Zen Talking

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

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/18pv108/christmas_eve_message_buddha_was_cured/

Post Summary: I am going to mix in lots of weird ingredients, but keep in mind that Zen Masters teach

Zen Master Buddha was cured

In fact, that is the only possible interpretation of the Buddha myth. He is born, gets up from under the tree, and says IN ALL OF HEAVEN AND ACROSS THE FACE OF THE EARTH, I'M THE ONE CURED.

Now I certainly don't want anyone to believe in him, take his word for it, or trust me on this. But there is no question that this was the essential nature of his experience.

And now... on to Christmas Party! And drugs, meditation, Arnold, and the Father of Christmas!

Zen Teaching: Foyan's lectures, trans by Cleary under the title "Instant Zen"

Post Cast Overview:

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

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

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/18emajv/ama_usedsuggestion4412/

Post Summary: Foyan's Independence and Freedom passage was the first thing I read in Zen that blew me away. Without thinking, I wrote it down to memorize it and then for several days, I reread it in my mind, contemplating what it meant.

Zen Teaching: Foyan's record, published under the title Instant Zen, Cleary trans.

Post Cast Overview:

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

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

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/18ebx91/real_life_zen_versus_church/

Post Summary: Zen Masters either quitting or joining and what is "real life" experience

Zen Teaching: Xuefeng, Huineng, Yuanwu

Post Cast Overview: What rules are there? What is work? Which kinds of work are real? The individual in the real world vs academic/monastic worlds. Person vs social norms.

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

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

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/18bw9aw/wash_the_bowl/

Post Summary:

Zen Teaching:

Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

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

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

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/18cqim5/disagreeing_with_zen_masters/

Post Summary: Is there any disagreement in Zen?

Zen Teaching: Though Ch'ang Ch'ing, Hsuan Sha, and Yun Men can handle the snake, they don't see. After all Hsueh Tou says, "Right now it's hidden here on Ju Peak; those who come, one by one observe expedient methods." Hsueh Tou is still too subtle; he doesn't say, "Use it right away," but instead shouted loudly and said, "Look right under your feet!" Since ancient times how many people have picked up the snake and played with it? Tell me, has the snake ever wounded anyone or not?

Then the Master Yuan Wu struck.

Post Cast Overview: Disagreement requires understanding

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

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

Reddit Post: https://us05web.zoom.us/j/81001943417?pwd=irT8pNwTANzHtVdhMb86VMprkU97DA.1

Post Summary: Buddha

Zen Teaching:

Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

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

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

Reddit Post:

Post Summary:

Zen Teaching:

Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

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

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

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/17hzyof/wansong_big_contributor_to_the_conversation_about/

Post Summary: Consider this passage from BoS:

Commentary: Chan Master Benji of Caoshan in Fu province was also named Tanzhang--this must be an honorific title or a posthumous name. When he first left Dongshan, he went to Caoqi and paid reverence to the monument of the Sixth Patriarch . Then he went back to Jishui in Ji province. The people there respected his fame and eventually asked him to start teaching there: to emulate Caoqi, wherever he lived the master named the place Cao. The school of Dongshan became most flourishing with Caoshan; therefore it was called Cao-Dong. Caoshan asked elder De, " ' The true reality-body of buddhas is like space; it manifests from in response to beings, like the moon in the water'--how do you explain the principle of response?" These lines extolling the Buddha originally come from the old version of Golden Light Scripture.

Ask anybody, this is graduate school level writing. And remember, Wansong is writing this as commentary on a book written by another Zen Master; that's right, Wansong is annotating first and foremost.

Zen Teaching: Wansong's book of Zen instruction Book of Serenity trans by Cleary, a modern Soto Zen Bible

Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

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

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

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

Reddit Post:

Post Summary:Bodhidharma has no beard?

Zen Teaching: trans by Wonderwheel: home.pon.net/wildrose/gateless-4.htm

4. Mr. Barbarian Without a Beard

[MM 14]

Huoan said, "Mr. Barbarian from the Western Heaven, why do you have no beard?"

Wumen Says: Meeting must be real meeting, awakening must be real awakening. (Alt. Meeting the beard is real meeting, realizing the beard is real realization.) Those who would encounter the barbarian son must see his beard intimately first hand one time and only then they get it. But, if you speak about being intimate, you have already become two.

The Ode Says:

Before the face of a foolish person

You shouldn't tell your dream,

"Mr. Barbarian is beardless"

Is mouthing wakefulness.

Post Cast Overview: (under construction)

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

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

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/17bwohk/whats_at_stake_the_set_of_good_the_set_of_bad/

Post Summary: Don't seek Buddha, don't seek the teaching, don't seek the community, and so forth; don't seek virtue and knowledge, intellectual understanding and so forth. When feelings of defilement and purity are ended, still don't hold to this non-seeking and consider it right - do not dwell at the point of ending, and do not long for heavens or fear hells. When you are unhindered by bondage or freedom, then this is called liberation of mind and body in all places.

Zen Teaching: Soto Zen Patriarch Dongshan, among others

Post Cast Overview: Goodbad problems: (1) people who say good/bad with no formula for it, (2) people who say everything is relative, so there is no contextual good/bad, (3) People who say that good/bad doesn't exist for them, but can't walk the walk. A world of Zen Masters. Zen Master for president.