/zen/ -

Can non-christians really appreciate antisemitism as it should be?

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>>74

Thread author here. Sorry if you are patiently waiting for this thread to resume.

It might, and it might not.

I don't always finish what I start, and I made no promises. (I believe I mentioned in another thread that I would write about these koans "if I had the time".)

>>38

Of course a dog has buddha-nature, all beings do.

>bunch of smart words

>>81

I like the samoan proverb

The deaf hears when he is tapped.

Drip a drop of ink on a paper.

Where did the drop go?

It's there, on the paper.

Drip a drop of ink in a glass of water.

Pour the whole glass over a paper.

Where did the drop go?

Even after our form is long gone and forgotten, we have still sown our small existence into the history of the universe.

Our consciousness will die, but our consequences spread out far and wide.

>>37

Say hello to my friend: the Second Noble Truth that says "suffering arises from desire."

If you start with "I doubt people can reach much enlightenment in this way" – if you desire enlightenment, you're in the wrong path.

Wouldn't you rather take a path where you already have enlightenment?

>>69

woah intereting thought nice

>>67

>"Understanding" is just an illusion.

*Really* now? Then that would mean that *enlightenment* is just an illusion.

This is what I mean with "new age rubbish": Pipe logic. Hearing that a lot of concepts are mere illusions, and then going "Ooh, it's all just one big illusion! I understand!". It's like if a hippie would learn about jet engines, and go "Ooh! So what you're saying is that we can all fly anywhere, with the power of our minds!".

…and this is certainly not the first time when new age has resurrected something old, and then repackaged it into something cheap that can be sold to gullible audiences.

However, it is not just turning stupidity into a religion, but it is also a logical fallacy:

1. You can't understand that there's nothing to be understood, because then you have understood something.

2. There is no proof that anybody claiming to have searched anywhere and found nothing to understand, simply aren't self-confident idiots.

Claiming that there is nothing to understand, goes against every single enlightenment and all teachings.

With "god" I mean "enlightened", "a buddha".

>>69

Nice troll logic.

1. The Second Noble Truth doesn't say that *all* "desires" cause suffering. The desires in question are strong emotional attachments, not simple motivations.

2. Saying that people who desire enlightenment are on the wrong path, is like saying that people who don't know geophysics shouldn't study geophysics, because not knowing geophysics "is being on the wrong path".

3. …and yes, I would rather take a path where I already have enlightenment. However, it has to be *actual* enlightenment. Not just a made-up term for a made-up quality so that I can feel better about myself. …and unless you happen to be in actual Nirvana right now, that means that you will have to actually learn something.

I talked to a Sikh who explained the illusion thing nicely . he said it isn't the world, things or people or emotions that are illusions but the incorrecr values we ascribe to them . we tend to overvalue unimportant stuff and undervalue important stuff. The illusion is this mismatch of values we ascribe to the world.

Desire itself is not bad or illusory when its aimed appropriately. Like the desire to be compassionate and patient… Etc

>>71

It's definitely much harder to meaningfully meditate without something repetitive to focus on although I do it anyway.

I'm not sure how much good I get out of it.

>>3

Probably because he WAS a degenerate, smelly alcoholic AS WELL.

>>5

Yes, you apparently do, and it is people who want answers to ignorant, stupid questions, that zen masters routinely lure into dark alleyways and whack senseless with long staffs.

>>21

>Why did Bodhidharma's first pupil in China have to cut his arm to prove his fervor for enlightenment?

I read that Eka did that all by his own accord, and if Buddha would have been completely enlightened, he wouldn't have accepted even that price. …but usually when somebody asks you for something, and proceeds to cut his own hand or arm off as a sacrifice if you refuse, you tend to go along with his wishes, lest you would be held responsible for him cutting off his own head next.

>>35

*and if Bodhidharma would have been completely enlightened

>>3

because he has diffrent morals and standards as you

he was happy no?

Check out my own translation:

>Dad's not been born

>Mom's not been born

>mfw

>>62

I agree.

Meditation - deep contemplation - can be used for honing your mindfulness skills, as well as for reaching enlightenment and ultimately Nirvana.

There are plenty of examples of people becoming enlightened outside meditation, because all it actually takes is a moment of realization. There are also other deep contemplation techniques than zazen (sitting meditation).

However, with western soto zen, a misconception has creeped in, where people claim that just sitting and emptying your head of all your thoughts, without understanding anything, will be enough for you to reach enlightenment, and that we are all buddhas without realizing it. This is dumb and wrong. Compare this to martial arts hoaxes where students break phony bricks with their fists.

>>2

I buy that Bodhidharma was european - possibly celtic or swedish. I drew that conclusion on my own.

However, I do not buy that an indian prince was from Europe, and I'm not wasting an hour to listen to such a ridiculous theory.