tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post1002820203443813216..comments2023-09-21T09:49:28.326-07:00Comments on Fierce Dandelions: Attachment to Meditation PracticeNathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-69232975240546464942011-10-18T07:51:55.814-07:002011-10-18T07:51:55.814-07:00Hey Nathan,
Very interesting topic.
You wrote:
...Hey Nathan,<br /><br />Very interesting topic. <br /><br />You wrote:<br /><br /><i>Some Soto teachers seem to lean in one direction, emphasizing seated meditation nearly all the time. While others seem to lean in the other direction, saying that Dogen applies zazen to all activities. </i><br /><br />Why, both! <br /><br />I sit Zazen (or rather, Zazen sits me) as the one place to be in the wholejundo cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564338025084888194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-83579231054811297642011-10-17T17:28:39.512-07:002011-10-17T17:28:39.512-07:00Speaking of experimentation, I was meditating last...Speaking of experimentation, I was meditating last week in the center of the plaza where Occupy MN is happening. At one point, a guy came up to me and shouted "Boo!" I opened my eyes and smiled. We both laughed, and then he walked off. <br /><br />Sometimes I think people get attached to having silence and "perfect conditions" to practice in. But what is silence and what are Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-56458991565022675042011-10-17T16:41:13.061-07:002011-10-17T16:41:13.061-07:00Haven't studied Dogen well enough to opine on ...Haven't studied Dogen well enough to opine on that part of this -- and even then, I'd be wary of drawing conclusions from English translations without understanding the Japanese. But moving forward:<br /><br />If zazen is the action of a Buddha, does this elevate zazen above other activites? Seems to me this is true if you elevate "being a Buddha" and make that special. WhichAlgernonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01698040927871199780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-75890287309524036002011-10-17T15:55:59.340-07:002011-10-17T15:55:59.340-07:00There are definitely a fair number of folks with y...There are definitely a fair number of folks with your general reaction to zazen on the cushion. One of our sangha leaders recently gave a talk about the three years she spent at a monastery and she basically said the same thing. "I don't really love doing zazen." <br /><br />As for myself, I have periods where I love it, and others where it's a total challenge at best. But none Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920234350446745482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-741227658356358863.post-4702789064153099952011-10-17T15:12:12.973-07:002011-10-17T15:12:12.973-07:00While I would never pretend to understand Dogen in...While I would never pretend to understand Dogen in any in-depth way (or any way at all!), the little that I have read seems to be him pointing to there being sitting zazen as well as everything else zazen - eating zazen, working zazen, etc.. He does seem to put (sitting) zazen at the forefront in accomplishing the task of realizing one's true nature. I suspect if that were not true, then weRobynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06391086267728343589noreply@blogger.com