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JHarkness: Zen Study in conflict with christianity?

To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.philosophy.zen,alt.religion.buddhism,talk.religion.buddhism,alt.religion.christian,alt.christnet
From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva)
Subject: JHarkness: Zen Study in conflict with christianity?
Date: 27 Jan 1996 20:45:39 -0800

[from alt.zen: Joe Harkness ]

jmc@newshost.li.net (Jason Case) wrote:
>
> It is a simple problem(All problems are simple, right?).  There is 
> conflict within.  Is there conflict between the study of Zen by a 
> Christian?  

No.  Many have done so, including a number of nuns, priests, and
monks with the blessings of their superiors.

>If so, can it be overcome without having to `give up' one or 
> the other.

Yes.  Zen practice can only serve to deepen your faith.  Chogyam
Trungpa (deceased Tibetan teacher) says the main difference is that
Christianity starts with God and works back to the person, while
Buddhism does the opposite.  In other words, Zen is primarily a
method and a practice, not a belief-system.  The common ground
between Zen and Christianity is that both of them call for the
renunciation of the ego in order to find the ultimate ground on
which we stand.

>    _______________________________________________________________________
>   |"Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is| 
>   |  peeling potatoes.  Zen spirituality is just to peel potatoes. ...Zen |
>   |  is a way of liberation concened not with discovering what is good or |
>   |     what is bad or what is advantagous, but what is." - A.W. Watts    |
>   -------------------------------------------------------------------------    

Close, but no cigar.  Correct, Zen spirituality is just to peel
potatoes, but the reason for this is that when just peeling potatoes
is *just peeling potatoes* and nothing else, then just peeling 
potatoes is God (ie the Buddhadharma for you zen-heads).  Look at
it this way: if all of God is not precisely expressed in just
peeling potatoes, where else can you look?
-- 
To ensure my response CC all public replies to email (READ alt.magick.tyagi) 
(emailed replies may be posted) * http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi/nagasiva.html
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