Edgar, Old habits die hard, here. My first career was as a Philosopher. Socrates is still a pal. We go 'way back.
I turned to my avocation, though, and made a career in Science. This was because of my experience after I converted formally to Ch'an Buddhism: it changed by life and my desire about what to do with the mind, and the life of work ahead. I've had three careers in different but related specializations in Astronomy, working my way through the spectrum to progressively shorter wavelengths. There's more spectrum left but for the moment I am retired and concentrating on ham radio; and woodworking, making things for Ch'an and Zen Buddhist practice-places, and for teachers, you know. I practice Zen orthodoxy of the Lin Chi and T'sao Tung schools of Chinese Ch'an, and dedicate myself to promulgate and propagate it, yes; I've made that promise. Also practiced 25 years in a Zen center based on an American teacher's teaching who was heir to a Japanese line. I see the differences and the similarities. This is good, because neither one nor the other of the old-country schools seems "just right" for, say, America, but what is "just right" is changing here, etc., all the time, too. What's right are the methods. The packaging and wrappers can be changed gradually for our stainless steel market shelves. Zen Orthodoxy -- what in America in the 1950s was so totally new and exciting! -- has done me and others no wrong (unlike Buji-Zennists, and those who deprecate practice for themselves and others). What makes me laugh -- and cry -- are those who would change established practice and practices who have not yet practiced them deeply, and then try to diminish others for actually having genuine experience and trying to give Zen a push in the public mind while never, ever, misrepresenting it. Many of them are drug-addled, and have not once ever tasted (natural) samadhi, much less its sudden break-up in Awakening, which is the elementary gate of Zen, and where/when a lifetime of zen practice only BEGINS. Zen practice will evolve in the West, and is doing so, and it will adapt to a non-monastic model. This is new! This is what we are about, now. The original "orthodox" will evolve to become our orthodox: will you still squeal, then, Edgar? I predict Yes. Slackers cry even with a loaf of bread under their arm; they just don't know how to sit down and eat. Meanwhile... You pls. do your part; I'll do mine. --Joe PS Senator, I knew Jack Socrates; Jack Socrates was a friend of mine; Senator, you're no Jack Socrates. > Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote: > > You a Socratic gadfly? Come on Joe, that's the role I play here. You on the > other hand represent conformity and acceptance of the Zen orthodoxy... ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: zen_forum-dig...@yahoogroups.com zen_forum-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: zen_forum-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/