I'm looking into this, and I've done this before. One of my personal bugaboo's in the "nonconceptual" learning. Holding up a flower, and having this one person "get it," then he transfers this "get it" moment forward, and so on. My issue, this is not really verifiable. Person one's "teaching" may not be person two's "understanding," just a assumption of what it might be. If it really is a learning at all, or just the adoption of a practice without true transfer of substantive awakening. I wonder if you've ever read Tom Robbin's "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas." He has a few interesting, and I considered to be somewhat enlightening, takes on a koan or two, without being insulting btw. Now, I don't know if it's just clumsy nomenclature to try and translate into English words what the consideration of our "pre-enlightenment" state is, though it is pretty roundly maligned as ignorance. Maybe that's fair to say we're somehow ignorant of this one notion of Buddha nature, however it doesn't always come across that way. Thinking in conceptual terms has resulted in cures to disease and afflictions, along with many other advances to improve the human condition. Now, you can argue there are negative conditions that all this has contributed to, but we do live longer with less disease, and fewer people go hungry, than was experienced by generations past. It might not be this pinnacle of enlightenment that bears the fruit of peace, and perhaps a certain wisdom in some ways, but it's also not ignorance, really. In fact, I can argue that cosmology, astrophysics, and other studies, have revealed exceptional detail about all of nature that, fairly, no religious practice has ever revealed. We tend as humans to seek spiritual peace. A foundation that we're comfortable with for those unanswerable items that can perplex us. For some that includes simply eschewing spirituality altogether, but for me I've found at least much of the conceptual notions I've looked at in Buddhism is at least the most satisfying for someone that has no feeling for the existence of a "higher power" external to myself that has the ego to require a specific kind of obeisance in order to bestow blessings. I can appreciate the apparent egoless nature of Buddhism. Hence I will look deeper. But I may also continue to question, including questioning whether there's honestly a way to know if this transfer of teaching can even be verified as understood the same way by the teacher to the student. Assuming that matters, I guess. I tend to see claims...
I have spent my whole life as a zen Buddhist without knowing it... I mean at least in my main thought processes and philosophy that is. Now realizing that there is a whole world of like-minded people I can wait to learn more. Thank you so much for your channel Doug, it has been so incredibly helpful.
That's great to hear Daniel. Fortunately if you are inspired by Zen teaching and practice there are many good places around the world where you can go and find sangha. 🙏
@@lll2282 "corrupted" packs a negative connotation. "Zen" is not a revoicing of "Chan", though the practice is of the same lineage. Zen is the Japanese word for meditation itself. Conflating Buddhism and Yoga is oversimplification to say the least. There was interaction between the Buddha and his native India's Hindu belief systems, but calling Zazen Yoga is like calling English Kione Greek, or calling a cousin by the wrong name because his great great aunt has some similar features.
Anagrams from my name spells it out Daniel Hazelton Waters All zen ET he own a TARDIS All zen DrWho set a net AI He notarize Dan's wallet She tantalize lore dawn Realized who lent Satan
Your presentation was nicely done. As a Zen practitioner of 55 years my approach has been of the Rinzai variety. I've subscribed and look forward to seeing further expositions.
@@lll2282 It is translated, not "corrupted." Chinese and Japanese have different phonology (sound system) from Sanskrit. Chan is an abbreviation of the word chan'na 禪那 which is just the Chinese pronunciation of sanskrit dhyana (pali jhana). The same sutras in the Pali canon were translated into Chinese and have been well preserved for thousands of years.
@@lll2282 The early Chinese translation from Sanskrit had been correct in the North, and was “corrupted” after transmission to the South, particularly area around Guangdong (aka Canton, with differently phonology) where the monumental Sixth Patriarch settled. Apparently, Japanese learnt from there and propagated as Zen to the world.
@@默-c1r The early Chinese translation from Sanskrit had been correct in the North, and was “corrupted” after transmission to the South, particularly area around Guangdong (aka Canton, with differently phonology) where the monumental Sixth Patriarch settled. Apparently, Japanese learnt from there and propagated as Zen to the world.
The instructions are clear. When you *think* you've become able to perceive the Buddha nature, strike down the thought, the perception, and the misconception will follow.
Thanks Doug. This was an excellent explanation of Zen inasmuch as it can be described. When the fifth patriarch asked the monks to submit a poem about their realization of their original nature (Buddha Nature), the main contender wrote about cleaning the mirror of the mind. Hui Neng, an uneducated kitchen worker, responded by writing that, since all is empty from the beginning, the mirror doesn't exist. He was chosen as the sixth patriarch, We can easily lose ourselves in the complexity of philosophy when the answers are a lot simpler than some of us realize. The Taoist approach of Wu Wei, effortless action, is like a river flowing around a rock without trying to force it out of the way. The rock eventually crumbles even though the water is softer than it. There was no specific time when I saw that my path moved through Tao into Zen. The awareness dawned gradually and felt more like realizing that I was at home. If I could pass on any understanding, it would be about letting go.
Thanks for your reply. You're right. This is in the Platform Sutra but I believe I first discovered it in a book of Zen quotations leading me to investigate further,. One translation gives the full account as follows. Shenxiu: The body is the bodhi tree, The mind is like a bright mirror’s stand. Be always diligent in rubbing it Do not let it attract any dust. Huineng: Bodhi is fundamentally without any tree; The bright mirror is also not a stand. Fundamentally there is not a single thing Where could any dust be attracted. McRae 2008
John Mc Rae was a linguist and historian and followed DT Suzuki's rendition and a later ed. of the Platform Sura. You can read the earliest (Tun-huang ed.) in English by Yampolsky, Columbia Univ. press., which appears to be embellished in a number of interesting ways. Instead of `From the beginning, nothing exists,' the Tun-huang text has two different verses: 1. 'Original nature is originally clean and pure. Where is there room for dust?' 2. ' The mirror is originally clean and pure. Where can it be stained by dust.? (p.132) The problem is that `from the beginning not one thing exists' indicates the Lankavatara view of linguistic transcendence which Shen-hsiu's verse extols. What if the whole Platform Sutra is a Prajna-paramita response to the Yogacarins. Alohas and keep up the good work.@@martynsnan
I'm super new to Buddhism and Zen Buddhism to be more specific and there's so much information which can sometimes be overwhelming because one can never know where to start but your channel has definatley been of so much help for me as a beginer and to kind of guide my way into this beautiful practice. Thank you so much Doug, i'm sending you love from Mexico.
You should thank india from where zen Buddhism originated and culturally dominated over china and Japan 😂😂 Bodhidharma was the founder of zen Buddhism. He was a pallava king from South india
I am Soto. I short circuit my mind by choice when I sit and allow myself to be aware of everything happening. And when I don’t sit. I see conflict and paradox. It educates me as I observe.
Because our bla, bla, bla at the very end does not matter at all, it is entertaining. I want to join the entertainment with my story, here it goes. What happened to "I", back on 1992, Jan. 15th.,, 12:15am, had very little to do with sazen or koans. Masterless all my life, the pencil falled off my hand and made a tinny black point on a A4 sheet of paper. Looking at it, the sense of me dissapeared (it was a bodily sensation), the walls of the kitchen were illuminated from inside, the cat was peacefully sleeping in front of the gas stove, I was the stove the cat and the mat, and the water within a very difuse me was boiling ready for a coffee cup. Cold, boundless, amazed, surprised, in dissbelief, JOY!, "I was not there where this body used to be (seating in a chair), I was everywhere and this human body was as here as the refrigerator or the table, the walls were made of golden light, and there was a sensation of being expanded to the size of the entire infinite universe (have no words, sorry). Later that night all the koans written in the Mumonkan were solved with a single stroke of understanding/experience, and the sensation was that no Zen master, philosopher, professor or whoever could have make me doubt my solutions (not answers) to the koans. Later I started to study neurology, but until now I do not have any rational explanation for the experience. It did change my entire life, I was reborn into the same body/mind, however to be "reborn" is a feeling that I find impossible to describe, perhaps it could be put as a giantic wave o nothingness that washes away all the constructions built through the years in your mind, utter devastation. The experience did not protect me from loosing my entire fortune in the hands of crooks, falling into clinical depression, suicidal thoughts, and 7 years of mental illness (not a thought of Zen). Now I am very glad I had all these maladies and horrible hardships. I live completely alone, have a roof, food in my plate, and rolling tobacco, internet and what more could I possibly ask for...I am the owner of my entire creation, very contented with my life. If you pound at my door, To ask me a question, Please give me sometime, To realize that, I am inside, ha, ha, ha.
