Zen Enlightenment: even the how-to is different from everything else

[u/ewk]

How to Zen Enlightenment

1. Keep the five lay precepts, including refusing recreational drugs and alcohol.
2. Study four statements of Zen teachings to understand direct seeing and pointing only to mind.
3. Practice Zen public interview where you test yourself by explaining in your own words

Doing Zen

One day Shitou told the assembly, “Tomorrow, clear away the grass in front of the Buddha hall.”

When the next day came, everyone in the assembly, including the postulants, prepared spades and hoes to clear the grass. Danxia alone filled a basin with water, washed his head, and knelt in the foreign manner before the reverend.

Shitou saw this and laughed. He then shaved his head and began to explain the precepts to him. Danxia covered his ears and went out.

Mind is the Buddha Hall.

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[u/WheresNorthFromHere7]

Thanks for this.

In these communities how did these people decided what was a test and what was just mow the damn grass ?

From that, since we have no Zen communities any longer, what is it to practice zen in the W.E.I.R.D. (Western, educated, industralized, rich, democratic) community?

I ask because it seems like it would be easier to get away with things in a small commune, than say interacting with a police officer who is giving you commands. Or trying to stay gainfully employed.

[u/ewk → u/WheresNorthFromHere7]

What passes away is not the tradition.

[u/WheresNorthFromHere7 → u/ewk]

I understand.

You can still do the first part of your post.

[u/ewk → u/WheresNorthFromHere7]

You can do all three.

[u/WheresNorthFromHere7 → u/ewk]

Right, that's what I meant.

[u/oo-_GreenSage_-oo]

Are you hy on potenuse?

[u/1acuna0 → u/[deleted]]

Good comment. Chopping off fingers isn't part of a moral code. Nor is bisecting cats.

[u/ewk → u/[deleted]]

Zen Masters disagree.

Please read the sidebar. Your religious claims are offtopic and dishonest.

[u/ewk → u/[deleted]]

Oh look... More insincerity.

Ignorance is poison.

[u/ewk → u/[deleted]]

You are lying about Zen because you want to promote some new age mysticism.

You don't have any observations. You just have make-believe.

Pretending there's no such specific thing as Zen culture is racism and religious bigotry.

[u/ewk → u/[deleted]]

Can't quote Zen Masters? Can't right at a high school level on topic? Get called out for making up stuff and pretending to be Zen masters said it?

Not a teacher? Not a student?

And it sounds like you're a new age predator who tries take advantage of noobs online.

Explains your account and history of misogyny.

[u/ewk → u/[deleted]]

You can't AMA and you can't write on topic at a high school level. Nobody is angry at you. You aren't a real person even to yourself.

[u/jeowy]

did danxia fear that having something explained to him would just make more grass in front of the buddha hall?

another zen master said "I'm only grateful that my former master did not explain things to me." 

but I'd think it'd be better to be able to hear people explaining whatever and not let it obstruct your buddha hall

[u/ewk → u/jeowy]

Don't graffiti all over the monument.

[u/jeowy → u/ewk]

is the monument in this case your post or my mind? 

[u/ewk → u/jeowy]

Always mind

[u/jeowy → u/ewk]

what's grafitti? who's putting in there? 

[u/ewk → u/jeowy]

The words of the precepts

[u/jeowy → u/ewk]

but they're only grafitti in this case because he already understands the precepts for himself right?

like if you've already been to Morocco, travel guides aimed at first time tourists to Morocco would come off as quite trite and banal. but if you've never been before it might get you excited to visit.

[u/ewk → u/jeowy]

I don't think so.

Zen masters don't really keep their precepts. They accidentally accord with the precepts.

[u/jeowy → u/ewk]

that's what I've always said and it makes people very angry with me

[u/ewk → u/jeowy]

Lol.

People like to be told what they want to hear. Most people do not want to be told the reasonable thing.

This probably varies by topic, but certainly in the West, where so much misinformation about Zen has been mixed together with Japanese Shinto Buddhism and mind expansion mysticism via LSD or meditation and Christian Humanism via Alan Watts, what people expect to be told about Zen is usually not the factual book report based truth.