Koans in Soto Zen
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
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I see many koans as nondual test prep. They flip a coin and if you are stuck seeing heads or tails (yes/no, good/bad, dark/light, self/other, past/future, real/dream, teacher/student, speech/silence, enlightened/diluted, knowledge/confusion, etc) you get nowhere fast. When you see the coin for what it is everything makes perfect sense
Hi Brad! I am a new subscriber and a new student to Buddhism. according to my teacher, I’m almost ready for Kai Sambo. i’m very excited I found your channel, you speak very much like my teacher. Look forward to getting and reading all your books! ❤️ P.S. you also have a new Patreon subscriber too! 😃
Ten hot minutes on the truth about koans. They are not irrational. They can be talked about and even understood. Thank you, Brad! I will now go read NIshijima's book on the Shijni Shobogenzo.
A video on the four philosophies would be great!
My favourite koan in Soto Zen: “Sit Down And Shut Up”.
Thanks!
Koans seem to deal with the delusion of separation between the knower (us) and the known (the other stuff) - or the observer and the observed (subject and object). At best the doubt that it creates in our mind may lead to exhaustion and surrender - this Psychological death being an Ah haa moment.
Thanks 🌼 😊
Blessings from 🇦🇪( UAE)
Blessings 🌷 🌷 🌷
A plug for the "discussion style" approach of working with koans, Dave Cuomo leads a Sit & Koan Discussion for ACZC on Wednesday Nights, 7:30 PM Pacific - I think you just need to contact ACZC to get the Zoom link (aczc.org)
Hornswaggle! I'm adding that to my lexicon. ^^ And I actually misheard you the first time and I thought you said 'word swaddle', to which I burst out laughing. ^^ So my personal dictionary has 2 new entries. Thank you for that!
A useful word!
Does Dogen (or the Soto school) have an opinion on other "zen activities" done sincerely as meditation? (Like tea ceremony, flower arrangement, incense appreciation, shaolin, bonsai, gardening, landscape painting, rock gardening, etc etc, there are so many examples!)
Dogen doesn't address any of this stuff. It could be that most (or all) of these activities started up after his time. The Shaolin temple predates Dogen, but I'm not sure of the history of the martial arts they developed. Give some of the other things Dogen wrote, I'd think he would probably have regarded most of this stuff as kind of frivolous.
Thanks for this video! If I remember correctly, I thought the biography of Dōgen in the Tanahashi translation said that he had studied and excelled at “koan practice” but didn’t reach his goal so he continued searching and went to China. At any rate, thanks for the video and I am increasingly more interested in working with koans in the way you are talking about.
He studied in the Rinzai tradition, which means he probably did koan practice, but I've never found any details about that aspect of his early training.
The master, who looks down to the ford, observes: Sometimes there are people, but no objects. Sometimes there are no people, but objects. Sometimes there are people and objects. Sometimes there are neither people nor objects.
(--> Classic model of the "four senctences")
The scene for "basic modes of sense-making" being set, one can, in principle, file certain public cases accordingly; and one can perform regulated improvisations.
Some special "trick-moves" are also ready at hand: snatch away/aleanate/let (re)appear, de(con)struct/(re)construct, invert, contrast, negate, negation-negation-...-loops, (quasi-)repetitions, sudden changes of register, perspectives, and roles, and so forth.
By courtesy of Master Rainzai, also featuring in the "Rinzai-roku".
So in Soto Zen, Koans are just straightforwardly explained?
"Straightforwardly" is the key word. I think Dogen's explanations of the koans are as straightforward as he could make them. Some people find them baffling, though. Even me, sometimes.
@@HardcoreZen That's trippy when even the explanations are as baffling as the koans.
Would it be appropriate then in the Soto Zen tradition to focus on just straightforwardly/rationally grasping with the koans?
@@acatssoftnose3940 My teacher said that koans are always logical and rational, but that it was "Buddhist logic," which was different from conventional logic.
So much to like about this video. I also think the Loori(?) Commentary is annoying. I'd kill for a Nishijima translation. I find koans fascinating from a dramatic stand point. Since I'm reading them out loud to record them, I have to give each speaker a character, give them reasons to say what they say. It's challenging.
I'm very glad to here koans talked about in this manner. In many zendos and groups around this wonderful country, koans are treated like they have no right answer and can be interpreted like Daido Loori did. At times, I think this is done this very way to keep the concept of the teacher in control of the situation and lead the student to an answer that is acceptable to the teacher; and, the teacher may not even have a clue either. It's very frustrating.
Daido was my teacher, and I can tell you that this is not how things went at ZMM. He, like all Zen teachers had his personal issues and hangups, but there was no sanctioned interpretation of koans, ever! true, his comments on koans felt, to most, like more confusion, but would you- or Brad- dismiss Dogen, just because most of what he says is a bit, shall we say, obtuse?
@@4kassis It may be that Daido Roshi's comments on the koans were his honest attempt to be as clear as he could possibly be about his understanding of them. But I feel like his book about them appeared to be created as a way to introduce English speaking audiences to these koans. And, for me, it doesn't really do that. I much prefer my teacher's straightforward explanations. At present, only the Tanahashi/Loori translation of Shinji Shobogenzo is available. My teacher's version is virtually impossible to get anymore. Ah well.
Hardcore Zen good enough! And I am sure that Dogen also felt that his statements were Chrystal clear. To some anyway...
Does Ziggy have buddha nature?
Does seem that way - quite a bright and furry buddha nature at that.
Woof!
"Sixty-nine, Dudes!" -- Bill and Ted
"...inferior even to that of srāvakas of the Small Vehicle." Oof! That is another one of those statements about Theravada that I have trouble reconciling with my admiration and respect for Dōgen. I'm hoping it's just hyperbole, but yipes. By the way, you weren't kidding: Nishijima Roshi's book Master Dogen's Shinji Shobogenzo is very difficult to find.
I DON'T think it's about Theravada. Rather, it has to be understood in the sense of those schools, who restrict Buddhism to a set of rules, and a set of steps meant to arrive at a given point. It may be that sometimes Theravada falls into that trap, but I wouldn't affirm that it is the essential gist of Theravada Buddhism.
@@proulxmontpellier Ah, I see -- That helps, in that I can see how "hinayana" as a derogatory term can apply not to a particular group, but rather a mindset or approach that isn't limited to a particular group out of hand. Thank you for your reply!
That book is currently going for $130 used in Amazon 😲
I know. It sucks. Copies used to be available directly from the publisher, Windbell Publications, at a reasonable price. But last I checked they're not. I'm considering doing my own translation as a way to make it available again. But that'll take a while.
@@HardcoreZen Have you asked Mike about what could be done (or Peter, since he would be the one holding the Windbell rights)?
@@proulxmontpellier Is Peter the one who holds the rights?
Kindle Version is now 4.99 (Sterling) 2024