tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.comments2023-09-19T10:07:03.906-04:00Original MindUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger401125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-72405293036857206562020-01-04T10:24:17.673-05:002020-01-04T10:24:17.673-05:00Great post, Andre!
For the last four years specia...Great post, Andre!<br /><br />For the last four years specially I’ve also felt this intense emptiness, or “hole within one’s being”, as if there’s something lacking. The song Zero by imagine dragons seems to reflect this collective “pursuit” of going beyond what’s right here.Diego Arzolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12252309417098499061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-19618518557773033082019-12-29T14:12:32.545-05:002019-12-29T14:12:32.545-05:00Glad to find out he was in what's now called c...Glad to find out he was in what's now called chengdu.as most zen masters were from northeast chinaChanchanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794142101847120258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-50680921050058550182017-01-30T18:15:55.331-05:002017-01-30T18:15:55.331-05:00Thanks for listening!
Thanks for listening!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15848060825299066420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-76851099229568826382016-09-02T18:04:05.505-04:002016-09-02T18:04:05.505-04:00I think that the post is critical more than derisi...I think that the post is critical more than derisive. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15848060825299066420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-75311882962207895752016-08-31T21:13:15.704-04:002016-08-31T21:13:15.704-04:00Is that a compassionate response?? Or derision?Is that a compassionate response?? Or derision?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-25021268328687765852016-08-30T07:51:03.817-04:002016-08-30T07:51:03.817-04:00I find that all of the Buddhist magazines are of t...I find that all of the Buddhist magazines are of the same quality--heavy with advertisements, promotions, and chatter. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15848060825299066420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-17808772289506396612016-08-29T21:27:20.722-04:002016-08-29T21:27:20.722-04:00Is Tricycle any good?Is Tricycle any good?infidelcastratohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13069440033326058254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-29069337498507177542016-08-29T17:51:23.804-04:002016-08-29T17:51:23.804-04:00So instead of the old "Bedstand Buddhists&quo...So instead of the old "Bedstand Buddhists" who have a stack of dharma books on their nightstand, the intended audience would be "coffee table" Buddhists, eh? Greg Milnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05012119882248501450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-3251742965610532112016-08-13T19:05:29.823-04:002016-08-13T19:05:29.823-04:00Great post. I find myself doing the same exact thi...Great post. I find myself doing the same exact thing all the time. I have to say, it's real helpful to talk about the [supposedly] littler things like this once in a while instead of the usual broad strokes of peace, awareness, and nonduality all the time. Thanks for itRoberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03781629107450564660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-63629449963601465132016-08-11T20:46:21.880-04:002016-08-11T20:46:21.880-04:00It is about time, keep doing this.It is about time, keep doing this.Wonji Dharmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14388857704848706296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-41459288157913607962016-07-18T22:54:17.503-04:002016-07-18T22:54:17.503-04:00Great post! This has been weighing on my mind, as ...Great post! This has been weighing on my mind, as I've spent the last few years going back and forth, from Buddhism to Christianity to Athiesm and back again. Fear and overthinking of the unknown get me every time. But there's something so simple yet so compelling about Buddhism that brings me back again and again.I am really hoping to attend zazen in Princeton soon!!starrymazedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15626846141516860459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-66263575630766327442016-07-07T04:48:47.936-04:002016-07-07T04:48:47.936-04:00I understand your point, but with weekly terrorist...I understand your point, but with weekly terrorist attacks in the news carried out by Muslims it's unrealistic for there to be no scrutiny of Islam. If we lived centuries ago when it was Christians who were the aggressors the focus would be different. BupSahn Sunimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06382676048345651422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-51848423537776666952016-07-07T04:43:04.878-04:002016-07-07T04:43:04.878-04:00Everything is a good teacher for those with the mi...Everything is a good teacher for those with the mind to learn (beginners mind). I took this message, inspired by you and wrote a poem: https://plus.google.com/+BupSahnJammin042/posts/QkqGx1T3xNWBupSahn Sunimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06382676048345651422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-41979171312982876092016-06-28T14:22:31.162-04:002016-06-28T14:22:31.162-04:00I refer to Bill Maher and Sam Harris as examples o...I refer to Bill Maher and Sam Harris as examples of the general anti-Muslim sentiment pervading Western nations. As an American living in a very liberal state, I am shocked and revolted at how wholesale discrimination against Muslims is tolerated. I can only imagine how aggressive this prejudice may be in other, less progressive and diverse, parts of the nation. <br /><br />While Sam Harris may be critical of Judaism and Christianity as well, I do not get the sense that they are under verbal attack the way that Islam is, especially Christianity. The presumptive Republican nominee for President of the U.S. advocates a form of religious profiling against Muslims. The other Abrahamic religions are not subject to that kind of Western mainstream attack in the 21st century. If Donald Trump is elected President--a real possibility, which speaks volumes about American anti-Muslim sentiment--America is likely to see attempts at legislation that could openly discriminate against Muslims in a way that Christians have never experienced in America. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15848060825299066420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-63328211107160097682016-06-28T13:26:45.164-04:002016-06-28T13:26:45.164-04:00I do not know about DT or BM but Sam Harris is ver...I do not know about DT or BM but Sam Harris is very specific about how and why some Islamic ideas are bad and others good and how it effects some people and not others and why. Your painting of Harris here rather misses the nuance of his position. Furthermore, to claim that "there [is no] condemnation of Christianity and Judaism" is just wrong. Have you listened to Sam Harris you'd know there is a comprehensive attack on Christianity and Judaism in the same way as there is in Islam. BupSahn Sunimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06382676048345651422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-60352630716866300622016-02-27T19:48:53.472-05:002016-02-27T19:48:53.472-05:00Maybe they enjoyed it because Kill Bill is a Buddh...Maybe they enjoyed it because Kill Bill is a Buddhist allegory.<br /><br />http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/blooming-lotus-redemption-and-spiritual-transformation-in-kill-billAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05448687427184585735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-57855380682203296552016-02-21T15:01:19.010-05:002016-02-21T15:01:19.010-05:00Kudos to Jonson for assembling this. Here's an...Kudos to Jonson for assembling this. Here's an audio link to the Heart Sutra in English that has migrated from Princeton to Wester Mass: <br />https://soundcloud.com/onemindzen/heart-sutra<br />Might just sound familiar. <br />Myeong Jin Eunsahn https://www.blogger.com/profile/10324409234993116264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-30194215284795524502015-07-04T17:48:28.379-04:002015-07-04T17:48:28.379-04:00Andre,