Maybe you've already done it but I think it would be interesting to have a video that compares different types of Buddhist meditation. Currently I practice with a Zen group and I do Zazen daily. But in the past I have practiced Vipassana, Anapanasati, Metta & Shamata. When I do Zazen my practice is informed by the other practices I have done, especially the first two. I'm not even sure that Shamata is a practice itself or just the result of practicing mindfulness though I have been told that both mindfulness of breath and Metta Bhavana are forms of Shamata. But the way I practice Zen meditation includes mindfulness of the breath but doesn't have the tight focus on the breath that I have had when practicing Anapanasati, so it's more of a broad awareness of feeling, perception, sensory experience, & mental formations (thoughts) as they come and go. I find that if I practice for long periods like an hour or so, sometimes even just a short thirty minute sit, it is almost like experiencing a jhana in that there can arise a kind of bliss and feeling of expanded consciousness. The bliss is more subtle than the bliss I have experienced during the few times that I have attained the first jhana but I actually prefer it because I don't experience the craving for it that became a problem for me when working with the jhanas.
Awakening in Zen in relationship to practice, in both Soto and Rinzai, is illustrated by the story of Chiyono, a servant at a nunnery who experienced enlightenment when the bottom fell out of a bucket of water she was drawing at a well. Without the repeated practice of drawing water that gradually wore out the bucket, there never would have been this "sudden" awakening when the bottom fell out.
Most people are caught in the words of it all and actually think by spouting cliche sayings they " know" something, these comments are full of such frauds. Anyone that thinks they've gained wisdom from Zen is an idiot.
Bodhidarman the pallava dynasty prince from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu of india left to China in 5 ad and introduced chang buddism we have memorable temple for him in Kanchipuram
It is super powerful when combining Zen practices with understanding of the Tao, they complement each other and in my humble opinion gives a person deeper meaning in the emptiness.
Super informative, Doug. Great to get these overviews of the various incarnations of Buddhism. You've such an engaging and accessible style of delivery - awesome work!
Thank for content on tantric practises in vajrayana budhism which is similar to sadanas in veda or which is simlar to magical , which hopefully should turn a someone to much superior being , well can anyone practise and achieve these ,will sucess tantras even practised under guided masters who already possess does it depends on our efficiency in personal profession job or day to day trade or how we handle life
Thanks for this video. I was originally drawn to Zen through the appreciation of the paintings, poems and mostly the idea of direct perception/going beyond abstractions and seeing without distortion. But for me I eventually needed to pursue Buddha’s teaching as well such as seeing and not using unskillful thoughts. To me Zen is a magical idea but Buddha’s instruction brought the necessary practical instruction/application....
It seems to me that 4 paths are offered (1) direct transmission of wisdom through a long lineage' - seems kinda elitist and artificial to me (2) koans to discombobulate our normal language and logic - Wittgenstein would agree (3) meditation to quiet the monkey mind; can be in an active form such as archery, painting etc. and my personal favorite path (4) there is nothing we have to do - a mountain is still a mountain as per the song - awakening either happens or it does not for you, spontaneously our ego was the obstacle all along. Some people will remain asleep while the eternal dance plays out. Oh - BTW - Zen is the most highly evolved form of Buddhism in my opinion (empty your cup, no ego, be quiet, awaken, live simply, order, peace, decisive action, just do it etc.) - no metaphysical baloney. Its as though the long journey from India to Japan filtered out the mythological and otherworldliness stuff from the parent religion - Hinduism - stuff that we don't need. Thanks for the video!
Sounds good Anthony, each of us has to find our own way ahead with the dharma, so it's good that there are many different approaches available to us. Zen is one I have also found very appealing.
I lived in Japan I my teen years, and knew a very prominent Zen Buddhist priest, he was so kind, he tried to teach me to meditate but I was such a religious Catholic, I was too scared to learn. I regret till now, at 67! I’m so glad to listen to you! Thank you!
I spent 3 years training in a Zen monastery to be a monk. Yet, until I watched your video I had no solid concept of the differences between the Soto and Rinzai schools. (And so you've ruined my pure Buddha mind with your wretched concepts! Raca! Thou fool!) We were given koan practice when the teacher felt us individually ready, and sat meditation multiple times daily... But I suppose the fact that I didn't know the difference between the two, augers for our practice falling more on the Soto side of Zen. Still, we found things to bicker about. It just wasn't the nature of the self.
😄Apologies roninpawn! Well I'm glad to have cleared that up for you, and meanwhile yes, there is always way too much to bicker about, no matter the tradition. 🙂
Excellent, informative talk. In the late '70's I entered a famous Zen Center for an introductory teaching. While it was interesting, the rigidity turned me off. (Ah, the beginning of cherry-picking.) Vipassana awaited. Thank you, Doug, as always.
Very lucid and educative video. I think I will listen to it a second and a third time and maybe even more often. Of course it's completely conceptual. It is, as far as Zen is concerned, non-Zen. Isn't this already an indirect explanation "why so many words are spilled about Zen"? I practice the non-conceptual Soto. When I am asked: "What actually is Zen?" I usually reply "It is a physical exercise where you sit and breathe." A religion or philosophy or worldview should, in my opinion, be as accessible as possible to everyone. What is more simple than just sitting? "Just sitting and breathing" has in itself the appearance of a koan. Because it is a very hard thing to do. For a "starter" it comes down to a riddle and you do not find an answer easily. You are told to "just" do something you certainly cannot do. It takes a lot of effort and discipline and strong will to advance with this simple effortless thing - which is among other things a "contradiction" (which it actually is not). This "koan" - I think I may compare it to a koan - is incorporated into our lives the moment we start meditating. I find it more attractive than an "artificial question" without a solution. Though in the end there is no real difference between the two paths. I do not see it.
Enjoy your life. Do grand and wonderful things but don’t put any meaning on it. In the end it doesn’t matter. We are not trees rooted to the ground. Humans are strong and mobile creatures doing human things. You are it
Again a great video. One of the things I love in buddhism is that with all the very differents school with their differents approachs, everybody can find something that will suit him. And finally, even though the doctrines are a little different the results are the same, a better life. Thank you for all your great teachings I like your particular point of view on buddhism. May you continue this channel a long time.
I truly appreciate your videos on the Jhanas and formless realms which are difficult for me to imagine with respect to what is the being/mind who inhabits that realm. We study these in Abhidharma and Abhisamayalankara of Asanga-Maitreya and the translations into English aren’t very lucid. I’m sorry I can’t support your great work as I’m in India and don’t have foreign exchange payment possibilities right now. Just wanted to express my gratitude to you. Joya Roy, New Delhi
Great video ! Will recommend to my friends. Btw dharma in chinese is 法 fa. Dao道 stands for the way, strictly speaking I think dao translates to Marga/magga in Sanskrit/Pali?
Thanks again for yet another great explanatory video. I also 'kind of' started out with Zen...but, quickly shifted focus to Theravada since I also found it to be too confusing. I still have tried to get a grip of Zen, even after switching to Theravada...but to no avail! I don't want to offend anyone - but I must admit that I have come to the conclusion that all the schools that crossed into China as well as all the ones that grew out and migrated from there more or less have been crossfertilized with other native religions/philosophies, such as for ex. Confucianism and Daoism. So much so that it to me at least have become too 'foreign' to be able to grasp. Also, I guess it doesn't really agree with my temperament - such as for ex.: I have always struggled with a rather 'crippling' tendency towards perfectionism. And particularly Zen, even though the Zen gardens and temples are very beautiful and seems like very serene places - as far as I've been able to gather at least, the practices within those temples seem to be very stylized and perfectionist. Which I believe is something that I need to 'fight against' rather than embrace - despite, or perhaps rather because it would agree too much with my ingrained personality. Either way, great and informative video - as always! And, even though Zen practice might not be for me, at least not for now - I want to thank you for the tip on the books on Zen. (since I still like to read about both the history and development of Buddhism...and who know - maybe someday I'll be able to better understand the tradition...you never know! ;-) )
Perfectionism and such-as-ness is two sides of the same coin - abandoning duality may be your awakening 😉 But also Alan Watts’ essays speak on this topic. To achieve Zen’s accidental perfection paradoxically requires years of training and expertise.
I practice mostly in a Theravadan way, but I've long had a weird relationship with Zen. Serious Zen makes sense to me: Mu is *this.* The answer is always given, always immediate, never hidden, never separate. Even the question, "What is Mu?" is itself an answer. It really is a gateless gate and all one can do is laugh the first time they solve it. It's literally that which cannot be simpler, and yet your deluded mind has been searching for this thing that was never lost, often for years. That's truly hilarious. Perhaps I don't understand Zen beyond this surface acknowledgement of the primacy of consciousness and the wrongness of views about self and perhaps there's something deeper still. That said I found little in the way of liberation from suffering in Zen. I still suffer from all my sankaras. I still have the fetter of restlessness. I still, albeit subconsciously, act as if an "I" exists. I've since turned to very serious, four hours a day of Theravada practice with the aim of fourth jhana or bust, followed by vipassana. Yet, I can't help but accept there's something to Zen that seems effective, even if the rest of Mahayana practice just seems like a mess.
Yes, I think practice is very individual. For some of us, at some times in our lives, a practice makes sense or touches us in the right way, while for others it doesn't.
@@akuso99 Ya, I'm not up for playing this language game. Using the word "I" is no indication of one's experiences and attainments. Why the aggressive tone?
Thanks for the vid! I'm here for school, but I'm also personally very interested in zen buddhism and shintoism. This video was very clear and understandable about what can be a complex set of ideas.
I'm not a Zen practitioner...I consider myself more of a Pan-Buddhist, at least at this point in my life, but I see why Zen has the immediate awakening concept at it's center inasmuch as it may seem less prevalent in early Buddhism, it has to be said, that most of the story's like the story of Khamaka you reference in another vid always end with "immediate awakening" after some lesson. FWIW.
Oh for sure shawn, there are people who awaken "instantly" in the early texts too. In most cases though I think we are to assume they had a long period of practice beforehand that led up to their awakening. The same can be said of Zen as well, though in early Buddhism that practice was largely (not entirely) cognitive.
Thanks for the video. That is concise, and precisely brings out the subject. Even in Early Buddhism, the enlightenment is sudden, for instance, Sariputta’s realization of Dhamma. (Though the practice is gradual, but the end-result is unthinkable, which implies whatever occurring in one’s left brain is wrong.) The Buddha defined Dhamma (in D16 mirror of dhamma) as having the properties of “visible here and now, timeless,” and also “onward leading.” Zen master symbolized the last property as a finger pointing towards the moon. Disciples must not stick to the finger and takes it as the moon itself. Zen Buddhism might have more sameness in essence to Early Buddhism than people usually think.
Yeah, Dogen’s nothing to do is difficult. It’s almost as if Zen is the evolution of what Buddha’s teaching but the logical conclusion where since good and bad are also ideas, then there are no mistakes per si.
All of Buddhism is based upon an insight into pure Mind or Spirit before thinking and thought dominate. This has parallels with quantum mechanics. This pure Mind is like superposition before measurement arises and we see a world before us that is nevertheless an illusory world. Zen (dhyāna) is about direct intuition of pure Mind. Without it Buddhism doesn't make sense nor do the koans which defy an intellectual unlocking or the same a discursive approach.
To kill the buddha, is to kill an idea, and come to the realization that there is no external buddha. A woman visited a Zen master, and she noted that there were no pictures, or statues of Buddha. She points it out. The Zen master replies "Yes, I have a picture of the Buddha, it hangs on the wall over there, behind the drapery." The woman goes there, and pulls back the drapery, and on the wall hangs a mirror.
Excellent and enlightening video experience. Zen art, calligraphy and aesthetics are , indeed, incredibly beautiful. Definitely want to watch your video on that. I am so glad that I found your channel!
I have been writing a paper about non-conceptual awakening in Zen Buddhism for a religions class i’m in. This video had been very helpful and allowed me to gain an understanding of Zen Buddhism that has helped me in my research. Thank you so much for making such a clear and concise video about this deep and rich philosophical tradition.
I did practice Zen and like it, but the hidden dharma transmission contradict the original words and teachings of Shakyamuni in the Pali canon. After studying the early Buddism history and the original words of the Buddha in the Pali canon, I found that Mahayana teachings contradict the true Budddha teachings, and no longer follow Mahayana. Most of the fake Mahayana sutra (Amitabha Pure Land sutra, Shurangma sutra, Avatamsaka sutra, etc...) were created 500 to 1000 years after the Buddha enter nibbana. They contain plenty of vedic Hindu practices and beliefs. For example, reciting mantras and not eating garlic / onion... Hmmm, why did the Buddha pass on contradicting teachings after entering nibbana over 500 years?
Yes, Zen can be a wonderful practice. While it's true that many of the later teachings are distinct from the earliest ones, so long as they pursue a path of non-attachment, reducing greed, hatred, and ignorance they are on the right path.
such a great video! i am learning much more on Mahayana Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. What my main problem is now is what i should approach, Mahayana or Zen? i recently started doing Zazen for the past day and it felt great and very tough to get used to. You are right, i am drawn onto the aesthetic of Zen, its history, and its influence with Taoism. But i am starting to question which i should follow, Mahayana Buddhism or Zen? more importantly, does it really matter? my family wont accept me for my journey onto Buddhism and Buddhist lifestyle, so i am practicing in secret and individually. so far, your videos helped me a lot with understanding Buddhism and i am grateful, thank you Doug!
if you want the mystery of everything solved then i urge you to use the i chings coin method. remember life is far more odd then we realise and know what? ill just let you ask the coin what is answering you. be mindful and take the buddhas advice and be ready for a shock.
It's also important to remember that although shikantaza is the main practice of Soto, other techniques are used as well, both meditation-wise or not, like koans (which are not as used as in rizai, but are used too)
It is easier to give up notions than it is to crush a flower that lies in the palm of your hands the latter requires effort. ( yoga vasistha). Its all about effortless effort . 'You are not the doer of any action why then do you assume doership." But seeing yourself self as a non doer you are doing nothing and hence become a doer. You are not learning any concepts nor are you practicing any Dharma all that appears in your "perception" is that of the independent observer. Again I see no ambiguity or conflict in the teachings but truth will always seem paradoxical like dual nature of light or the electro. When the truth is reached then one can go beyond the jugglery of words. I think the Diamond Sutra explains it beautifully
Thank you for a great video! I started exploring Daoist philosophy a couple of years ago, which has lead me to further explore Zen Buddhism. Your video provided a lot of great context to help a beginner, like me, to understand nuances with which I've been struggling. I've been trying to locate a places in my region that teach Zen Buddhism in order to start my further learning, but i wasn't sure if they fit me. Your video helped me to immediately understand some of the differences in the organizations that I've found. I do have a couple of lingering questions though. Are teachings of the Soto and Rinzai sects fairly compartmentalized from one another? Do the teachings of the respective sects overlap enough where a Soto student can have fellowship with a Rinzai student? I realize it may be a strange question since meditation is central to both. The closest analogy that I can think of is the contentiousness between Christian denominations; is that a thing in Zen Buddhism?
Hi David and thanks for the question. Unfortunately it’s not one I can answer easily. I imagine it will differ from center to center, how much overlap you might find. That said I doubt you would for example get Kōan training in a Sōtō center. I haven’t heard of real contentiousness between US Zen centers, though I would also imagine each one feels it has the true interpretation of the practice. Generalities won’t help you though. I’m afraid the only way forward is to go to your local centers and feel them out. Ask questions, and see how you relate to the people who practice there. I hope you find one to your liking! 🙏
I very much enjoyed this video, and I very much enjoyed the one you did that was a brief look at the three schools of Buddhism. As time has gone by, of all the Buddhist literature I’ve read, I’ve found myself more and more sort of subconsciously creating a hybrid of secular Theravada (simplicity of early Buddhist message and practice) with Dogen’s direct experiential approach to tearing down concept and rationality without other Mahayanan elements. I’m not sure how I arrived at that point, I just sort of realized it one day. So…. I like Theravadan simplicity combined with Zen’s “let’s break it and see if you’re still standing” challenge in the Dogan style, if that makes sense.
Sure, that makes sense to me, I'm drawn to similar routes. What's most important is that you find a congenial approach that works for you, whether it's a mixture of other ideas or not.
Thank you for such an insightful video! I first got into Zen Buddhism from thich nhat hanh but then got into the depths with Alan Watts’ book. I am still trying to reconcile the Buddhist precepts with Dao’s wu-wei wu-wai and general immoral stance. I would love to hear your take!
Hi. I just discovered a zen buddhist temple in my hometown of Detroit Michigan.... I am planning to make a visit there soon. Looking forward to my first visit. Once again thank you so much for your videos. They are very informative. Be well.
Well. Practicing Zen Buddhism is actually practicing the Pacceka Buddha's path. One who enlightens without definition and ends up without definition. He comes to know but in fact he can't share a single knowledge what he knows. He has knowledge but limited in the core of itself. It's not useful to help others, without definitions. Learn about Three Types of buddhas and you'll find it. Don't follow anything blindly. Pacceka Buddha is unable to teach a single word.
Doug, You're awesome! I'm new to the channel. The way you explain things is inspiring. I am very much drawn into Zen/Taoism myself, having always been fascinated by Buddhism since I was a teenager. Recently I've been making some changes in my own life which I've somehow ended up here! It's all new to me, your channel is really helpful, its helping me understand the background and concepts nicely. Thank You.
