Zen Talking

Zen Talking

By ewkSociety & CultureReligion & SpiritualityPhilosophyBuddhism
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Zen Talking episodes

  • 2-2-24 / Miaozong's view of Nanquan / jeowy

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1ah5tig/17_retire_from_office_miaozongs_verses_translated/

    Post Summary: Discussion of the translation of a Case from Miaozong's book of instruction

    Zen Teaching: Zen Master Miaozong's book of instructional verse

    Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    40 min
  • 1-26-24 / Lying about Early Zen / Thatkir

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/19ev1cg/tracing_the_early_zen_school_continued/

    Post Summary:

    Zen Teaching:

    Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    40 min
  • 1-24-24 Layman Pang Fasting to Death - Jeowy

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/19egf6r/layman_pang_fasted_to_death/

    Post Summary:

    On another day, Tan-hsia came to visit the Layman. As he entered the gateway they saw each other and Tan-hsia asked, "Is the Layman here or not?"!

    The Layman said, "He died of starvation while fasting."

    Tan-hsia said, "Well, is old man P'ang here or not?"

    The Layman said, "Oh my god! Oh my god!" and he went into his house.

    Tan-hsia said, "Oh my god! Oh my god!" and left.

    Zen Teaching: Green's trans. Of Layman Pang

    Post Cast Overview: Life and Death, System of thought vs Zen, Back in the day in China vs the Internet, Emotional stakes, Honesty

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    40 min
  • 2-21 / Wumen's Case 15 // Astro

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1av66kq/do_trees_deserve_a_beating/

    Post Summary: All about Case 15, where Shochou says where he spent his summer and Yunmen says he should be viciously beaten for it.

    Zen Teaching:http://home.pon.net/wildrose/gateless-15.htm

    Post Cast Overview: We go through the Case, the lecture, and then the instructional verse (there is a 1 min loss around min14, but that's it).

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    51 min
  • 1-19-24 Justifiably Angry - koancomentator

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/s/HwDWUnQFh9

    Post Summary: Yunmen once seized his staff, banged it on the seat and said,

    "All sounds are the Buddha's voice, and all forms are the Buddha's shape. Yet when you hold your bowl and eat your food, you hold a 'bowl-view'; when you walk, you hold a 'walk-view'; and when you sit you have a 'sit-view.' The whole bunch of you behaves this way!"

    The Master took his staff and drove them all away at once.

    Zen Teaching: Yunmen aka Ummon, trans. App

    Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    40 min
  • 1-16-24 Zen vs Normies – jeowy

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/196hqs7/zen_hopefuls_faith_in_teachings_vs_normies_trust/

    Post Summary: A while ago ewk gave a description of the difference between trust and faith that stuck with me and has influenced my thinking quite a bit ever since. To paraphrase:

    • faith can ignore evidence in favour of confidence in a given principle. that apparent confidence is seen as a worthwhile end in its own right.

    • trust can test endlessly, having no preference that any given principle is true or false. there's no question of 'i'd rather not have this information.'

    Zen Teaching: A little Layman Pang, a lot of Dongshan (because I say so)

    Post Cast Overview: We started with people who hate Zen actually spend more time hating online than studying what they claim they believe, and we ended up talking about cooking and how following the recipe can be like following the bird path (what? How?)

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    40 min
  • 10-24 What is a Zen text? Thatkir

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/192cmi1/what_are_some_fundamental_texts_to_read_the_less/

    Post Summary: What is a Zen text? Where are the sutras?

    Zen Teaching:

    Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    40 min
  • 1-7-24 / First Zen Precept / Koancommentator

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/s/mO9j80BU2v

    Post Summary: ewk claims to have derived Zen precepts algorythmically, chaos ensues.

    1st Zen Precept: No Nest, No Tracks Having no nest means not preferring some particular set of faith-based principles, not insisting on only one answer or formula, not clinging or attaching to any set of beliefs, values, or ideologies. Leaving no tracks means not giving people something to follow. Leaving no tracks means no method, no practice, no instruction-that-transmits. Zen Masters talk about leaving no tracks in order to remind people that Zen isn't about being a follower. In Wansong's book of Zen instruction, Book of Serenity, there is a reference to Zhaozhou's answers to the question of that dog having the Buddha nature 9 ; Zhaozhou says no, and then later yes. Wansong points out if you take either side you have a problem: "[Wansong's Instructive Commentary]: If you say a dog's buddha-nature surely exists, afterwards he said 'no'—if it surely does not exist, still previously he said 'yes'. And if you say that to say 'yes' or 'no' is just a temporary response spoken according to the situation, in each there is some reason. That is why it is said that someone with clear eyes has no nest." (Zen Master Wansong, 2005, Case 18)

    Zen Teaching: Wansong, for example Book of Serenity, Cleary trans.

    Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    40 min
  • 1-5-24 Wumen's Checkpoint Case 10, Qingshui Drinks Too Much - Astro

    r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

    Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/18rkcoe/poor_helpless_and_drunk/

    Post Summary: It's about this.

    Zen Teaching:

    The Gateless Checkpoint of the Zen Lineage

    Chan Zong Wumen Guan (J. Mumonkan)

    禅宗無門關

    By Wumen Huikai (1183-1260, J. Mumon Ekai) Translated by Gregory Wonderwheel © 2007

    10. Qingshui is Orphaned and Poor

    Venerable Caoshan: because a monk said the question, "Quingshui is orphaned and poor. I beg, the master to give alms to aid."

    Shan said, "Shui practices*."

    Shui agreed.

    Shan said, "You have drunk and finished three cups of wine from the Clear House of Qingyuan (the source of Qing), yet [MM 20] you say you have not moistened your lips."

    Wumen's Lecture: Qingshui donated his function; what was the business of his heart-mind? Caoshan possessed a deep eye to discern function. So although it was thus, just say what is within "Shui practices" that deals with drinking wine?

    Wumen's Explanatory Verse:

    Poor like Fandan,

    Spirit like Xiangyu;

    Although without a plan of work,

    He dares to participate and struggle for wealth.

    Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

    Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

    21 min

About Zen Talking

From the publisher's feed

Zen is a tradition from India that passed into China. Zen culture is based on the Five Lay Precepts, the Four Statements of Zen, and Zen's only practice: Public Interview, which is where we get Zen koans.