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Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

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Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#111

Post by mathgenius »

Here is my own take on the Lao Tzu quote: ‘Those who know don’t say, and those who say don’t know.’

The introverts, they are the ones that go within and cut themselves off from the world. They are the ones getting "enlightened".

The extroverts, talking all the time and sounding important, barely know what is what.

These are two remarkably different ways of coping with the same problem: fear.

Seriously, the introverts need to find a way to talk, and the extroverts need to calm down and feel more.

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#112

Post by dschiptsov »

Oh, Zen.. Essentionaly, it is a trained via simple practices habbit of doing just one thing at a time and just doing it well, the state 'businesses coaches' selling to you as 'the flow'?)

The key to all esoteric teachings of the East is an approach from the premises of cognitive psychology and 'systemic view' of modern humqn physiology, discarding volumes by self-proclaimed western 'gurus'.

Then Yoga or Tai Chi Chuan or Zen will be as clear an ancient insights to our own nature (as a complex system made out of several subsystems of multitudes of semiindependent processes).

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#113

Post by virtualwhys »

mathgenius wrote: post #111

Here is my own take on the Lao Tzu quote: ‘Those who know don’t say, and those who say don’t know.’ The introverts, they are the ones that go within and cut themselves off from the world. They are the ones getting "enlightened". The extroverts, talking all the time and sounding important, barely know what is what. These are two remarkably different ways of coping with the same problem: fear. Seriously, the introverts…

Agreed, there are hidden teachers you may come across in life that conceal their understanding from the world at large (i.e. remain silent until the student appears).

On the other hand, there are awakened beings like J. Krishnamurti who prattle on endlessly (eloquently so, mind you) about the no-path to awakening.

Also, in the Zen tradition it's pretty common for the master to give Dharma talks, which of course entails lots of talking (Eihei Dogen comes to mind here, saying a lot and revealing little for the rational mind to latch onto).

Probably the best example of "Those who know don't say" in recent times was Ramana Maharshi.

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#114

Post by virtualwhys »

omarchowdhury wrote: post #108
smutticus wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. Practitioners of Zen Buddhism believe that enlightenment is transmitted from one who is enlightened to one who is not. With only very rare exceptions, it requires an authority to transmit. People who think they're practicing Zen without a trained instructor are just deluding themselves.

Who transmitted to Sidhatta Gotama?

Thanks, finally Zen appears.

It's turtles all the way down.

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#115

Post by nandreev »

linuxhansl wrote: post #92
dominotw wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly is mindfulness in simple terms? How is different from concentration?

Mindfulness is awareness. When eating you're aware that you are eating. When seeing something you are aware that you are seeing something. When enjoying the sunset you're aware you're enjoying the sunset. When thinking you're aware that you are thinking. When selfish you are aware of that. When sad you are aware that you are sad... And so on. On some level it's like "seeing the matrix". Everything is clear, no longer…

Great description. I have been trying to meditate lately (it's not easy) and already experience occasional moments during which I "zoom out" of life, e.g. catch myself becoming aware of what I'm doing. This leads to (short) moments of bliss and sheer wonder.

Everything is simple during those moments.

I encourage anyone to try meditation. While I was always interested in the subject, it was not until I read Mindfulness in Plain English (referenced above) that I started taking it seriously.

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#116

Post by Steven_Bukal »

coldtea wrote: post #107
Steven_Bukal wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not? Picking everything to pieces is exactly what those people (theoretical and practical scientists) who seem to have the most success in approximating truth do. These are the methods that best produce accurate predictions about the future and best produce designs for new technologies that actually work.

That's not "truth" though, that's "reality" or "the physical world" and the two notions are quite different.

Beliefs are what we use to model how the world is and what the results of actions and experiments will be. Reality is what actually determines those results, regardless of what we might believe. Truth is then the set of beliefs about the world that accurately model reality. And I'll say it again, the scientists who spend decades picking things to pieces are the ones who end up with the most accurate beliefs. They find the most truth.

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#117

Post by kr4 »

http://swamij.com/podcast/11MinuteMeditation24.mp3

is a useful guided 11minute meditation for both beginners and intermediate practitioners. Meditation requires that we first calm our body, then make breath serene and then we can focus on mind and go inward. I've found http://swamij.com a very useful resource in understanding the breadth and depth of real menaing and practices of Yoga meditation.

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#118

Post by cylinder714 »

orasis wrote: post #55
Lambdanaut wrote: post #49

If you're interested in understanding zen but don't know where to start, "The Book" by Alan Watts is a fantastic SHORT read that will give you a powerful framework from which to build your meditative practice, and hopefully structure a happier, more fulfilling lifestyle. To appeal to the western mind, here are some tangible benefits I have achieved(And you can too) through meditation and zen: * More appreciation for…

I would add the free, short, book "Mindfulness in Plain English". It changed my life. Here is the PDF: http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf2/Mindfulness%20in%20Plain%20E...

There is a new, 20th-anniversary edition available now in print and ebook versions:

http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/mindfulness-plain-english

Re: Zen Buddhism and Alan Watts

#120

Post by dodyg »

DanielKehoe wrote: post #56
cscurmudgeon wrote: post #9

Zen is interesting. While J.D. Salinger embraced Zen only to give it up later in life to pick up Advaita Vedanta. I have come across someone even suggesting that Zen caused him to get depressed.

In my experience, Zen and Vipassana take you "up and out", which may be why they become a path of ascetism and negation. Advaita is a more embodied practice. Advaita Vedanta (also known as nondualism) has been called the "cream of the Vedas." Zen is more like skim milk (also nutritous but not as tasty). Awakening or enlightenment is actually far more common than literature leads people to believe. Most people just co…

'Enlightenment industry'?
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