The Nice-ification of Zen 

Global warming has something to do with the snowflakes getting offended when the sun comes out

I, for one, am perfectly capable of being offended without something challenging to do. Good day, Sir!

@@big-baby-buddha 🤣this comment got me good.

4:01 Like respecting his vows?

@@EmileZoloft In terms of the basics, first follow the Buddhist precepts (Brad has covered these in other broadcasts). Vows are applied extensively in Zen. Shohaku Okumura's (2012) book: "Living by vow: a practical introduction to eight essential Zen chants and texts" is a valuable reference.

🖖😂😂👍

Thank you! That's great! Where did you find that? I may want to quote it in a book.

"There’s a “we’re all victims in this together” attitude, which is not support." Buddhism does see all people as victims...victims of Samsara. In other words...victims primarily of ourselves. By 'Buddhism' I mean as it was originally established by its founder...not the distortions and corruptions invented centuries later. This is quite different from Christianity where this world and this life are viewed as gifts from God.

Hitting can be useful only when done very skilfully and in specific situations, not on regular basis. And given how many bad teachers are around (as we know from Brad's videos) I think it is better you can't do it in the West.

@@TheJedynak Yes hitting will get you hit back here in the US. We don't tolerate that kind of abuse from anyone.

@@HardcoreZen Here's a full(er) version. Source is unclear: The Function of a Zen Center from a talk by Joko Beck What I want to talk about today is the function of a Zen Center. In a general way we can say that it is to support practice; of course that’s true. But we have a lot of illusions about Zen Centers as we do about teachers. And one thing we tend to think is that a Zen Center is a place that should be very nice for me - in other words, it should be non-threatening (laughs). I think a good center should be quite threatening at times! It is not the function of a center to take care of your comfort or your social life. By that I don’t mean that we should not have social events - I think they’re great - but they are not the primary function of a center. A Zen Center’s function is not to provide people with social life. It is not necessarily supposed to make them feel good, and it’s not supposed to make them feel special. A center is primarily a powerful tool to assist us in waking up. As a sangha practicing at a center, yes, we need to support each other, but the nature of that support may not be exactly the kind of support that is often seen in an office. You know, a girl’s boyfriend leaves her - “oh you poor thing! Why you know, when my boyfriend left me….” (laughter) and off we go! There is a “we’re all victims in this together” attitude which is not support. The more we practice, well, the less of that fake kind of support is what is met at a good center. It should be a place then that gives us support, yes, but also challenges us, and in that sense we’re all teachers of one another. Some of the most powerful teachings at a Zen Center have nothing to do with the teacher; sometimes the teaching is from another person, coming directly from that person’s experience. To be honest, to be aware of what real practice is, and to share it with others - this is what makes a center a different kind of place to be. Sadly enough, Zen Centers tend to be somewhat ego-perpetuating: we want them to be bigger, better, more important that the other guy’s center, certainly! There are very subtle ego currents that can circulate in a Zen Center, as in any other organization if we are not especially careful. And some thoughts on the sangha: one point is crucial - the longer people have been practicing, the less important the outward role should be. And for that reason I don’t want people who have been practicing for a long time to assume that they are always going to be monitors - sometimes, yes, of course, but the more senior the student, the more I want their influence to be felt through their practice, and through their willingness not to seem important; and to let the newer students begin to assume some of the outwardly conspicuous positions. The mark of senior students is to be working when no one else knows they’re there. I see people working in the Center office at odd hours; sometimes I come back from shopping and they’re working hard. That’s a sign of mature practice, getting the job done and keeping our own importance out of it. Personally, I’m trying to go that way by downplaying the tremendous importance given to the role of teacher. And I want this to apply to all of the older students. So if you feel you are not getting to do what you usually do, GREAT! Then you have something nice to practice with. Another mark of a good Zen Center is that it shakes all of us up; it is not the way we want it in our pictures. So, in our upset, what we get back to then, is the basis of practice - which is, as near as I can put it into words, to assume more and more an observer stance in our life. By that I mean that everything in our life will continue to take place - the problems, the emotional difficulties, the pleasant days, the ups and downs, which are what human life consists of - but it is the ability not to get caught - to enjoy what is happening when it is “good”, to have equanimity when it is “bad” and to observe it all, which is the continuing work. The mark of maturing practice is simply the ability, more and more and more, to notice what is going on and not be caught by it. Easy to talk about, but probably 15 to 20 years of hard practice are needed before we are like that a good bit of the time. ** And that is not the final stage. When there is no object, no person, no event, no thing in the world with which I identify, by which I’m caught - when there is no object and no observing self - then there is a flip into what, if you wish to give it a name, is the enlightened state. I have never known anyone whom I felt had accomplished that, but some persons have done well and, if you are lucky enough to encounter such a person, you sense the difference in one who is not caught by life (needing it, craving something or someone, insisting that life be a certain way) - You notice that such a person is at peace and free. These are the people who are a healing and beneficent influence on any life that is near them. They don’t have to do anything - the healing comes from the way they are. That transformation is what we want from our practice. We are more than lucky to have such an opportunity in this lifetime. Let’s take advantage of it and do our very best.

