacher is sure they are sincere and ready. This is the opposite of prosetising to me. > > ...Bill! It is quite usual for an aspirant to be vetted by the leader of a group to ensure the aspirant's compatibility with the values and objectives of the group. --ED
