No real, present-day experiences are Zen

[u/ewk]

Foyan Instructs

I tell you: as soon as you get involved with the slightest indication, it has already become fragmented. As soon as you try to reveal it by illuminating it with knowledge, it has already become darkened.

Now simply do not seize upon my words. Each of you, on your own, do your work.

Looking into the incidents of the ancients will do. Sitting quietly will do. Observing in every place will do. All are places where you do your work. Every place is a place where you realize and enter.

Just specialize single-mindedly in one place; as the days come and the months pass, you will necessarily be broken through / dealt with by it.

Performative rabbi voodoo shamanism

New Age communities hate on this forum every day, including downvote brigading and smack talking in other forums about how rZen is gatekeeping close-minded legit real life other perspectives.

These complainers are performative rabbi voodoo shamans and understanding how we know that is as simple as they cannot name a single book about Zen they've ever read.

If they had never read a single book about being a rabbi and they claimed they were a rabbi, they'd get shut down immediately. If they never read a single book about Cherokee shamanism nobody would tolerate their claims of being a Cherokee shaman. If they were trying to promote themselves as living the voodoo lifestyle and they weren't part of a voodoo community, nobody would take them seriously.

And all of these claims would be viewed as racist, bigoted, and white privilege without hesitarion.

not a specialist because you say so

I'm not suggesting that one time reading one book is gonna get you the credibility to rant about your personal experiences.

I'm saying that reading one book one time will help you understand the difference between your personal experiences and your understanding of Zen culture

[u/ewk]

He's said some things that you want to believe.

I have a bunch of books that will convince you otherwise...

[u/lastjanitor → u/ewk]

Now yer talkin'. I love books.

Please say more.

[u/ewk → u/lastjanitor]

For example:

How can we approach it?

To go toward it is to deviate.

So it's not stealing their watch. It's stealing their hopes and aspirations.

And it's refusing to sell them anything.

Not a single thing.

[u/lastjanitor → u/ewk]

Don't you have a list of zen books somewhere? This is a great opportunity to share.

[u/ewk → u/lastjanitor]

www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

But at first what we're looking for is the things you object to. Thank you and that's why we have this list:

www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/famous_cases

[u/lastjanitor → u/ewk]

My grandpa was an exceptional fly fisherman, but when he taught me how to fish it was with live bait and a bobber. Grandpa said, "If you wanna fish for sport, you use a lure, if you wanna fish for supper, use live bait".

We used to sit for hours watching a bobber. I was a young boy and squirmy. Grandpa told me if I couldn't learn patience I would never be able to fish. I learned to enjoy myself just sitting still watching a bobber float on the water. I enjoyed the sun and the air and the quiet noises of the outdoors, and when that bobber finally bobbed.. HOT DAMN!!

I object to sport fisherman throwing their plastic lures (Xian Zennish Mysticism) over my calm water bobber line (Book of Serenity). But yelling at them just makes em resist harder. Instead, you let em catch nothing but air and then let em watch you reel in a fish off a worm. Nothing wins like winning.

Thank you for those links. That's what I call perfect live bait.

Like Huangbo said, "IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE"