@@muho : Not necessarily if one carries zazen in motion through mindfulness. The little I know from Dogen is that he carried the practice into all jobs such as cooking, brushing the floor, cleaning. One can even defecate in mindfulness (zazen in motion).
@@muho Attachment to sitting or not sitting. Both is attachment. Which is not Zazen. Zazen is just sitting for no nothing (doning it for a hidden purpose would be attachment)
@@MakeDemocracyMagnificientAgain In the Sawaki traditon, I have met quite a few people who are VERY attached to the idea of zazen being "just sitting for no nothing"!
@@muho so they weren't fully aware of their attachment to this idea. Otherwise they could have let it go. Attachment is a strong feeling of inner tension. It hardens your body and mind. You can't miss that, if you're honest to yourself. There is no blame in doing Zazen wrong. Some do it their whole life wrong, because they play these games with themselves. That's the way it is. No blame for anyone. But what do I know. I am just a lost seeker as many of us, pretending to know something.
@@HardcoreZen, being a t t e n t i v e l y present (here in special: while "sitting")---n.b.: some Masters/coaches use the simile of the "dozing" cat, which, in this stative mode, is yet utmost "passive-active", to explain its characteristic features---means: Having sense-inputs of all kinds, even in "total silence". (*However, total silence is "objectively" impossible as long as your hearing functions; or, one possible exception, unless you are a Yogi who can reduce even "purely internal" body-mind functions nearly to nill, which some can do, as the story goes...). So "boredom" (here structurally viewed as a complexly constituted "vanity"-sensation, which yet feels like a simple "sense mass") must evolve out of i n p u t s from "body-mind circuits" other than the "auditory system", which feed informations into the "commando room" (of the Ego-self). And, moreover, it most probably has, not the least, to do with h a b i t u a t i o n, which tends to successively (and via routinisation) let the excitement-tonus plunge in an "inverse-dramatical" way to a very low level. I find such more technical details also very interesting and, maybe, helpful to complete the whole "picture". Therefore, again, thanks for sharing.
I remember I saw a video about jazz improv at some point and the guy in the video said that you need to have constraints when you practice. This way you can limit yourself to only 3 notes, and out of boredom you will learn to use those notes in interesting ways. Maybe the fact that the mind gets bored during zazen and starts going through forgoten stuff is a good byproduct of the practice, even if that is not what it is about. In the end that is just the content of your zazen.
Interesting description of how you see zazen. Definitely different framing than a lot of other zen teachers/masters. Just shows you how different personalities frame the experience differently. Although I guess the experiences vary.
@@Teller3448 hot boredom is the type of irritation or restlessness we may encounter on the cushion; cool boredom is a more, 'no big deal', ease, relaxation ... peace we may experience on the cusion and in our daily life
Brad I have been thinking about this talk and think the opposite could also be true - zazen can be fascinating/interesting as we sit and watch our crazy monkey minds at work! I mentioned this talk in my zen Buddhist group yesterday and one of our group suggested that when we feel bored , there is usually something beneath the boredom we are not willing to feel and want to get away from, such as fear. Food for thought as I can see that sitting can be both boring and interesting. Sometimes the thoughts are very tedious and then yes, it can feel boring. Other times it is of great interest to watch the show. When moments of peace and stillness arise and mind and body appear to drop away, I would never describe that as boring , just being fully present to our true nature.
Duuude! Ever since I started practice I’ve been extolling the virtues of boredom not unlike how you’ve said and basically NOBODY gets it. It’s so alienating so I’m happy to hear this video. Thank you 🙏🏻
I would love to read a science fiction novel called "The Universe Got Bored". "Perhaps one of the reasons we exist at all is because the universe got bored." -Brad Warner (2021)
"How can this mean anything to me? When i really dont feel anything at all........I'LL! KEEP! DIGGING!!!.....TILL I!!! FEEL!! SOMETHING!!!" Tool - Stinkfist
I met some very angry people at my aikido dojo and at the local zen center. At first I thought it was odd, and then I understood that people with a lot of anger seek out practices that they think will "cure" them and give them peace. But the practices alone usually didn't do much, from what I saw. (Related: of the two worst flame wars I ever saw, back in the early days of the 'net, one involved Buddhists and the other involved Quakers.)
Practicing properly it does solve in time many problems we have in us. If the practice doesn’t help it only means that the person is not practicing correctly or also could mean that is not receiving a proper instruction. According to many comments I read in Brad website, many people do not want the real thing. I read very few comments coming from people who are into any Buddhist practice.
I previously brought this issue to the group in discussions, etc. My perception is that many American practitioners much of the time just want to be blissed out or happy all the time which is not possible and part of our practice.
"Have you been to the source of a river? It is a very mystic place. You get dizzy when you stay for a while. An especially big river has several sources, and the real source, the farthest point which turns to the major stream, is moist and misty, with some kind of ancient smell, and you feel cold. You feel, "This isn't the place to go in."
Its about BALANCE, Thinking mind needs some time of peace Go peace time to time to clean your mind even if its boring but it calms our urge to always do something move. To clear out mind and then GO. So PEACE -> WAR -> PEACE -> WAR
So far, I don't get bored much, and when I do, I find it super interesting (I guess that's the stirring up that you mentioned). :) Maybe I have lots of years before I actually know what boredom is. I try to let things be as they are, and so far I don't appear to be bored/boring. I think I'm trending in that direction I guess. I was way too wound up before, I'm much calmer now. Might just be getting older too. :)
I think people have a strong innate desire for novelty -- it provides excitement and the opportunity for growth and learning. Just as an amoeba stretches out its 'arms' to experience novelty and gain nourishment, so I am always looking for stimulation of the mind. But carried too far, even intrinsically boring activities, like watching baseball, thoroughly intolerable to children, are made palatable to adults by juicing up the experience with storytelling, statistical analysis, etc. until it is actually a "meta-baseball" activity Zazen would call a halt to that impulse to gild the experience with layers of excitement-producing thought. Just be here with the baseball game.
Of course, some forms of meditation operate by stilling the mind but that practice and the general practice of mindfulness seem to amplify sensory experience, turning up the gain on the microphone of perception both on and off the cushion. I do not experience that as boring; in fact, I think the less awake one is, the more boring life is apt to seem. Moreover, it saddens me every time Brad throws shade at engaged Buddhism. To be sure, no temple should be so preoccupied with engagement that inner work is neglected. But there are synergies to be had in pairing these aspects of Buddhism skillfully. Work in service of others often affords us better perspective on our own suffering, tends to displace the self as the center of attention, and reveals interdependence in ways that be felt viscerally. Whether or not this engagement was the focus of Buddhism in its early days strikes me as unimportant; Buddhism is not bound to creeds and, therefore, has the capacity to evolve. Indeed, if Buddhism were only or principally about my own contentment, leaving me cushion-bound and free to ignore the needs of others, I would find the whole thing morally sterile and, well, boring.
Brads shades even Thich Nhat Hanh which shows how little he is into the real thing and how much he is into the old westerner habit religion competition. And it definitely has anything to do with Zen or any Buddhist dharma. Brad is helpful as far as scholar information concerns which is pretty good by showing interesting books but he often lacks of insight and his sayings are based in his own ego.
@@lorenacharlotte8383 I do not dislike Brad or his sincere effort to understand the true nature of reality. I find considerable value in most of what he has written. And I suspect he is reasonably concerned that Buddhism can get sidetracked with activism, just as, say, many Christian churches have become sidetracked by politics. It's just that this legitimate concern is sometimes presented in a way that wrongly suggests that only inner work is the real work of Buddhism. But I am encouraged that there are now voices on behalf of engaged Buddhism that can dispel the false dichotomy between the inner and outer work of Buddhism. The Dalai Lama has funded some excellent research being done at Stanford that reveals just how false is this dichotomy, work described in Kelly McGonigal's book, "The Science of Compassion".
@@BoulderHikerBoy : It is not as much about like/dislike Brad but about warning the crap of fictitious Buddhism is evolving in the West. Brad like everyone else is in his own delusional world. From time to time like everyone else who has been for years practicing zazen has a glimpse experience from a reality always there but unnoticed before. And then westerners, Brad amongst them, hold there attached to it as if a simple impermanent glimpse was a kind of absolute truth. And here when it comes that arrogance takes place by diminishing people from other Buddhist backgrounds with a much vast experience in the field he has.
I thought about it some more... I think boredom is against the one goal of zazen of not having a goal. I think boredom is a goal. I think a decent definition of boredom is "the desire to be doing something other than what I'm doing". When it happens during zazen, I treat it like all the other things that happen during zazen, I give it my attention, and let it get stronger or weaker as it chooses, while I try to just watch and not influence it. I think like almost everything else, it fades away. Boredom is a pretty interesting one though... what is it about what's going on right now that I don't like? I've found it to be untrue to say something like "I've done this before, I don't want to keep doing the same thing". I don't think it's ever the same twice.
to my recollection that is Sasaki Roshi. Im not sure where I heard it. He would also talk about a place where there were no restaurants or bathrooms. Im not sure what place he was describing
In Spain where I live there is 1 zen group, 1 monastery with instructors and sanghas around the country. I meditated in the dojo which is closest to my town and went to 3 retreats. After a while I noticed the whole group has an far left political view. An absolute shame that, instead of just being boring and concentrating on what is really important, they decide to create a communist lobby out of zen. They scare away many people (like myself) but attract others of course.
It's sad. This same sort of thing is happening a lot. If people want to get involved in political causes, that's fine. But I believe a Zen center or temple should be a place dedicated only to Zen. There are plenty of other laces dedicated to political causes. We don't need any more! But Zen centers and temples are rare. It's important to keep them focused on the practice.
@@HardcoreZen isn't this just par for the course? Haven't Zen institutions always been contaminated with politics and culture? Our heroes -Joshu, Dokai, Dogen, Ryokan Sawaki Suzuki etc - all rejected the institutions of their time. It's hard to imagine an alternative. Hey thanks for your videos, they are helpful and encouraging.
I don't know man. In my experience, people engage in politics because they are suffering. As this is also the reason for their becoming buddhists, it's just logical these ideologies mix. Just cut people some slack. It's hard being a human.
@@HardcoreZen Thank you for taking your time to comment, Brad. The practice in sotozen.es/ is good. Only that when teaching the master always slips examples of how "capitalism" this or that or the other. And you find videos critisising "multinational supra political powers which are above the power of the politicians" . th-cam.com/video/y1Wl8k3QGUY/w-d-xo.html
@@davidgarciacooke337 Capitalism emphasizes a materialistic outlook on the world, and thereby makes it harder to see through your own bs. This should concern a buddhist, shouldn't it?
I don’t sit down watching a wall. The historic Buddha got enlightened while sitting down under a tree. Why the Soto Zen Japanese give such an unnecessary hard time to themselves?.
It’s a shortcut in a sense. You don’t need to go sit under a tree. Our here and now most often is within a dwelling made of walls. And enlightenment is not the end. That Buddha still meditated after “enlightenment” and the easiest way would be to sit down, shut up, and face the closest wall. No distractions. The under a tree version is most likely just a metaphor of the most badass way to do it. Especially back then, when the very real possibility of being eaten by something while you’re sitting there needs to be ignored too. We’ve got it so much easier now. And I’d bet that Buddha’s first thought after the “enlightenment” was why am I sitting HERE?! I could do this at “home”! Then went for a hike.
@@diversity27 : I brought up the Historic Buddha as a meaning that one can sit down everywhere. I quite enjoy the sitting down by the Mediterranean Sea solitary beach in Spain wherever I was there in winter. I used to sit down over there at a very young age when still didn’t know anything about the Buddha Dharma.
"Zen practice is frightfully boring, like watching Paint dry" What about the Jhanas? You don't get the Rapture, Joy, happiness? Are the Jhanas, or the description of them, just a big fat lie, then?
“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” (Pascal)
Not all but most. The rest stem from man's inability to get his ass off the cushion.
@@muho : Not necessarily if one carries zazen in motion through mindfulness. The little I know from Dogen is that he carried the practice into all jobs such as cooking, brushing the floor, cleaning. One can even defecate in mindfulness (zazen in motion).
@@muho Attachment to sitting or not sitting. Both is attachment. Which is not Zazen. Zazen is just sitting for no nothing (doning it for a hidden purpose would be attachment)
@@MakeDemocracyMagnificientAgain In the Sawaki traditon, I have met quite a few people who are VERY attached to the idea of zazen being "just sitting for no nothing"!
@@muho so they weren't fully aware of their attachment to this idea. Otherwise they could have let it go. Attachment is a strong feeling of inner tension. It hardens your body and mind. You can't miss that, if you're honest to yourself.
There is no blame in doing Zazen wrong. Some do it their whole life wrong, because they play these games with themselves. That's the way it is. No blame for anyone. But what do I know. I am just a lost seeker as many of us, pretending to know something.
If you're bored, you're not paying attention.
This is honestly one of your best videos I've seen.
Thanks!
I would concur with that statement.
As the great Ron Swanson would say... "Dont confuse drama with happiness"
btw that's a Sasaki Roshi quote... "the buddha world is dry and tasteless"
When thoughts are fading during Zazen I would describe this as 'being present' (I'm not bored - at least not in a negative sense).
Yeah. That's true too. But often what people describe as "being present" is another kind of excitement. So I stay away from phrases like that.
@@HardcoreZen, being a t t e n t i v e l y present (here in special: while "sitting")---n.b.: some Masters/coaches use the simile of the "dozing" cat, which, in this stative mode, is yet utmost "passive-active", to explain its characteristic features---means:
Having sense-inputs of all kinds, even in "total silence".
(*However, total silence is "objectively" impossible as long as your hearing functions; or, one possible exception, unless you are a Yogi who can reduce even "purely internal" body-mind functions nearly to nill, which some can do, as the story goes...).
So "boredom" (here structurally viewed as a complexly constituted "vanity"-sensation, which yet feels like a simple "sense mass") must evolve out of i n p u t s from "body-mind circuits" other than the "auditory system", which feed informations into the "commando room" (of the Ego-self). And, moreover, it most probably has, not the least, to do with h a b i t u a t i o n, which tends to successively (and via routinisation) let the excitement-tonus plunge in an "inverse-dramatical" way to a very low level.
I find such more technical details also very interesting and, maybe, helpful to complete the whole "picture". Therefore, again, thanks for sharing.
this might be brad’s best video.
Boredom becomes spontaneity and creativity
In a world full of flavor, "dry, dull and tasteless" is a break from it.
Congrats on 10k subscribers, Brad!
I remember I saw a video about jazz improv at some point and the guy in the video said that you need to have constraints when you practice. This way you can limit yourself to only 3 notes, and out of boredom you will learn to use those notes in interesting ways.
Maybe the fact that the mind gets bored during zazen and starts going through forgoten stuff is a good byproduct of the practice, even if that is not what it is about. In the end that is just the content of your zazen.
Being from Wisconsin, where boredom is never in short supply, I've recently found myself wondering if cows have Buddha Nature.
Moo
This is my all time favorite TH-cam comment.
Woof woof
Interesting description of how you see zazen. Definitely different framing than a lot of other zen teachers/masters. Just shows you how different personalities frame the experience differently. Although I guess the experiences vary.
"Just shows you how different personalities frame the experience differently."
Are they all having the same experience?
That's some food for not so boring thoughts.
Thank you Brad for this amazing and authentic video :)
Chogyum Trungpa Rinpoche would distinguish hot boredom vs. cool boredom (zazen being the ladder)
Whats the difference between hot and cool?
@@Teller3448 hot boredom is the type of irritation or restlessness we may encounter on the cushion; cool boredom is a more, 'no big deal', ease, relaxation ... peace we may experience on the cusion and in our daily life
Always helpful to get reminded about what it was we are not doing in zazen.