Thank you for the great explanation! Could you recommend any video on the differences between Daoism and Buddhism, or even make a video of your own eventually?
@@DougsDharma Yes! I would love to listen to your teachings on Taoism. It would also be interesting if you could compare and contrast early Buddhism or Secular Buddhism with Taoism. Thanks for your videos!
Your use of the word 'right' for concepts such as right view, is a little awkward, especially in a post-Christian culture such as the West. 'Right' implies the opposite of 'wrong' and in traditional Western Christian culture also implies an absolute. I am told that many of the earliest Western translations of Buddhist terms were made by people relying on dictionaries produced by Christian missionaries. These Christian missionaries held Victorian, Protestant, rather tight conceptual views on such subjects. I've experimented with a variety of words in place of 'right', such as 'appropriate', 'functional', 'supportive', etc.
Well "right" and "wrong" pretty much are the standard translations of these concepts. I think some people prefer other translations that have fewer resonances with concepts in other religions that they find distasteful, and that's fine. But in Buddhism the idea of right and wrong is pretty fundamental and universal. That said, if you prefer "appropriate/inappropriate" or "skillful/unskillful" (which is one idea I rely on a lot), then go for it.
I am currently in Luoyang, China. I went to the white Horse temple yesterday and Shaolin temple. If you're into Chan/Zen Buddhism, you should go there...
I have had a fun- friendly relationship with Buddhism, it's amazing. Zen has kind of ruined it for me. I can't comprehend it. I love Buddhism and the Dhammapada and the Tao but I don't know what happened after that. Zen is too complexed for me.
Good job Doug.You explained the essential points of zen and its influence in culture(mainly Japanese but not Chinese) may it be art, decor, etc.I still have Buddhists telling me Zen(from China) is about Samatha and Vipassana:( But your Treatises of 2 Entries and 4 Practices are not widely known in China zen anymore.. "Viewing the Phrase"" is much widely used instead since some 900 years ago.
Thanks happylum. I'm not surprised that the Treatise on Two Entries and Four Practices isn't widely known anymore. I'd never heard of it before doing research on Ch'an/Zen history. It seems to have been a text that played a central role in Ch'an/Zen's early development but may then have fallen somewhat out of sight.
When I studied zen w were told the Lankaravatara Sutra was used to teach by Bodhidharma himself. The tradition went on till the 5th patriarch Hong Ren. From then zen school uses he Diamond sutra instead. But once you get into sutras, its in a way no longer zen, because zen is supposedly ""beyond the 3 baskets of the Buddha's teachings"". It offers a direct recognition or realization of the nature things beyond words - much like to Buddha and Mahakashapa's Ko-an. Sutras are merely used to ""verify"" the level of realization the practitioner went through - never as a source for realization, especially in zen. Even the zen master himself is just a authority to verify the student's realization. The idea of ""transmission"" is never like in Vajrayana, whereby the teacher can bless and somewhat transmit his realization to his student and the student must have great faith in his teacher. In zen, sometimes the student would even mock the teacher:)
Do you have a background in Christian theology? You use a lot of terminology that is familiar to me, like navel gazing, ecumenical, "both/and", and several others. I've actually found it helpful, but I couldn't help but be curious if these phrases are commonly used in Buddhist studies, or are a reflection of your own exposure to Catholic studies. Big fan, thanks for your work!
Thanks Bennigan! My background is in philosophy though I did do some philosophy of religion as well as religious studies and Buddhist studies. So I imagine the terminology is shared! 😄
This is an excellent expository teaching on Zen,concepts that I couldn't understand before have been made crystal clear,tq so much Dr.Doug. Richard D CRUZ,Malaysia.
Really well done video, you are a wise and educated man. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. It seems very un-Zen like to have to choose between two paths to find awakening, which should simply be a pathless path through a gateless gate. But maybe that’s just me. ;)
I want to your whatsapp number please brother contact me... I am ramesh from india. My education is LLB. Now i am advocate in bangalore.. I have more study about buddhism... I love buddhism and i need more information about buddha dhamma... Please
Check out my new free-mini course and other courses on early Buddhism, at onlinedharma.org/
I'm looking into this, and I've done this before. One of my personal bugaboo's in the "nonconceptual" learning. Holding up a flower, and having this one person "get it," then he transfers this "get it" moment forward, and so on. My issue, this is not really verifiable. Person one's "teaching" may not be person two's "understanding," just a assumption of what it might be. If it really is a learning at all, or just the adoption of a practice without true transfer of substantive awakening. I wonder if you've ever read Tom Robbin's "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas." He has a few interesting, and I considered to be somewhat enlightening, takes on a koan or two, without being insulting btw.
Now, I don't know if it's just clumsy nomenclature to try and translate into English words what the consideration of our "pre-enlightenment" state is, though it is pretty roundly maligned as ignorance. Maybe that's fair to say we're somehow ignorant of this one notion of Buddha nature, however it doesn't always come across that way. Thinking in conceptual terms has resulted in cures to disease and afflictions, along with many other advances to improve the human condition. Now, you can argue there are negative conditions that all this has contributed to, but we do live longer with less disease, and fewer people go hungry, than was experienced by generations past. It might not be this pinnacle of enlightenment that bears the fruit of peace, and perhaps a certain wisdom in some ways, but it's also not ignorance, really. In fact, I can argue that cosmology, astrophysics, and other studies, have revealed exceptional detail about all of nature that, fairly, no religious practice has ever revealed.
We tend as humans to seek spiritual peace. A foundation that we're comfortable with for those unanswerable items that can perplex us. For some that includes simply eschewing spirituality altogether, but for me I've found at least much of the conceptual notions I've looked at in Buddhism is at least the most satisfying for someone that has no feeling for the existence of a "higher power" external to myself that has the ego to require a specific kind of obeisance in order to bestow blessings. I can appreciate the apparent egoless nature of Buddhism. Hence I will look deeper. But I may also continue to question, including questioning whether there's honestly a way to know if this transfer of teaching can even be verified as understood the same way by the teacher to the student. Assuming that matters, I guess. I tend to see claims...
Q
I have spent my whole life as a zen Buddhist without knowing it... I mean at least in my main thought processes and philosophy that is. Now realizing that there is a whole world of like-minded people I can wait to learn more. Thank you so much for your channel Doug, it has been so incredibly helpful.
That's great to hear Daniel. Fortunately if you are inspired by Zen teaching and practice there are many good places around the world where you can go and find sangha. 🙏
Zen is corrupted Sanskrit word dhyan which when went to China becomes Chan and Zen in Japan. It a meditative yoga practice of ancient Indian temples.
@@lll2282 "corrupted" packs a negative connotation. "Zen" is not a revoicing of "Chan", though the practice is of the same lineage. Zen is the Japanese word for meditation itself.
Conflating Buddhism and Yoga is oversimplification to say the least. There was interaction between the Buddha and his native India's Hindu belief systems, but calling Zazen Yoga is like calling English Kione Greek, or calling a cousin by the wrong name because his great great aunt has some similar features.
@@lll2282 little knowledge is a dangerous thing😁😅
Anagrams from my name spells it out
Daniel Hazelton Waters
All zen ET he own a TARDIS
All zen DrWho set a net AI
He notarize Dan's wallet
She tantalize lore dawn
Realized who lent Satan
Rays of light all around
A squirrel passes by
Does not care about Doug
😄 In general the squirrels don't care much about me. 😄
Rays of light all around
A squirrel passes by
Does not care about Cheyo
It was a zen squirrel
yo noice
Your presentation was nicely done. As a Zen practitioner of 55 years my approach has been of the Rinzai variety. I've subscribed and look forward to seeing further expositions.
Thanks for your kind comment, I hope you enjoy the other videos as well!
Zen is corrupted Sanskrit word dhyan which when went to China becomes Chan and Zen in Japan. It a meditative yoga practice of ancient Indian temples.
@@lll2282 It is translated, not "corrupted." Chinese and Japanese have different phonology (sound system) from Sanskrit. Chan is an abbreviation of the word chan'na 禪那 which is just the Chinese pronunciation of sanskrit dhyana (pali jhana). The same sutras in the Pali canon were translated into Chinese and have been well preserved for thousands of years.
@@lll2282 The early Chinese translation from Sanskrit had been correct in the North, and was “corrupted” after transmission to the South, particularly area around Guangdong (aka Canton, with differently phonology) where the monumental Sixth Patriarch settled. Apparently, Japanese learnt from there and propagated as Zen to the world.
@@默-c1r The early Chinese translation from Sanskrit had been correct in the North, and was “corrupted” after transmission to the South, particularly area around Guangdong (aka Canton, with differently phonology) where the monumental Sixth Patriarch settled. Apparently, Japanese learnt from there and propagated as Zen to the world.
"If you see the Buddha on the road, kill the Buddha."
