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The Blue Cliff Record?
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The blue cliff records has some expressions like that, specially this translation of it: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cliff-Record-Thomas-Cleary/dp/159030232X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532789492&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+cliff+records+cleary
It's maybe not yet destroyed but never wasn't already not destroyed.
> JuZi > > Saw? Orange? Sentence?
Zen Master JuZi.
Ever redd the Blue Cliff Record?
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cliff-Record-Thomas-Cleary/dp/159030232X
> I used to practice zen
You didn’t. What you did was some mind relaxation to not lose your cool.
If you’re interested in zen, I recommend you to dive deeper into the topic.
Would it help you with your housemate problem? Oh boy, you have no idea what’s waiting for ya :D
1. Blue Cliff Record by the Cleary brothers.
The preface will provide you a good introduction to the history of zen. Plus, insights into the lineage of the masters.
This book is actually a collection of koans. But my advice is: Don't jump into cold water. Make yourself familiar with the background first (preface's).
2. Zen Essence by Thomas Cleary.
Cleary provides quotes/ sayings from the masters referring to “topics” or “questions”, like “Zen Teaching?”, “Basis of Zen?”, “Summary of Zen Practice?”.
I think this approach is very helpful for people who want to get introduced to Zen, in terms of “What the hell is this shit about?” -- good guy Thomas Cleary!
3. Gateless Gate by Robert Aiken.
This is rather a workbook for the practitioner than literature regarding zen.
I haven’t read the book I’ve linked to, but in my opinion, starting with the Mumonkan without any notes or comments from contemporary scholars/ students/ teachers/ translators is not the right approach. Use the commentaries from Aitken only as an orientation or a hint. The meaning itself has to be found by you!
My advice:
Don’t ask for a definition in this forum, before you’ve got familiar with the literature from some actual scholars.
1. Blue Cliff Record by the Cleary brothers.
The preface will provide you a good introduction to the history of zen. Plus, insights into the lineage of the masters.
EDIT: This book is actually a collection of koans. But my advice is: Don't jump into cold water. Makes yourself familiar with the background first (preface's).
2. Zen Essence by Thomas Cleary.
Cleary provides quotes/ sayings from the masters referring to “topics” or “questions”, like “Zen Teaching?”, “Basis of Zen?”, “Summary of Zen Practice?”.
I think this approach is very helpful for people who want to get introduced to Zen, in terms of “What the hell is this shit about?” -- good guy Thomas Cleary!
by Robert Aitken.
As recommended in another comment, I would recommend to read it, too. But it’s rather a workbook for the practitioner than literature regarding zen.
I haven’t read the book I’ve linked to, but in my opinion, starting with the Mumonkan without any notes or comments from contemporary scholars/ students/ teachers/ translators is not the right approach. Use the commentaries from Aitken only as an orientation or hint. The meaning itself has to be found by you!
> Zen is in fact a subset of the Mahayana school
Ofcourse, yes.
> What is it that distinguishes the Zen from the Mahayana schools of Buddhism aside from the geography of their origins?
The various sects of Buddhism have the same goal but differ in the Upayas.
IME, Zen practitioners tend not to describe but just demonstrate Dharma. (i.e., They preach Dharma by practicing it as opposed to talking about it). Note: Since I am describing stuff here, some may consider that I am not a Chan practitioner (which is true).
The core of Zen is to point to (or always return to) one's mind / heart. This is best captured in Case 41 of Mumonkan: Bodhidharma's Mind-Pacifying
> Bodhidharma sat facing the wall.
> The Second Patriarch stood in the snow.
> He cut off his arm and presented it to Bodhidharma, crying, "My mind has no peace as yet! I beg you, master, please pacify my mind!"
> "Bring your mind here and I will pacify it for you," replied Bodhidharma.
> "I have searched for my mind, and I cannot take hold of it," said the Second Patriarch.
> "Now your mind is pacified," said Bodhidharma.
So, what is the nature of this mind?
> Am I right in believing that Zen has a more metaphorical stance on the bodhisattva vows?
Platform Sutra (p. 22-23) of Huineng (the 6th patriarch of Zen) says:
> "Now that you have already taken refuge in the threefold body of Buddha, I shall expound to you the four great vows. Good friends, recite in unison what I say:
> 1. 'I vow to save all sentient beings everywhere. > 2. I vow to cut off all the passions everywhere. > 3. I vow to study all the Buddhist teachings everywhere. > 4. I vow to achieve the unsurpassed Buddha Way.' (Recite three times.)