Is zazen a form of doing?
That's why "may you live in interesting times" is a curse in Asia 😄
Brad I have been thinking about this talk and think the opposite could also be true - zazen can be fascinating/interesting as we sit and watch our crazy monkey minds at work! I mentioned this talk in my zen Buddhist group yesterday and one of our group suggested that when we feel bored , there is usually something beneath the boredom we are not willing to feel and want to get away from, such as fear. Food for thought as I can see that sitting can be both boring and interesting. Sometimes the thoughts are very tedious and then yes, it can feel boring. Other times it is of great interest to watch the show. When moments of peace and stillness arise and mind and body appear to drop away, I would never describe that as boring , just being fully present to our true nature.
Another great video Brad - so good I watched it twice and wasn’t bored!
Rain in LA, snow in Texas and robot dogs... welcome to the Blade Runner universe. I could use some boring right about now
Duuude! Ever since I started practice I’ve been extolling the virtues of boredom not unlike how you’ve said and basically NOBODY gets it. It’s so alienating so I’m happy to hear this video.
Thank you 🙏🏻
Great video Brad!
I would love to read a science fiction novel called "The Universe Got Bored".
"Perhaps one of the reasons
we exist at all is because
the universe got bored."
-Brad Warner (2021)
Somehow I misread that as "The Universe that God Bored". lol
@@benhorner8430 That's better!
Collective regection of boredom! I note it. Thnx.
"How can this mean anything to me? When i really dont feel anything at all........I'LL! KEEP! DIGGING!!!.....TILL I!!! FEEL!! SOMETHING!!!" Tool - Stinkfist
I met some very angry people at my aikido dojo and at the local zen center. At first I thought it was odd, and then I understood that people with a lot of anger seek out practices that they think will "cure" them and give them peace. But the practices alone usually didn't do much, from what I saw. (Related: of the two worst flame wars I ever saw, back in the early days of the 'net, one involved Buddhists and the other involved Quakers.)
Practicing properly it does solve in time many problems we have in us. If the practice doesn’t help it only means that the person is not practicing correctly or also could mean that is not receiving a proper instruction. According to many comments I read in Brad website, many people do not want the real thing. I read very few comments coming from people who are into any Buddhist practice.
I previously brought this issue to the group in discussions, etc. My perception is that many American practitioners much of the time just want to be blissed out or happy all the time which is not possible and part of our practice.
The Universe get bored... Sometimes I had the same thought.
Great 👍
"Have you been to the source of a river? It is a very mystic place. You get dizzy when you stay for a while. An especially big river has several sources, and the real source, the farthest point which turns to the major stream, is moist and misty, with some kind of ancient smell, and you feel cold. You feel, "This isn't the place to go in."
Its about BALANCE, Thinking mind needs some time of peace
Go peace time to time to clean your mind even if its boring but it calms our urge to always do something move. To clear out mind and then GO.
So PEACE -> WAR -> PEACE -> WAR
So far, I don't get bored much, and when I do, I find it super interesting (I guess that's the stirring up that you mentioned). :)
Maybe I have lots of years before I actually know what boredom is. I try to let things be as they are, and so far I don't appear to be bored/boring.
I think I'm trending in that direction I guess. I was way too wound up before, I'm much calmer now. Might just be getting older too. :)
I like that theory.
this was excellent; thank you; we all need way more boredom right now and im not being facetious
🙏🧘♀️ you are so right 😀
Great video! Thank you!
Ta Hui said to a student.. 'Who is the mind that can know dimness and dullness'
Who or what?
@@Teller3448 Possibly what. See Swampland Flowers.
What is the purpose of life ? Total obedience to our inner drama queen.
Thank you for making me laugh!
Good.
This was one of your least boring videos. xo
We are infinity enjoying the game of being finite. Everything playing at being something - and turning out to be nothing, ha!
Being finite is like being in prison.
Does enlightenment mean you get out of prison?