- Well, that escalated quickly.
😄
It just means if you come across a video on RUclips about the Buddha or Buddhism, you should disconnect from the internet.
You, sir, are the king of comments! :D :D
《金剛經》云：「若以色見我．以音聲求我．是人行邪道．不能見如來」
The instructions are clear. When you *think* you've become able to perceive the Buddha nature, strike down the thought, the perception, and the misconception will follow.
The best summary of Zen I've ever come across - comprehensive and clear.
Thanks Mike! Yeah I was trying to make the kind of intro that I would have wanted but couldn’t find.
Zen itself is anything but comprehensive and clear lol
Thanks Doug. This was an excellent explanation of Zen inasmuch as it can be described.
When the fifth patriarch asked the monks to submit a poem about their realization of their original nature (Buddha Nature), the main contender wrote about cleaning the mirror of the mind. Hui Neng, an uneducated kitchen worker, responded by writing that, since all is empty from the beginning, the mirror doesn't exist. He was chosen as the sixth patriarch, We can easily lose ourselves in the complexity of philosophy when the answers are a lot simpler than some of us realize.
The Taoist approach of Wu Wei, effortless action, is like a river flowing around a rock without trying to force it out of the way. The rock eventually crumbles even though the water is softer than it. There was no specific time when I saw that my path moved through Tao into Zen. The awareness dawned gradually and felt more like realizing that I was at home. If I could pass on any understanding, it would be about letting go.
Thanks for your insights, Martyn's Nan. Yes, it is quite subtle and interesting isn't it. 🙂
Thanks for your reply. You're right. This is in the Platform Sutra but I believe I first discovered it in a book of Zen quotations leading me to investigate further,. One translation gives the full account as follows.
Shenxiu:
The body is the bodhi tree,
The mind is like a bright mirror’s stand.
Be always diligent in rubbing it
Do not let it attract any dust.
Huineng:
Bodhi is fundamentally without any tree;
The bright mirror is also not a stand.
Fundamentally there is not a single thing
Where could any dust be attracted.
McRae 2008
" Be like water "
Bruce Lee
@Rock Python Maybe that's why "they "
killed him ....
John Mc Rae was a linguist and historian and followed DT Suzuki's rendition and a later ed. of the Platform Sura. You can read the earliest (Tun-huang ed.) in English by Yampolsky, Columbia Univ. press., which appears to be embellished in a number of interesting ways. Instead of `From the beginning, nothing exists,' the Tun-huang text has two different verses: 1. 'Original nature is originally clean and pure. Where is there room for dust?' 2. ' The mirror is originally clean and pure. Where can it be stained by dust.? (p.132) The problem is that `from the beginning not one thing exists' indicates the Lankavatara view of linguistic transcendence which Shen-hsiu's verse extols. What if the whole Platform Sutra is a Prajna-paramita response to the Yogacarins. Alohas and keep up the good work.@@martynsnan
I'm super new to Buddhism and Zen Buddhism to be more specific and there's so much information which can sometimes be overwhelming because one can never know where to start but your channel has definatley been of so much help for me as a beginer and to kind of guide my way into this beautiful practice. Thank you so much Doug, i'm sending you love from Mexico.
So glad to hear it, thanks for your comment. Mexico is beautiful!
You should thank india from where zen Buddhism originated and culturally dominated over china and Japan 😂😂
Bodhidharma was the founder of zen Buddhism.
He was a pallava king from South india
@@xijinping9024 👋
I am Soto. I short circuit my mind by choice when I sit and allow myself to be aware of everything happening. And when I don’t sit. I see conflict and paradox. It educates me as I observe.
Thanks Gregory, yes that fits my experience with Zen meditation as well.
Because our bla, bla, bla at the very end does not matter at all, it is entertaining. I want to join the entertainment with my story, here it goes.
What happened to "I", back on 1992, Jan. 15th.,, 12:15am, had very little to do with sazen or koans. Masterless all my life, the pencil falled off my hand and made a tinny black point on a A4 sheet of paper. Looking at it, the sense of me dissapeared (it was a bodily sensation), the walls of the kitchen were illuminated from inside, the cat was peacefully sleeping in front of the gas stove, I was the stove the cat and the mat, and the water within a very difuse me was boiling ready for a coffee cup. Cold, boundless, amazed, surprised, in dissbelief, JOY!, "I was not there where this body used to be (seating in a chair), I was everywhere and this human body was as here as the refrigerator or the table, the walls were made of golden light, and there was a sensation of being expanded to the size of the entire infinite universe (have no words, sorry). Later that night all the koans written in the Mumonkan were solved with a single stroke of understanding/experience, and the sensation was that no Zen master, philosopher, professor or whoever could have make me doubt my solutions (not answers) to the koans.
Later I started to study neurology, but until now I do not have
any rational explanation for the experience.
It did change my entire life, I was reborn into the same body/mind,
however to be "reborn" is a feeling that I find impossible to describe,
perhaps it could be put as a giantic wave o nothingness that washes away
all the constructions built through the years in your mind, utter devastation.
The experience did not protect me from loosing my entire fortune in the hands of crooks, falling into clinical depression, suicidal thoughts, and 7 years of mental illness (not a thought of Zen).
Now I am very glad I had all these maladies and horrible hardships. I live completely alone, have a roof, food in my plate, and rolling tobacco, internet and what more could I possibly ask for...I am the owner of my entire creation, very contented with my life.
If you pound at my door,
To ask me a question,
Please give me sometime,
To realize that,
I am inside, ha, ha, ha.
Thanks very much for your thoughts!
Maybe you've already done it but I think it would be interesting to have a video that compares different types of Buddhist meditation. Currently I practice with a Zen group and I do Zazen daily. But in the past I have practiced Vipassana, Anapanasati, Metta & Shamata. When I do Zazen my practice is informed by the other practices I have done, especially the first two. I'm not even sure that Shamata is a practice itself or just the result of practicing mindfulness though I have been told that both mindfulness of breath and Metta Bhavana are forms of Shamata. But the way I practice Zen meditation includes mindfulness of the breath but doesn't have the tight focus on the breath that I have had when practicing Anapanasati, so it's more of a broad awareness of feeling, perception, sensory experience, & mental formations (thoughts) as they come and go. I find that if I practice for long periods like an hour or so, sometimes even just a short thirty minute sit, it is almost like experiencing a jhana in that there can arise a kind of bliss and feeling of expanded consciousness. The bliss is more subtle than the bliss I have experienced during the few times that I have attained the first jhana but I actually prefer it because I don't experience the craving for it that became a problem for me when working with the jhanas.
Great, yes. I've done a number of videos comparing different sorts of meditation, but there's always room for more. I'll put it on the list! 🙏
2:42 The chipmunk/squirrel came to say Hi! I hope you all are having a great day. Thanks for the nice video as well!
Ha! Yes thanks Don, that's a red squirrel, they like to come around and chat from time to time. 😄
I found your channel now😢 it's really great
Namo Buddhay ☸️🙏
Thanks and welcome!
Zen is corrupted Sanskrit word dhyan which when went to China becomes Chan and Zen in Japan. It a meditative yoga practice of ancient Indian temples.
Awakening in Zen in relationship to practice, in both Soto and Rinzai, is illustrated by the story of Chiyono, a servant at a nunnery who experienced enlightenment when the bottom fell out of a bucket of water she was drawing at a well. Without the repeated practice of drawing water that gradually wore out the bucket, there never would have been this "sudden" awakening when the bottom fell out.
Yes in that sense, "sudden" is really gradual. I did a video on that difference here: ruclips.net/video/p0tI1ZjiIQ4/видео.html
Kindness is not a typical quality of Zen masters. Their speech is harsh.
Interesting observation. Yes, Zen masters have the reputation of being severe. Though severity doesn't preclude kindness.
Most people are caught in the words of it all and actually think by spouting cliche sayings they " know" something, these comments are full of such frauds. Anyone that thinks they've gained wisdom from Zen is an idiot.
Bodhidarman the pallava dynasty prince from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu of india left to China in 5 ad and introduced chang buddism we have memorable temple for him in Kanchipuram
It is super powerful when combining Zen practices with understanding of the Tao, they complement each other and in my humble opinion gives a person deeper meaning in the emptiness.
Super informative, Doug. Great to get these overviews of the various incarnations of Buddhism. You've such an engaging and accessible style of delivery - awesome work!
Very kind of you to say Jorri, thanks for watching! 🙏
Blessing from Nepal, Land of Himalayas and Birth Place of Gautam Buddha. (Lumbini).
