Zen

[NotATool]

This thread is dedicated to everything Zen. Post here if you know anything about Zen or are interested in Zen. If this gathers enough interest (which I seriously doubt) then we can start discussing Gateless Gate koans.

Zen can't really be explained, but here is a good place to start:
http://www.101zenstories.com/

You don't have to read them all, but preferably read them in order.

 

[Steven]

oh noes not Zen

 

[Jack_Karverboy]

You mean Zen like this?

 

[Jintor]

There's a kid in my school called Zen.

 

[Darkwolf]

No I think he means xen like this...

 

[DrDevin]

I love my zen. Beats the pants off of anything else.

 

[NotATool]

Haha, exactly what I exepcted. Oh well, it was worth a try.

 

[Solaris]

I have a zen micro too.

Do not update the firmware. It screws everything up and windows media player rapes it eveyr time you plug it in.

 

[Nat Turner]

What's Zen? Another faith based religion?

 

[kaf11]

I love my Creative Zen Touch.

 

[NotATool]

What's Zen? Another faith based religion?

No, it's a philosophy of life.

Read a a few of the stories on the website, they're really short and take 5 seconds to read. Then ask questions if you have any.

 

[CrazyHarij]

i used to be into buddhism, read most of those koans and shit..
Most of them are pretty pointless/stupid imho

 

[Nat Turner]

No, it's a philosophy of life.

Read a a few of the stories on the website, they're really short and take 5 seconds to read. Then ask questions if you have any.

why should I follow someone else's philosophy of life? what makes it better than mine? how can you prove it's better?

 

[Qonfused]

 

[OvA]

> all a year ago

>all for battery life

 

[CrazyHarij]

why should I follow someone else's philosophy of life? what makes it better than mine? how can you prove it's better?

it's more about personal preference than fact.. those who approach buddhism usually feel that they're lacking something, their lives are too chaotic and they want to feel more concentrated and serene

 

[Qonfused]

Yes, I still have that plastic on my lamp. I'm just too lazy.

 

[OvA]

Squeal piggy boy, squeal.

 

[bvasgm]

edit: delete me

 

[NotATool]

it's more about personal preference than fact.. those who approach buddhism usually feel that they're lacking something, their lives are too chaotic and they want to feel more concentrated and serene

Exactly.

I'm definetly not a zen person, but I find the koans to be really insightful (once you understand them). A lot of people are lost and are trying to find a direction, and while christianity, Islam, etc... impose a direction, Zen basically tells you that there is no direction, and that once you can realize that you can truly enjoy the present. I think that's why a lot of people are attracted to Zen Bhuddism.

 

[Nat Turner]

Exactly.

I'm definetly not a zen person, but I find the koans to be really insightful (once you understand them). A lot of people are lost and are trying to find a direction, and while christianity, Islam, etc... impose a direction, Zen basically tells you that there is no direction, and that once you can realize that you can truly enjoy the present. I think that's why a lot of people are attracted to Zen Bhuddism.

I just live my life, and while I'm usually not "happy", I'm pretty satisfied with it.

 

[OvA]

 

[short recoil]

Any philosophical ways of life are bullshit, people who think they understand life have just been adding more useless junk into their life.

You may as well come up with a randomly generated religion and follow it's randomly generated set of rules.

Thinking is bad, not thinking is true understanding.

 

[bvasgm]

*snip*

you filthy, filthy whore...

 

[NotATool]

Any philosophical ways of life are bullshit, people who think they understand life have just been adding more useless junk into their life.

You may as well come up with a randomly generated religion and follow it's randomly generated set of rules.

Thinking is bad, not thinking is true understanding.

Hahhahaha XD,

this fool just stated the basis of Zen philosophy.

 

[CrazyHarij]

Yeah i couldn't keep myself from laughing out loud reading that.

short recoil is so kickass he even pwns himself :O

no but i think what's importnat is really that you feel good about yourself.. like nat turner i don't feel the need to pursue something like buddhism.. even though i kind of try to keep a similar view to life.. i seriously think if you stop worrying all the time and just focusing on enjoying life, everything magically gets better.

 

[NotATool]

Yeah i couldn't keep myself from laughing out loud reading that.

short recoil is so kickass he even pwns himself :O

no but i think what's importnat is really that you feel good about yourself.. like nat turner i don't feel the need to pursue something like buddhism.. even though i kind of try to keep a similar view to life.. i seriously think if you stop worrying all the time and just focusing on enjoying life, everything magically gets better.

Yeah I agree. That's why I don't follow Zen Bhuddism, but I admire its message, and it definetly does have a small effect on my life (eating the sweet strawberry when I'm about to fall off the cliff ).

 

[spookymooky]

If that really is the idea behind zen, I really think I will have to look into this. I don't have time to look at those stories now, but what I've heard sounds very similiar to what I've come up with so far.

 

[Zeus]

its...beautiful

hey can u let me borrow that...Ill give it back I swear..lol

 

[JNightshade]

Personally, I wouldn't call myself a buddhist- I mean, I don't believe in enlightenment, or anything like that- but, as with any other philosophy, there are some great things you can learn from it. Sometimes, when I have free periods in school/am feeling shitty, I'll go outside and just get in tune with everything around me for an hour or two. It's pretty wonderful, really

 

[Adabiviak]

The Zen branch of Buddhism has it's good and bad points. Religion to me is a combination of philosophy (usually good) combined with dogma (usually bad). I found Zen philosophy rather pleasant, and it constitutes at least part of what passes for my own mish-mash philosophy.