LiquidMidnight said:
I was wondering if any Buddhists on the board could share their ideas on the belief system. How did you find Zen? How has it helped you find peace in your life? What do you think about the "trendiness" that surrounds Buddhism?
Zen is only one specific school/form/sect of Buddhism. Many people use the words Zen and Buddhism interchangably, which is not accurate.
This is sort of a ramble, so I apologize if I jump around or over-simplify things.
There are also major divisions within Buddhism, the most prominent being the distinction between Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Hinayana refers to Buddhism of the Two (or three) vehicles, while Mahayana refers to Buddhism that discards provisional (Hinayana) teachings in favor of the essential teaching, or the One Vehicle.
This is rather simplified, so I apologize to any Hinayana or Theraveda practitioners who might take offense. I find great value in the teaching of Hinayana Buddhists, like Thich Nhat Hanh, but to me the Mahayana teachings offer more hope and optimism. Generally speaking Hinayana Buddhism adheres to austere precepts governing behavior, requires several lifetimes to expiate negative karma, and holds that not everyone is capable of achieving Buddhahood. Mahayana on the other hand teaches that all beings possess the inherent Buddha nature, and that all beings, regardless of their capacities or natures, are capble of achieveing Budhahood in the present lifetime.
There are differences in how each sect (not using that term pejoratively) believes that Buddhahood is to be achieved. Each of course claims to be the only way. I practice a form that has benefitted my life immensely, but I have not delved into other practices. Not out of a belief that they aren't valid, but this is working for me. I think that if the truth is one point, then there must be many paths to find it. There's only one Staples Center, but there are a lot of roads that lead to it.
In my limited understanding, most sects adhere to certain teachings expounded by the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha, same guy is also called Siddhartha Gautama) and developments of them by successive practitioner leaders (monks, priests etc.). By contrast, Zen posits the direct, wordless transmission of the "true entity of all phenomena", or Buddhahood, from Shakyamuni to... hmm, the guy's name is escaping me now, and was then transmitted in an unbroken line for several generations (I think 29 or so). So Zen operates on perceiving the true nature of all phenomena through the direct observation of one's mind. They employ Koan, kind of riddles, to reach the limits of consciousness (which is a temporary aspect of being) and recognize the wisdom that exists beyond its boundaries. It does not adhere specifically to any sutra expounded by the Buddha, but I think it has developed its own doctrines and is probably as doctrinal now as any other form is.
The form I practice emphasizes the oneness of the person and their environment - they are separate, but inseparable. The environment is a reflection of the person. By reflecting on the causes one makes or wishes to make and by having faith in one's inherent Buddha wisdon, one will inevitably begin to make causes that improve one's life condition, and the condition of the environment (not speaking of ecology here so much as just the people and things in one's life). Through the practice one observes one's own mind in action. As a result, unhealthy attachments fall away, obstacles become opportunities for advancement and increased faith, and karma is purified. To me it seems eminently reasonable and practical. The practice itself has mystical properties, inasmuch as we cannot always trace directly from cause to effect, but that's where faith comes in. Faith that if you make good causes, the results will be good, whether you can trace them or not.
Another important factor is that everything is temporary except the Buddha wisdom (in my tradition it's called The Mystic Law). To me this doesn't make anything meaningless; rather, it allows me to appreciate things for what they are, rather than suffering because of the discrepancy between my expectations of a thing (attachment) and the true nature of the thing.
Karma is another too-huge topic. In my belief, there are things that happen as a result of Karma, and things that just happen (like getting hit by a meteor for example). To me, Karma is not a value-judging punisher of wickedness - it is simply the indifferent, strict law of cause and effect. It can be confusing because we cannot always percieve the causes that have led to the negative effects we suffer as a result of our Karma, so it can be called mystical, but it's really pretty basic. Karma can be changed in... for now let's say three ways. One, by making good causes to rectify negative causes we've made in the past and mitigate their negative effects; two, by making causes which improve our own life condition, which is reflected in our environment, which will then serve to buffer the effects of negative Karma and protect us from harm; and three, achieveing an attitude whereby when obstacles, problems or suffering occur, we can see the immense benefit we will achieve by overcoming them. This might sound like a kitten-hanging-from-a-branch "hang in there!" poster sentiment, but I have found on several occasions that things that would ordinarily have been terrifying or painful have become exhilirating. I am determined to have this attitude more consistently, and my Buddhist faith and practice are moving me in that direction.
I have always been something of a materialist. Even though I grew up Lutheran, I was never able to accept the supernatural aspects of religions as literally true. Buddhism appeals to me because I don't have to. I accept supernatural things in Buddhism (reincarnation, dieties etc.) as either provisional means of preparing people's minds to accept the true teachings, or as holdovers from other religions that led into Buddhism, or as metaphor.
I find the aspect of religions whereby people give up responsibility for their behavior extremely troubling. When I hear the message of Jesus, I hear that through his message and example of compassion, justice and fairness, the Kingdom of Heaven can be brought about here on Earth, just as Hell can by behaving in opposition to his teaching and example. His deification and belief in his ressurrection have, in my mind, obscured the true value of his teachings (teachings which are not that different from the core teachings of Buddhism). In fact I consider Jesus a Buddha, but I reject the idea of the Christ as not particularly helpful to the relief of suffering in this world. I find more value in Christian traditions that emphasize that Jesus is inherent in all people and in behaving according to his example, a notion which many Christian sects reject.
Anyway, Buddhism is a huge topic, a vast introduction to a book that can't be written (the ultimate truth can't be expressed in words, because words are a function of consciousness, which is a temporary aspect of being).
I would like to also say that I abhor the violence that some Buddhist sects perpetrate on other sects - I believe these people are not practicing in accordance with the Buddha's teachings and are casting themselves into hell (creating hell for themselves, not being cast into a lake of fire after death).
As far as trendiness, if you're not practicing Buddhism you're not a Buddhist. You can be pan-spiritual and sample from different religions, which is fine, but it seems to me that the value of Buddhism is in the consistency of the practice. I liken it to playing a musical instrument. You practice the pieces you want to play, which makes you much better at playing those pieces, and a little better at playing other stuff. But you also practice scales and etudes and ear training which make you better at playing ANY piece that you encounter. Just thinking about music but never playing until you're performing at a gig, or playing a scale once or just reading about scale practice and thinking it's a good idea won't really help much when you're out there playing. Constantly advancing your life toward the ideal life-condition of Buddhahood is the only way to stay ahead of one's inherent darkness.
That's my $.02, adjusted for inflation.