Lovin the flow and spirit brother -keep up the great work -this truly helps make the world a better place
Thanks Idrissa! I hope so. 🙏
Thank for content on tantric practises in vajrayana budhism which is similar to sadanas in veda or which is simlar to magical , which hopefully should turn a someone to much superior being , well can anyone practise and achieve these ,will sucess tantras even practised under guided masters who already possess does it depends on our efficiency in personal profession job or day to day trade or how we handle life
Thanks for this video. I was originally drawn to Zen through the appreciation of the paintings, poems and mostly the idea of direct perception/going beyond abstractions and seeing without distortion. But for me I eventually needed to pursue Buddha’s teaching as well such as seeing and not using unskillful thoughts. To me Zen is a magical idea but Buddha’s instruction brought the necessary practical instruction/application....
Yes, I also find the practical instruction of the early teachings to be very useful. Thanks DJ!
A single drop of rain
Falling from the leaf of a tree
Trickles down my neck
And makes me smile
On our way down to the sea.
Seamuseen an filioct boct.
Excellent! 🙏
Nice job Doug! Very helpful info! ☺️👍👨🎨🎨🎼🥰🌅💫🎇🎆🌠
Kenzen: Satori Sun Art Studio. ✋☺️
Glad it was helpful! 🙏😊
It seems to me that 4 paths are offered (1) direct transmission of wisdom through a long lineage' - seems kinda elitist and artificial to me (2) koans to discombobulate our normal language and logic - Wittgenstein would agree (3) meditation to quiet the monkey mind; can be in an active form such as archery, painting etc. and my personal favorite path (4) there is nothing we have to do - a mountain is still a mountain as per the song - awakening either happens or it does not for you, spontaneously our ego was the obstacle all along. Some people will remain asleep while the eternal dance plays out. Oh - BTW - Zen is the most highly evolved form of Buddhism in my opinion (empty your cup, no ego, be quiet, awaken, live simply, order, peace, decisive action, just do it etc.) - no metaphysical baloney. Its as though the long journey from India to Japan filtered out the mythological and otherworldliness stuff from the parent religion - Hinduism - stuff that we don't need. Thanks for the video!
🙏😊
After watching this video. I started getting into Zen. Thanks Doug. I am already a Buddhist but I think Zen would be for me.
Sounds good Anthony, each of us has to find our own way ahead with the dharma, so it's good that there are many different approaches available to us. Zen is one I have also found very appealing.
I lived in Japan I my teen years, and knew a very prominent Zen Buddhist priest, he was so kind, he tried to teach me to meditate but I was such a religious Catholic, I was too scared to learn. I regret till now, at 67! I’m so glad to listen to you! Thank you!
I spent 3 years training in a Zen monastery to be a monk. Yet, until I watched your video I had no solid concept of the differences between the Soto and Rinzai schools. (And so you've ruined my pure Buddha mind with your wretched concepts! Raca! Thou fool!) We were given koan practice when the teacher felt us individually ready, and sat meditation multiple times daily... But I suppose the fact that I didn't know the difference between the two, augers for our practice falling more on the Soto side of Zen. Still, we found things to bicker about. It just wasn't the nature of the self.
😄Apologies roninpawn! Well I'm glad to have cleared that up for you, and meanwhile yes, there is always way too much to bicker about, no matter the tradition. 🙂
Excellent, informative talk. In the late '70's I entered a famous Zen Center for an introductory teaching. While it was interesting, the rigidity turned me off. (Ah, the beginning of cherry-picking.)
Vipassana awaited. Thank you, Doug, as always.
Very welcome Sid!
Very lucid and educative video. I think I will listen to it a second and a third time and maybe even more often. Of course it's completely conceptual. It is, as far as Zen is concerned, non-Zen. Isn't this already an indirect explanation "why so many words are spilled about Zen"? I practice the non-conceptual Soto. When I am asked: "What actually is Zen?" I usually reply "It is a physical exercise where you sit and breathe." A religion or philosophy or worldview should, in my opinion, be as accessible as possible to everyone. What is more simple than just sitting? "Just sitting and breathing" has in itself the appearance of a koan. Because it is a very hard thing to do. For a "starter" it comes down to a riddle and you do not find an answer easily. You are told to "just" do something you certainly cannot do. It takes a lot of effort and discipline and strong will to advance with this simple effortless thing - which is among other things a "contradiction" (which it actually is not). This "koan" - I think I may compare it to a koan - is incorporated into our lives the moment we start meditating. I find it more attractive than an "artificial question" without a solution. Though in the end there is no real difference between the two paths. I do not see it.
Hi, Doug! Great video, as always. Thank you for that!! I'd love to hear your opinion about Alan Watts. What do you think of his speeches??
Thanks Flávia! I've actually never read or watched Alan Watts though I know he's spoken a lot about Zen.
Beautiful explained. thanks!
Enjoy your life. Do grand and wonderful things but don’t put any meaning on it. In the end it doesn’t matter. We are not trees rooted to the ground. Humans are strong and mobile creatures doing human things. You are it
Well it may not matter in the grander scheme of things, but it matters to those around you. 😊
Again a great video. One of the things I love in buddhism is that with all the very differents school with their differents approachs, everybody can find something that will suit him. And finally, even though the doctrines are a little different the results are the same, a better life. Thank you for all your great teachings I like your particular point of view on buddhism. May you continue this channel a long time.
Thanks for your kind words Nathan. I'm glad you're finding the videos useful! 🙂
Thanks a lot my wonderful teacher, this is my favorite class. I love ZEN. Lotus for you. Your explanation is marvelous. Evangelina Cortes.
Yes, Zen is a beautiful practice Evangelina!
Simply follow the Noble Eightfold path and the four Noble truths described by the buddha
Yes, that's the essence of it.
Soto to be with what your doing and being present only with that whatever it is. If you are sitting then just sit, if you are driving then just drive.
Yes, exactly so.
I truly appreciate your videos on the Jhanas and formless realms which are difficult for me to imagine with respect to what is the being/mind who inhabits that realm. We study these in Abhidharma and Abhisamayalankara of Asanga-Maitreya and the translations into English aren’t very lucid. I’m sorry I can’t support your great work as I’m in India and don’t have foreign exchange payment possibilities right now. Just wanted to express my gratitude to you. Joya Roy, New Delhi
Thanks for your comment, and no worries! 🙏😊
Great video ! Will recommend to my friends. Btw dharma in chinese is 法 fa. Dao道 stands for the way, strictly speaking I think dao translates to Marga/magga in Sanskrit/Pali?
Thanks handy nas! “Path” is indeed “marga”/“magga” in Sanskrit and Pāli respectively. 🙏
Thanks again for yet another great explanatory video. I also 'kind of' started out with Zen...but, quickly shifted focus to Theravada since I also found it to be too confusing.
I still have tried to get a grip of Zen, even after switching to Theravada...but to no avail! I don't want to offend anyone - but I must admit that I have come to the conclusion that all the schools that crossed into China as well as all the ones that grew out and migrated from there more or less have been crossfertilized with other native religions/philosophies, such as for ex. Confucianism and Daoism. So much so that it to me at least have become too 'foreign' to be able to grasp.
Also, I guess it doesn't really agree with my temperament - such as for ex.: I have always struggled with a rather 'crippling' tendency towards perfectionism. And particularly Zen, even though the Zen gardens and temples are very beautiful and seems like very serene places - as far as I've been able to gather at least, the practices within those temples seem to be very stylized and perfectionist. Which I believe is something that I need to 'fight against' rather than embrace - despite, or perhaps rather because it would agree too much with my ingrained personality.
Either way, great and informative video - as always! And, even though Zen practice might not be for me, at least not for now - I want to thank you for the tip on the books on Zen. (since I still like to read about both the history and development of Buddhism...and who know - maybe someday I'll be able to better understand the tradition...you never know! ;-) )
Thanks Matt, yes I think it's good to know the history and context whether or not we find the particular practice to our liking.
Perfectionism and such-as-ness is two sides of the same coin - abandoning duality may be your awakening 😉
But also Alan Watts’ essays speak on this topic. To achieve Zen’s accidental perfection paradoxically requires years of training and expertise.
I practice mostly in a Theravadan way, but I've long had a weird relationship with Zen.
Serious Zen makes sense to me: Mu is *this.* The answer is always given, always immediate, never hidden, never separate. Even the question, "What is Mu?" is itself an answer. It really is a gateless gate and all one can do is laugh the first time they solve it. It's literally that which cannot be simpler, and yet your deluded mind has been searching for this thing that was never lost, often for years. That's truly hilarious.
Perhaps I don't understand Zen beyond this surface acknowledgement of the primacy of consciousness and the wrongness of views about self and perhaps there's something deeper still. That said I found little in the way of liberation from suffering in Zen. I still suffer from all my sankaras. I still have the fetter of restlessness. I still, albeit subconsciously, act as if an "I" exists. I've since turned to very serious, four hours a day of Theravada practice with the aim of fourth jhana or bust, followed by vipassana.