"Zen teachers are essentially educators" More like trainers...like you would train seals. No I dont mean Navy Seals.

@@Teller3448 Go troll elsewhere. No one cares here.

@@dr.jeffreyzacko-smith324 I'm serious...they really are trainers! An educator is an information dispenser. Zen insight isnt made out of information.

Expecting reality and people to be the way you want it to be is big part of suffering in my view. On the other hand you are free to find teacher that "feels right" to you.

And what is the definition of kind? We each see this character differently, so to have a universal definition just causing more suffering.

This is the best comment, very good! =D

Excellent question, Brad. Is it because you don't know what zen is about and want to cover that up with "Zen tough love"? Hitting, punching and slapping is only a display of ones own ignorance. Brad, want to know why Zen in the west sucks? Go look in the mirror for the answer

@@ThePathOfZen Whoa! You certainly know all there is to know about Zen. No reason to stay here then!

I quickly realized that my first Zen teacher was not going to hit me with a stick, or slap me. I got a lot out of the zazen practice. The fear I felt was mostly the fear of having my ego challenged. I saw that this was not a rational fear.

@@HardcoreZen Thank you for your answer, Brad. Even if I know a fear is irrational, that sometimes doesn't make it any easier to let it go, so thank goodness for zazen.

I don't know if anyone ever thought that was a sax. But at the time ppl were not accustomed to hearing fuzz tone guitars, so I imagine lots of ppl didn't know what that sound was.

So, do nice zen?

@@paulengel4925I see you missed the point entirely…on purpose I hope

"Fast forward to 2020"s and they've come for the core of the teaching too..." Everything now is sacrificed to the gods of personal-preference.

Nothing wrong with that. I never made many friends through Zen, myself. But maybe that's just me.

I dont think you have to give up on meeting people through Zen, just avoid clinging to that as the main reason for going there. After all, Buddha himself praised friendships. From the Upaddha Sutra: "Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Ven. Ananda said to the Blessed One, “This is half of the holy life, lord: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.” “Don’t say that, Ananda. Don’t say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, he can be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path.”

Correction: meditation not mediation.

"In 1940, any argument against Churchill's aggressive policy was "defeatist". Was it right or wrong? Ideally, no one got far enough to ask that." Outstanding comment!

In Soto Zen it is the left hand on top of the right hand. But if you have a situation that does not allow that, then do your best to adjust. But traditionally it is left over right.

If it was written somewhere that the Buddha said that the only way to nirvana was by holding your hands in a certain way then I would definitely take note.

@@seachd2268 Hmm. I wa snot talking about the Buddha, I was speaking in relation to the Soto Zen tradition, which is left hand held by the right hand. Tibetans which are more close to Indian Buddhism alter the hands based on whether you are a man or woman. So each tradition is different.

