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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: neolib who wrote (222599)	3/6/2007 12:01:22 AM
From: Sun Tzu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

>> Would you say that Zen is more about How then Why? Western Christianity appears to me more instructive as to Why... It may seem that way, but I believe that to be a misconception. Zen is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism with some Taoism influences. Zen students learn all the basics of Buddhism (e.g. the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the five precepts, and the three dharma seals: non-self, impermanence, and dukkha) as well as teachings specific to Mahayana Buddhism. These "Whys" form the foundations on which the "Hows" are built upon. The main difference between Zen and other schools is that Zen emphasizes attaining enlightenment through a direct experience which is the result of rigorous training and at the expense of philosophical debates. But without the deep beliefs and analysis of the Whys, it would be impossible to build the practices. The process is similar to guiding a student to become a fine builder. Other Buddhist schools will teach you deep knowledge of engineering before you set foot on site. Zen teaches you the basics of the building materials and structural analysis, but emphasizes putting a shovel and a hammer in your hands and getting your hands dirty from day one. Zen believes that it is more important to get the student building houses than to make him fully understand all the physics behind the process. But it is equally true that a student who lacks deep knowledge of the physics involved will never be a master architect. Put another way, Zen is a way of life; it is all encompassing and yet remarkably fluid and flexible. Without an underlying perception on life, one cannot have a way of life (especially one that is so flexible). ST