Yet, I can't help but accept there's something to Zen that seems effective, even if the rest of Mahayana practice just seems like a mess.
Yes, I think practice is very individual. For some of us, at some times in our lives, a practice makes sense or touches us in the right way, while for others it doesn't.
"That said I found little in the way of liberation from suffering in Zen"... "I".... Gee, "I" wonder why?
@@akuso99 Ya, I'm not up for playing this language game. Using the word "I" is no indication of one's experiences and attainments.
Why the aggressive tone?
Soto is so Occam's Razor
😄 Yes I can see that!
And now we live in a time were people look up Koans online .Does limit the mystery of koans a bit .😅
😄😄
I practice both Zen Style from Zen Master Dogen and I also follow Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Thanks for the note Liberty Josh. 🙏
Thanks for the vid! I'm here for school, but I'm also personally very interested in zen buddhism and shintoism. This video was very clear and understandable about what can be a complex set of ideas.
You're very welcome ChiisaiTenshii! I'm glad you found it clear and useful. 🙏
Dhamma in Chinese is 法, fa. Not dao, 道 which means path. So noble 8fold path is 八正道。
Thanks for the correction! 🙏
I'm not a Zen practitioner...I consider myself more of a Pan-Buddhist, at least at this point in my life, but I see why Zen has the immediate awakening concept at it's center inasmuch as it may seem less prevalent in early Buddhism, it has to be said, that most of the story's like the story of Khamaka you reference in another vid always end with "immediate awakening" after some lesson. FWIW.
Oh for sure shawn, there are people who awaken "instantly" in the early texts too. In most cases though I think we are to assume they had a long period of practice beforehand that led up to their awakening. The same can be said of Zen as well, though in early Buddhism that practice was largely (not entirely) cognitive.
Good I am implementing zen in my schools
I love this channel. Keep up the good work Doug! You are fulfilling your dharma and tending a great swath of the cosmic garden
I appreciate that Kit, thanks!
Thanks a lot for the video. The best Zen introduction I can imagine. 🙏🏻
My pleasure xiao mao! 🙏🙂
Thanks for the video. That is concise, and precisely brings out the subject.
Even in Early Buddhism, the enlightenment is sudden, for instance, Sariputta’s realization of Dhamma. (Though the practice is gradual, but the end-result is unthinkable, which implies whatever occurring in one’s left brain is wrong.)
The Buddha defined Dhamma (in D16 mirror of dhamma) as having the properties of “visible here and now, timeless,” and also “onward leading.”
Zen master symbolized the last property as a finger pointing towards the moon. Disciples must not stick to the finger and takes it as the moon itself.
Zen Buddhism might have more sameness in essence to Early Buddhism than people usually think.
Yes, it depends on how one holds it.
Thanks! I love your videos! Much love from brazil!
You're very welcome JC, thanks for watching! 😀
Impressive that you discovered Zen in grade school. My Triple Gem at that point was KISS, AC/DC and The Ramones.
"RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR" BY PROFESSOR WALTER VEITH AND MARTIN SMITH YOU TUBE POWERFUL POWERFUL UNMISSABLE WATCH ❤️🙏🏾😄... TRUTH ALWAYS WINS 🙏🏾❤️😄
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
🙏😊
Yeah, Dogen’s nothing to do is difficult. It’s almost as if Zen is the evolution of what Buddha’s teaching but the logical conclusion where since good and bad are also ideas, then there are no mistakes per si.
That's right. It makes practice sort of paradoxical.
What you say about secret transmission in zen is the same in tantra
Yes, the guru relationship is central there.
All of Buddhism is based upon an insight into pure Mind or Spirit before thinking and thought dominate. This has parallels with quantum mechanics. This pure Mind is like superposition before measurement arises and we see a world before us that is nevertheless an illusory world. Zen (dhyāna) is about direct intuition of pure Mind. Without it Buddhism doesn't make sense nor do the koans which defy an intellectual unlocking or the same a discursive approach.
To kill the buddha, is to kill an idea, and come to the realization that there is no external buddha.
A woman visited a Zen master, and she noted that there were no pictures, or statues of Buddha.
She points it out.
The Zen master replies "Yes, I have a picture of the Buddha, it hangs on the wall over there, behind the drapery."
The woman goes there, and pulls back the drapery, and on the wall hangs a mirror.
Excellent and enlightening video experience. Zen art, calligraphy and aesthetics are , indeed, incredibly beautiful. Definitely want to watch your video on that. I am so glad that I found your channel!
Thanks Melodie, glad you found it useful! 🙏
"ALPHA AND OMEGA OF APOSTASY" BY ERIC WILSON YOU TUBE POWERFUL POWERFUL WATCH ❤️🙏🏾👍🏽
I have been writing a paper about non-conceptual awakening in Zen Buddhism for a religions class i’m in. This video had been very helpful and allowed me to gain an understanding of Zen Buddhism that has helped me in my research. Thank you so much for making such a clear and concise video about this deep and rich philosophical tradition.
Glad to hear it, SuomiSongs. Thanks for the news! 🙏
I did practice Zen and like it, but the hidden dharma transmission contradict the original words and teachings of Shakyamuni in the Pali canon. After studying the early Buddism history and the original words of the Buddha in the Pali canon, I found that Mahayana teachings contradict the true Budddha teachings, and no longer follow Mahayana. Most of the fake Mahayana sutra (Amitabha Pure Land sutra, Shurangma sutra, Avatamsaka sutra, etc...) were created 500 to 1000 years after the Buddha enter nibbana. They contain plenty of vedic Hindu practices and beliefs. For example, reciting mantras and not eating garlic / onion... Hmmm, why did the Buddha pass on contradicting teachings after entering nibbana over 500 years?
Yes, Zen can be a wonderful practice. While it's true that many of the later teachings are distinct from the earliest ones, so long as they pursue a path of non-attachment, reducing greed, hatred, and ignorance they are on the right path.
Practise without practising - that sounds like a koan itself
Yes! It's quite an odd thing to try to get one's mind around!
such a great video! i am learning much more on Mahayana Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. What my main problem is now is what i should approach, Mahayana or Zen? i recently started doing Zazen for the past day and it felt great and very tough to get used to. You are right, i am drawn onto the aesthetic of Zen, its history, and its influence with Taoism. But i am starting to question which i should follow, Mahayana Buddhism or Zen? more importantly, does it really matter? my family wont accept me for my journey onto Buddhism and Buddhist lifestyle, so i am practicing in secret and individually. so far, your videos helped me a lot with understanding Buddhism and i am grateful, thank you Doug!
You're very welcome Kono! To be clear, Zen is a version of Mahāyāna Buddhism. But Mahāyāna encompasses a lot of other schools as well.
Zen squirrel in background at 2:15
😆
if you want the mystery of everything solved then i urge you to use the i chings coin method. remember life is far more odd then we realise and know what? ill just let you ask the coin what is answering you. be mindful and take the buddhas advice and be ready for a shock.
Right on. :) 6:00 I made a short video about this meeting between Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu if anyone wants to come hang out.
Thanks Temple of Sticks! 🙏
It's also important to remember that although shikantaza is the main practice of Soto, other techniques are used as well, both meditation-wise or not, like koans (which are not as used as in rizai, but are used too)
It is easier to give up notions than it is to crush a flower that lies in the palm of your hands the latter requires effort. ( yoga vasistha). Its all about effortless effort . 'You are not the doer of any action why then do you assume doership." But seeing yourself self as a non doer you are doing nothing and hence become a doer. You are not learning any concepts nor are you practicing any Dharma all that appears in your "perception" is that of the independent observer. Again I see no ambiguity or conflict in the teachings but truth will always seem paradoxical like dual nature of light or the electro. When the truth is reached then one can go beyond the jugglery of words. I think the Diamond Sutra explains it beautifully
Thank you for a great video! I started exploring Daoist philosophy a couple of years ago, which has lead me to further explore Zen Buddhism. Your video provided a lot of great context to help a beginner, like me, to understand nuances with which I've been struggling. I've been trying to locate a places in my region that teach Zen Buddhism in order to start my further learning, but i wasn't sure if they fit me. Your video helped me to immediately understand some of the differences in the organizations that I've found.
I do have a couple of lingering questions though. Are teachings of the Soto and Rinzai sects fairly compartmentalized from one another? Do the teachings of the respective sects overlap enough where a Soto student can have fellowship with a Rinzai student? I realize it may be a strange question since meditation is central to both. The closest analogy that I can think of is the contentiousness between Christian denominations; is that a thing in Zen Buddhism?