> Good friends, when I say
> 1. 'I vow to save all sentient beings every- where,' it is not that I will save you, but that sentient beings, each with their own natures, must save themselves. What is meant by 'saving yourselves with your own natures'? Despite heterodox views, passions, ignorance, and delusions, in your own physical bodies you have in your- selves the attributes of inherent enlightenment, so that with correct views you can be saved. If you are awakened to correct views, the wis- dom of prajna will wipe away ignorance and delusion, and you all will save yourselves. If false views come, with correct views you will be saved; if delusion comes, with awakening you will be saved; if igno- rance comes, with wisdom you will be saved; if evil comes, with good you will be saved; if the passions come, with bodhi you will be saved. Being saved in this way is known as true salvation.
> 2. " 'I vow to cut off all the passions everywhere' is, with your own minds to cast aside the unreal and the false.
> 3. 'I vow to study all the Buddhist teachings everywhere' is to study the unsurpassed true Dharma.
> 4. 'I vow to achieve the unsurpassed Buddha Way' is always to act humbly, to practice reverence for all things, to separate oneself from erroneous attachments, and to awaken to the wisdom of prajna. When delusions are cast aside you are self-enlightened, achieve the Buddha Way, and put into practice the power of the vows.
The right way to practice any form of Buddhism (including Zen) is to focus on (one's own) Mind. The qualities of the mind that you should cultivate is best summarized by Prajnaparamita. See also The Ten Perfections: A Study Guide.
Always remember the following verses of Dhammapada:
> Phenomena are preceded by the heart, ruled by the heart, made of the heart. If you speak or act with a corrupted heart, then suffering follows you — as the wheel of the cart, the track of the ox that pulls it.
> Phenomena are preceded by the heart, ruled by the heart, made of the heart. If you speak or act with a calm, bright heart, then happiness follows you, like a shadow that never leaves.
> The non-doing of any evil, the performance of what's skillful, the cleansing of one's own mind: this is the teaching of the Awakened.
You may also want to think about what Prajna-Paramita-Hrdaya Sutra says here:
> When Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practised the profound Prajna-paramita, he investigated and perceived that the five aggregates (khandhas) were non-existent thus securing his deliverance from all distress and sufferings.
Guanyin Guanyin Guanshiyin further says
> Turn the Light Around and Contemplate at Ease
> This line from the Heart Sutra speaks of Guanshiyin (whose name in Sanskrit is Avalokiteshvara) Bodhisattva, who realized perfect penetration by means of the faculty of hearing.
> He "turned the hearing back to listen to his own nature, so his nature attained the unsurpassed Way." To turn the hearing back means to "turn the light around and reflect within," and to "investigate." If you investigate, you will discover an inconceivable state. I cannot describe this state to you; if you want to taste its flavor, you have to work at your own practice.
Chan folks rely on Hua-t’ou: A Method of Zen Meditation. According to the author of Mindfulness in Plain English
> Within the Buddhist tradition, concentration is also highly valued. But a new element is added and more highly stressed. That element is awareness. All Buddhist meditation aims at the development of awareness, using concentration as a tool. The Buddhist tradition is very wide, however, and there are several diverse routes to this goal.
> Zen meditation uses two separate tacks.
> 1. The first is the direct plunge into awareness by sheer force of will. You sit down and you just sit, meaning that you toss out of your mind everything except pure awareness of sitting. This sounds very simple. It is not. A brief trial will demonstrate just how difficult it really is.
> 2. The second Zen approach used in the Rinzai school is that of tricking the mind out of conscious thought and into pure awareness. This is done by giving the student an unsolvable riddle which he must solve anyway, and by placing him in a horrendous training situation. Since he cannot flee from the pain of the situation, he must flee into a pure experience of the moment. There is nowhere else to go. Zen is tough. It is effective for many people, but it is really tough.
The following three texts are used for Koan practice.