@@Andy-vh3ns No worries, and actually I was not commenting on your comment. I was replying to the original poster. and yes you are right 'traditional' ways can be different. To be honest I have sat in meditation with various groups for nearly half a century. I tend to prefer left over right. and no-one has even commented or took umbrage, so i am not sure it really matters that much, but for others it maybe a sign of ego to not do it the groups way... or conformity depending on which perspective one takes.

@@seachd2268 Ahh, thanks for the clarification. =]

If I get invited I’ll go. I was there a few years ago at the invitation of a zen place in Coco Beach.

Spare the keisaku, spoil the monk!

I thought you had to ask for the keisaku to receive it during zazen

@@ErikDornes That's the norm in most places these days. It wasn't always that way & There are some places where they hit you with the stick without you asking for it.

@@HardcoreZen Suzuki Roshi sometimes used it on students who didn't request it. It's mentioned in Crooked Cucumber.

Monstrous! You need to go back to Zen 101.

Oh, and i think the USAnian version of the Boy Who Cried Wolf is the Free Speech Principle of Not Crying Fire In A Packed Theater...

"hegemony of beige" Good line there!

It would be based on the Stooge film "Violent is the Word for Curly."

Did he?

@@HardcoreZen Yes, you weren't there when it happened? It was when he cut himself working at one of his restaurant jobs and I was hanging out, overstaying my welcome.

@@elzoog I don't remember that incident. But my memory sucks.

@@HardcoreZen Maybe you weren't there when it happened then. Otherwise, you would probably remember it.

Your mom has a broken spinal column

Correct. I got the order confused.

That sounds fun, lets start a sect!

Have you read Nishijima biography? Lots of shenanigans with that one. Brad knows what I mean. Death bed dharma transmission with no witnesses. Brad, why not just admit you got used because of your connections. Some Japanese guy wanted to grow his influence and you got caught in the web.

@@ThePathOfZen Dharma transmission is between the teacher and student, it is not a celebration for all to see. So now sure what you are talking about.

@@ThePathOfZen 🥱

@@Andy-vh3ns That is completely nonsensical. Lots of evil things can happen, and have, with the idea of what you are suggesting. Go research Philip kapleau and the transmission that never happened.

@@ThePathOfZen What the hell are you talking about? Some other Nishijima apparently!

"Preoccupied with the 'way things are done', and codified behavior." Yes its called structure....the alternative is to just wander around all day like a dirty dis-connected hippy.

@@Teller3448 What is the utility of such an observation? Or does it hang in the air as a triviality?

@@barefootarts737 Life needs structure...for the same reason a train needs a track.

@@Teller3448 Thanks for stating the obvious. I'm no critic of structure. Are black and white abstractions interesting to you?

@@barefootarts737 Not obvious at all...much of the western world functions without any structure in their life. The monastic life is all structure from morning til night.

"many of their short stories and parables are absolutely nonsensical." Yes but the nonsense is only there to test the students...to see if they can recognize it for what it is and react accordingly. A good teacher will always mix truth with nonsense to make it difficult to tell which is which.

Hahaha yeah that’s not how it works.

Or maybe it's a case of getting older and wiser...

Totally agree. I think these talks have gotten a bit ornery not n”older and wiser”. I can see Brad is forgetting stories he’s told in the past about being uncomfortable about violent stories. I can see he’s forgetting key phrases from Dogen about physical acts to encourage realization…I feel like a “real” practicing zen person would look inward and see why…instead he is looking out. It’s been disappointing to watch.

My first thought was, "his Fox News host" stage, but yeah, you're closer. It's kind of a bummer, I used to think he was the most interesting Zen teacher out there, but this shtick is getting less and less interesting the more he sounds like my uncle yelling at the TV.

@@tegeuscromis8947 i thought so too. He was really promising. I even defended him when older zen teachers would question him.

So, do nice zen

@@paulengel4925aw you already said that in another comment. Try something original baby

I sadly agree with you. If Zen cannot evolve, like it has done many times before, we will be stuck and it will die

@@JamesLewisTucker I really don't see how zen could die... what even is it? :)