Hi David and thanks for the question. Unfortunately it’s not one I can answer easily. I imagine it will differ from center to center, how much overlap you might find. That said I doubt you would for example get Kōan training in a Sōtō center. I haven’t heard of real contentiousness between US Zen centers, though I would also imagine each one feels it has the true interpretation of the practice. Generalities won’t help you though. I’m afraid the only way forward is to go to your local centers and feel them out. Ask questions, and see how you relate to the people who practice there. I hope you find one to your liking! 🙏
Zen and mikkyo was the samurai religion, Peasents and middle class practised pureland and nichiren.
Wonderful and informative video! I subscribed because I liked this video so much. Good job!
Thanks so much Octoberfurst. Glad you enjoyed. 🙏
Hello sir .the books of,, i think the D.T Suzukis
Are great.my guess you read it ❤
I feel that through presenting the history of Zen, you have also revealed it's essence
🙏😊
I very much enjoyed this video, and I very much enjoyed the one you did that was a brief look at the three schools of Buddhism.
As time has gone by, of all the Buddhist literature I’ve read, I’ve found myself more and more sort of subconsciously creating a hybrid of secular Theravada (simplicity of early Buddhist message and practice) with Dogen’s direct experiential approach to tearing down concept and rationality without other Mahayanan elements. I’m not sure how I arrived at that point, I just sort of realized it one day.
So…. I like Theravadan simplicity combined with Zen’s “let’s break it and see if you’re still standing” challenge in the Dogan style, if that makes sense.
Sure, that makes sense to me, I'm drawn to similar routes. What's most important is that you find a congenial approach that works for you, whether it's a mixture of other ideas or not.
Same man
Thank you for such an insightful video! I first got into Zen Buddhism from thich nhat hanh but then got into the depths with Alan Watts’ book. I am still trying to reconcile the Buddhist precepts with Dao’s wu-wei wu-wai and general immoral stance. I would love to hear your take!
Yes that would take a bit of research! I agree there are some parallels, and perhaps borrowings.
great video! summed up Zen really nicely. Thank you for this.
You’re very welcome Fred, thanks for the comment!
Hi. I just discovered a zen buddhist temple in my hometown of Detroit Michigan.... I am planning to make a visit there soon. Looking forward to my first visit.
Once again thank you so much for your videos. They are very informative. Be well.
Oh, very nice news Vercina. I hope you enjoy it. 🙏
Try Detroit Zen Center in Hamtramck🙏🏽. Ask for Myung-ju.
Yeah, context counts. Many thanks.
Thank you for this, Sir Doug! 🌿💛 Great content!
My pleasure Ann!
Well. Practicing Zen Buddhism is actually practicing the Pacceka Buddha's path. One who enlightens without definition and ends up without definition. He comes to know but in fact he can't share a single knowledge what he knows. He has knowledge but limited in the core of itself. It's not useful to help others, without definitions. Learn about Three Types of buddhas and you'll find it. Don't follow anything blindly. Pacceka Buddha is unable to teach a single word.
Thanks for your thoughts Kassapa.
Doug, You're awesome! I'm new to the channel. The way you explain things is inspiring. I am very much drawn into Zen/Taoism myself, having always been fascinated by Buddhism since I was a teenager. Recently I've been making some changes in my own life which I've somehow ended up here! It's all new to me, your channel is really helpful, its helping me understand the background and concepts nicely. Thank You.
You’re very welcome Sam, glad you are finding the material useful! 🙏
Very good explanation I liked it very much.
Glad you found it useful Shamsundar. 🙏
the craving part really hit me. I know better, yet still expect. anyway, thanks for the reminder.
Yes craving is so important ...!
Thank you for the great explanation! Could you recommend any video on the differences between Daoism and Buddhism, or even make a video of your own eventually?
Thanks Niklas! It's something that I've had on my list for awhile but will require some further research, since I'm not an expert on Daoism.
@@DougsDharma Yes! I would love to listen to your teachings on Taoism. It would also be interesting if you could compare and contrast early Buddhism or Secular Buddhism with Taoism. Thanks for your videos!
About the bhikkuni sangha ruclips.net/video/XXVoK-_ZxqM/видео.html
Your use of the word 'right' for concepts such as right view, is a little awkward, especially in a post-Christian culture such as the West. 'Right' implies the opposite of 'wrong' and in traditional Western Christian culture also implies an absolute. I am told that many of the earliest Western translations of Buddhist terms were made by people relying on dictionaries produced by Christian missionaries. These Christian missionaries held Victorian, Protestant, rather tight conceptual views on such subjects. I've experimented with a variety of words in place of 'right', such as 'appropriate', 'functional', 'supportive', etc.
Well "right" and "wrong" pretty much are the standard translations of these concepts. I think some people prefer other translations that have fewer resonances with concepts in other religions that they find distasteful, and that's fine. But in Buddhism the idea of right and wrong is pretty fundamental and universal. That said, if you prefer "appropriate/inappropriate" or "skillful/unskillful" (which is one idea I rely on a lot), then go for it.
I am currently in Luoyang, China. I went to the white Horse temple yesterday and Shaolin temple. If you're into Chan/Zen Buddhism, you should go there...
Thanks for the suggestion Panada Bear!
I have had a fun- friendly relationship with Buddhism, it's amazing. Zen has kind of ruined it for me. I can't comprehend it. I love Buddhism and the Dhammapada and the Tao but I don't know what happened after that. Zen is too complexed for me.
No worries! Not every path is for everyone. Choose one that suits you better.
Good job Doug.You explained the essential points of zen and its influence in culture(mainly Japanese but not Chinese) may it be art, decor, etc.I still have Buddhists telling me Zen(from China) is about Samatha and Vipassana:(
But your Treatises of 2 Entries and 4 Practices are not widely known in China zen anymore.. "Viewing the Phrase"" is much widely used instead since some 900 years ago.
Thanks happylum. I'm not surprised that the Treatise on Two Entries and Four Practices isn't widely known anymore. I'd never heard of it before doing research on Ch'an/Zen history. It seems to have been a text that played a central role in Ch'an/Zen's early development but may then have fallen somewhat out of sight.
When I studied zen w were told the Lankaravatara Sutra was used to teach by Bodhidharma himself. The tradition went on till the 5th patriarch Hong Ren. From then zen school uses he Diamond sutra instead. But once you get into sutras, its in a way no longer zen, because zen is supposedly ""beyond the 3 baskets of the Buddha's teachings"". It offers a direct recognition or realization of the nature things beyond words - much like to Buddha and Mahakashapa's Ko-an. Sutras are merely used to ""verify"" the level of realization the practitioner went through - never as a source for realization, especially in zen. Even the zen master himself is just a authority to verify the student's realization. The idea of ""transmission"" is never like in Vajrayana, whereby the teacher can bless and somewhat transmit his realization to his student and the student must have great faith in his teacher. In zen, sometimes the student would even mock the teacher:)
Thanks again happylum, great points about Zen transmission and the use of sutras. 🙏
Do you have a background in Christian theology? You use a lot of terminology that is familiar to me, like navel gazing, ecumenical, "both/and", and several others. I've actually found it helpful, but I couldn't help but be curious if these phrases are commonly used in Buddhist studies, or are a reflection of your own exposure to Catholic studies. Big fan, thanks for your work!
Thanks Bennigan! My background is in philosophy though I did do some philosophy of religion as well as religious studies and Buddhist studies. So I imagine the terminology is shared! 😄
Apa Dipa vhaba!!অপ দ্বীপ ভব। be your own light!
Yes, be your own island or light, let the dharma be your island or light.
This is an excellent expository teaching on Zen,concepts that I couldn't understand before have been made crystal clear,tq so much Dr.Doug. Richard D CRUZ,Malaysia.
My pleasure, Richard. 🙏
Why are you here trying to understand zen intellectually? You should be meditating! 😉
(Note to self)
😄Very Zen indeed!
Really well done video, you are a wise and educated man. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. It seems very un-Zen like to have to choose between two paths to find awakening, which should simply be a pathless path through a gateless gate. But maybe that’s just me. ;)
My pleasure!
Hey Doug, have you read an essay called " zen the religion of the samurai" by julius evola, if you have, what's your opinion on it?
I haven't, though as I understand it Zen did play a role in samurai training.
Ah! That's the talk very much inspirational to me . Zen is tha most easiest way to practice 🙏🏾 the Buddha Dharma.
Thank you Sir❤
Wonderful!
A man who has studied buddhism in india and accumulated much knowledge that is ambedkar..... Buddha and his dhamma best book...
Yes I did an earlier video on Dr. Ambedkar: ruclips.net/video/qlH_qieCgCA/видео.html
I want to your whatsapp number please brother contact me... I am ramesh from india. My education is LLB. Now i am advocate in bangalore.. I have more study about buddhism... I love buddhism and i need more information about buddha dhamma... Please
@@rameshkvramesh6708 Just watch the videos on Doug's channel ...