It is clearly important to you to not iden...Andre,<br /><br />It is clearly important to you to not identify as religious and you seemingly do not like "religion." But what is "religion?" What is it about your participation in Zen that makes your Zen irreligious, but makes mine religious? Along the lines of what Bup Sahn wrote, I wonder if you could've been more specific and less alienating by saying that what you oppose is irrationality and mythology (but perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying about mythology). I doubt that many people for whom being religious is important to them would recognize how you're referring to religion. It probably doesn't match up with what is significant to them about religion. Often in such discussions, I find that our use of the word "religion" says more about ourselves than it does about religion.<br /><br />You set up a binary between belief (religion, inferior, stuck) and reason (science, advantageous, revisable) in your comment above. But doesn't Zen, like many religions, provide us a method to directly experience suprarational knowledge? Reason can take us only so far. It is a powerful tool, but, like all tools, one with limits. But suprarational knowledge is grounded in direct experience, so it isn't about belief either.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />JonsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-44929917012887127642015-07-01T10:33:56.168-04:002015-07-01T10:33:56.168-04:00Bup Sahn,
Thanks for your comment. As a Western, ...Bup Sahn,<br /><br />Thanks for your comment. As a Western, science-minded person, I admit that my bias is grounded in empiricism and reason; and that I am critical of those who choose belief over reason.<br /><br />As far as thinking that my stance is superior, the advantage to rationality is that it allows for revision. Science, in its truest sense, is always subject to the footnote "until proven otherwise." Faith-based lifestyles are usually less flexible.<br />Also, I think that I made it clear that I was not elevating Zen above other traditions when I challenged the literalness of the Lankavatra, Avatamsaka, and other sutras.<br /><br />Personally, I do not consider the Zen that I practice to be a religion. Certainly there are individuals and segments within the Zen tradition who disagree. It depends on how one chooses to view, engage, and practice Zen that determines whether one sees Zen as a religion. The case can be made for either side, and I do not think that one is more correct than the other. I am not arguing that Zen is not a religion, simply that it not one for me.<br /><br />Best,<br />AndreAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15848060825299066420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-88989139360886523942015-07-01T05:38:35.080-04:002015-07-01T05:38:35.080-04:00I don't think religious people should be singl...I don't think religious people should be singled out here. Non-religious people are just as likely to become 'fundamentalist' as anyone else. It's just that they justify their fundementalism with a different set of biases. <br /><br />This being so, perhaps the article would better say: "stop arguing" or just "stop".<br /><br />Besides, writing on a religious blog (ie, Zen) about religious people but thinking your religion is superior offers something of a paradox or contradiction. BupSahn Sunimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06382676048345651422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-42346490050132247642015-03-21T02:51:57.817-04:002015-03-21T02:51:57.817-04:00_/\__/\_BupSahn Sunimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06382676048345651422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-53669276196565550022015-03-20T16:48:43.304-04:002015-03-20T16:48:43.304-04:00Consciousness is a composite thing - several track...Consciousness is a composite thing - several tracks fed into a mixing desk to create a sound-track, With meditation some of the sliders are moved around more easily than before. Sometimes we imagine a mind, sometimes not. Mind is what we see when some of the sliders are set very high. <br /><br />There is neither awareness nor non-awareness, instead the soundtrack is too rich to hear all of it. We hear little bits and we call that awareness, but we can choose a bit about what we hear. Right now I've got the heating up high and am relaxing. I've dialed up my awareness of body to more enjoy the warmth. I've dialed back on thoughts - no need for them here. The headaches are almost gone so thinking no longer hurts.<br /><br />Really there is just an old biped who wonders how he wonders and creates little stories about it. Fortunately he knows that it's nothing but endless stories so he doesn't take them seriously or worry about which story matters the most. The sun was warm today and that was nice. It felt good to be alive in the world. Another story as is "True Nature". They never end you see :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11421141715396355739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-17533675333476736692014-12-21T17:58:29.674-05:002014-12-21T17:58:29.674-05:00How about quantum physics? How about quantum physics? Everything Imaginable Podcasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660769539938272440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-54815668785221764872014-12-18T22:51:57.623-05:002014-12-18T22:51:57.623-05:00I believe a beautiful example of "right actio...I believe a beautiful example of "right action" was expressed this morning by the students in Peshawar who returned AFTER the Taliban had attacked their school to defy the violence, defy the fear, and demonstrate they loved education and peace MORE. These children are very brave teachers to me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02925198444130377740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7213937046537524165.post-34255577745891973742014-12-02T03:05:38.607-05:002014-12-02T03:05:38.607-05:00Some of you may enjoy this - a novel about a man t...Some of you may enjoy this - a novel about a man trying to live by Buddhist principles and not doing very well at it.<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Free-Time-Kyle-Orten-ebook/dp/B007CYQTZM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417507021&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=kyle+orten+free+timeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com