Re: shakuhachi V1 #288

From: Karl Young (kyoung@SLAC.Stanford.EDU)
Date: Sat Apr 05 2003 - 16:04:37 PST


Well just to flog this horse until it evaporates into thin air (we
should be so lucky !) it seems that a thread running through this
discussion is Nelson's assertion that the only way Zen (or presumably
any Buddhist sect) can survive is if a proper authority (e.g. a teacher
 in a lineage) is available to judge the attainment of students. While I
basically agree, the thread that I've been struggling with, rather
inarticulately, is that by painting this in such a black and white
fashion, I think Nelson is unfairly tarring people who explore the
subtleties of authority in Buddhism as typical, sloppy failed American
wannabes and I disagree with that. I think the dharma casts a wide net
and any drop of compassion or wisdom that results is a treasure (after
all how many eons, as described in the jataka tales, did it take the
Buddha to get it ?). I think Riley was saying something like this but
more succinctly and eloquently. To me Buddhism is about a lot more than
personal achievement (though it is no doubt a great event when anyone
achieves true understanding).

Ok, I quit, I promise; I'm crawling back into my hole (and thanks for
all the patience and great points; meanderings like this can be painful
and pull trolls like me out of their holes but on balance I think it's a
great thing)

-- Karl



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