@@Teller3448 I don't know!
Buddhism is boring, but that's part of its charm. By the way, does Ziggy play guitar?
Ha!
Hello darkness my old friend....🤘
I think people have a strong innate desire for novelty -- it provides excitement and the opportunity for growth and learning. Just as an amoeba stretches out its 'arms' to experience novelty and gain nourishment, so I am always looking for stimulation of the mind. But carried too far, even intrinsically boring activities, like watching baseball, thoroughly intolerable to children, are made palatable to adults by juicing up the experience with storytelling, statistical analysis, etc. until it is actually a "meta-baseball" activity Zazen would call a halt to that impulse to gild the experience with layers of excitement-producing thought. Just be here with the baseball game.
Could it be that the shift to ceremony away from zazen in eastern zen is also an escape from this "Boredom"?
Have you ever seen the 80s classic, A Neverending Story? I'd love to hear some comparisons between Emptyness and the Nothing.
Of course, some forms of meditation operate by stilling the mind but that practice and the general practice of mindfulness seem to amplify sensory experience, turning up the gain on the microphone of perception both on and off the cushion. I do not experience that as boring; in fact, I think the less awake one is, the more boring life is apt to seem. Moreover, it saddens me every time Brad throws shade at engaged Buddhism. To be sure, no temple should be so preoccupied with engagement that inner work is neglected. But there are synergies to be had in pairing these aspects of Buddhism skillfully. Work in service of others often affords us better perspective on our own suffering, tends to displace the self as the center of attention, and reveals interdependence in ways that be felt viscerally. Whether or not this engagement was the focus of Buddhism in its early days strikes me as unimportant; Buddhism is not bound to creeds and, therefore, has the capacity to evolve. Indeed, if Buddhism were only or principally about my own contentment, leaving me cushion-bound and free to ignore the needs of others, I would find the whole thing morally sterile and, well, boring.
Brads shades even Thich Nhat Hanh which shows how little he is into the real thing and how much he is into the old westerner habit religion competition. And it definitely has anything to do with Zen or any Buddhist dharma. Brad is helpful as far as scholar information concerns which is pretty good by showing interesting books but he often lacks of insight and his sayings are based in his own ego.
@@lorenacharlotte8383 I do not dislike Brad or his sincere effort to understand the true nature of reality. I find considerable value in most of what he has written. And I suspect he is reasonably concerned that Buddhism can get sidetracked with activism, just as, say, many Christian churches have become sidetracked by politics. It's just that this legitimate concern is sometimes presented in a way that wrongly suggests that only inner work is the real work of Buddhism. But I am encouraged that there are now voices on behalf of engaged Buddhism that can dispel the false dichotomy between the inner and outer work of Buddhism. The Dalai Lama has funded some excellent research being done at Stanford that reveals just how false is this dichotomy, work described in Kelly McGonigal's book, "The Science of Compassion".
@@BoulderHikerBoy : It is not as much about like/dislike Brad but about warning the crap of fictitious Buddhism is evolving in the West. Brad like everyone else is in his own delusional world. From time to time like everyone else who has been for years practicing zazen has a glimpse experience from a reality always there but unnoticed before. And then westerners, Brad amongst them, hold there attached to it as if a simple impermanent glimpse was a kind of absolute truth. And here when it comes that arrogance takes place by diminishing people from other Buddhist backgrounds with a much vast experience in the field he has.
The canvas
I thought about it some more... I think boredom is against the one goal of zazen of not having a goal. I think boredom is a goal. I think a decent definition of boredom is "the desire to be doing something other than what I'm doing". When it happens during zazen, I treat it like all the other things that happen during zazen, I give it my attention, and let it get stronger or weaker as it chooses, while I try to just watch and not influence it. I think like almost everything else, it fades away. Boredom is a pretty interesting one though... what is it about what's going on right now that I don't like?
I've found it to be untrue to say something like "I've done this before, I don't want to keep doing the same thing". I don't think it's ever the same twice.
It's never the same, but there still are things more exciting.