- The Gateless Gate 無門關
- Amazon.com: The Blue Cliff Record (9781590302323): Thomas Cleary, J.C. Cleary: Books
- Amazon.com: Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues (9781590302491): Thomas Cleary: Books
Some good resources for you to start with (in no particular order) in addition to those mentioned above:
- Kalavinka Press
- Charles Luk's Translations - Richard Hunn Association for Ch'an Study (UK)
- Zen Masters and Disciples. I recommend books by 南怀瑾 Nan Huaijin (1918-2012), aka Nan Huai-Chin
- thezensite:ZenBooksReadingList
- BuddhaNet eBooks: Mahayana Text & Teachings
- City of 10,000 Buddhas - Buddhadharma
- Mahayana Buddhist Sutras
- Index of Buddhist e-books Collections - Mahayana: archive.org
Suggestions from /r/zen:
Note: /r/zen is mostly in to "secular zen" (aka "Zen devoid of Buddhism") and is very critical of folks that identify themselves as buddhists. (Very recently, they removed the word "Buddhism" from their sidebar. The Reality is that all participants, save for selected few, considered this stance acceptable) /r/chan is pro-buddhist. You can also look at /r/koans/. /r/soto is as good as dead.
Pick and choose what sails your boat. Once the choice is made, stick with the boat.
The goal of Buddhism is liberate oneself from falling a prey to (habitual) behaviours dictated by likes & dislikes and strive to act in accordance with Wisdom and Compassion (under all circumstances).
Speaking of "habitual tendencies" (See asava) you may want to think about "apply the skill of reversing your hearing" mentioned above and praised in The Shurangama Sutra
Yaunwu lectured and provided commentary for The Blue Cliff Record. He was a Zen master from the Linji school, and was the teacher of Dahui.
>Blue Cliff Record by Yuanwu, Cleary trans.
>Case 96, Yuanwu's instruction (fragment)
>
>> Have you not seen how Master Shou Ch'u of Tung Shan > had a verse which he showed his community, saying, > > > Atop Mount Wu T'ai, clouds are steaming rice;
I smell the rice. > > > > In front of the Ancient Buddha Hall, a dog is pissing > > skyward. > > > > Frying cakes atop the flagpole, > > > > Three monkeys pitch pennies in the night.
Of sky-pissing, flagpoles and monkeys, I know nothing.
>ewk ^bk note ^txt - If you let this poem pass through you unhindered, is that a "practice"?
Why not? But, perhaps you have a bit to snack on as well?
>If you ferret out the symbolism of it until you can lecture on it in a hall full of monks, is that a "practice"?
So I've heard tea can go bitter if steeped to long. Has this happened to you?
>Setting that aside, what can you say about it?
Its one of those movies you have to get into a bit. Just give it till halfway. If its still not funny we will watch something else.
a collection of 100 kōans compiled in 1125 by Yuanwu Keqin
> But the college you went to and the degrees you hold does not justify the cultural appropriation and westernized white-washing that is common for certain secularized adopters of Zen Buddhist practices.
You bring up a couple interesting points:
1. As to "degrees and college", that could equally apply to "dharma transmission" and "ecclesiastical titles."
2. As to "cultural appropriation", maybe if you would consider this different ("secular") point of view, you might consider that cultural appropriation is exactly what happened with the establishment of Zen in Japan.
3. As to "cultural appropriation" again, the application of the notion is interesting/problematic given the fact that the Zen Masters essentially admit to "appropriating" Zen from India.
> This may not be the author’s intentions, but to examine a culture that is not your own, deem a large portion of its practitioners as “cultish” and then profit off of your own interpretation of their faith is the very height of cultural appropriation.
This is what r/zen is accused of regularly.
This is what Japanese appropriation of Zen was (IMO).
When HuangBo said, "practice is meaningless" and Dogen said, "nuh-uh dawg, practice is actually essential, thanks for the lineage" that was "appropriation."
Zen is free for all because it comes from nothing, so it can't really be appropriated. Anyone who says "do this to get Zen" is trying to appropriate that freedom.
I was joking about Cleary's academic credentials, though ... relax.
My suggestion is to maybe consider his point of view instead of dogmatically rejecting it because it doesn't jive with what religious people told you Zen was.
If you like Zen, why not read the two books ([1]^(()^(Amazon Link)^) ; [2]^(()^(Amazon Link)^) ) written by actual Zen Masters--some of the original ones in fact--so that you have a rationale basis for who is appropriating who?
I mean, really: "why not"; right?
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