as my first teacher would say in the intro to Zen talks, Traditional Zen had been around a long time and had the kinks worked out of the system. It is not perfect but it is fairly dependable. On Nov 18, 2012 8:41 AM, "Joe" <desert_woodwor...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 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 > > > >