I find myself enjoying boredom. Is this another form of attachment to distract me? :)
good question, I would say yes and no or no and yes :)
to my recollection that is Sasaki Roshi. Im not sure where I heard it. He would also talk about a place where there were no restaurants or bathrooms. Im not sure what place he was describing
"Or as my old teacher says, 'You can't live in Paradise -- no toilets or restaurants.'" Leonard Cohen about Joshu Sasaki
Cleared that up. Thanks
@@gabriellucero3540 LC repeats this in other interviews and also uses "God's world" instead of "Paradise'.
Peace isn't boring, everything is alive with God within it, nature.
"God within it"
What is the opposite of 'within'?
@@Teller3448 Everything is made out of God, but God isn't wholly conscious in everything yet. A sort of Zoroastrian view mixed in with animism.
@@moonwatch7963 What about empty space where there are no things...is that also made out of God?
@@Teller3448 I don't believe in empty space, for example even conventional science says it is dark matter, but anyway yes.
So I can still eat spicy food?
In Spain where I live there is 1 zen group, 1 monastery with instructors and sanghas around the country.
I meditated in the dojo which is closest to my town and went to 3 retreats.
After a while I noticed the whole group has an far left political view.
An absolute shame that, instead of just being boring and concentrating on what is really important, they decide to create a communist lobby out of zen. They scare away many people (like myself) but attract others of course.
It's sad. This same sort of thing is happening a lot. If people want to get involved in political causes, that's fine. But I believe a Zen center or temple should be a place dedicated only to Zen. There are plenty of other laces dedicated to political causes. We don't need any more! But Zen centers and temples are rare. It's important to keep them focused on the practice.
@@HardcoreZen isn't this just par for the course? Haven't Zen institutions always been contaminated with politics and culture? Our heroes -Joshu, Dokai, Dogen, Ryokan Sawaki Suzuki etc - all rejected the institutions of their time. It's hard to imagine an alternative.
Hey thanks for your videos, they are helpful and encouraging.
I don't know man. In my experience, people engage in politics because they are suffering. As this is also the reason for their becoming buddhists, it's just logical these ideologies mix. Just cut people some slack. It's hard being a human.
@@HardcoreZen Thank you for taking your time to comment, Brad. The practice in sotozen.es/ is good. Only that when teaching the master always slips examples of how "capitalism" this or that or the other. And you find videos critisising "multinational supra political powers which are above the power of the politicians" . th-cam.com/video/y1Wl8k3QGUY/w-d-xo.html
@@davidgarciacooke337 Capitalism emphasizes a materialistic outlook on the world, and thereby makes it harder to see through your own bs. This should concern a buddhist, shouldn't it?
I don’t sit down watching a wall. The historic Buddha got enlightened while sitting down under a tree. Why the Soto Zen Japanese give such an unnecessary hard time to themselves?.
It’s a shortcut in a sense. You don’t need to go sit under a tree. Our here and now most often is within a dwelling made of walls. And enlightenment is not the end. That Buddha still meditated after “enlightenment” and the easiest way would be to sit down, shut up, and face the closest wall. No distractions. The under a tree version is most likely just a metaphor of the most badass way to do it. Especially back then, when the very real possibility of being eaten by something while you’re sitting there needs to be ignored too. We’ve got it so much easier now. And I’d bet that Buddha’s first thought after the “enlightenment” was why am I sitting HERE?! I could do this at “home”! Then went for a hike.
@@diversity27 : I brought up the Historic Buddha as a meaning that one can sit down everywhere. I quite enjoy the sitting down by the Mediterranean Sea solitary beach in Spain wherever I was there in winter. I used to sit down over there at a very young age when still didn’t know anything about the Buddha Dharma.
I think Joshu Sasaki may be the source of that quote you offered.
Or not.
"Zen practice is frightfully boring, like watching Paint dry"
What about the Jhanas? You don't get the Rapture, Joy, happiness?
Are the Jhanas, or the description of them, just a big fat lie, then?
Good luck in your war. Join Fairness Solution to win.