[Buddha-l] Core teachings

[curt]

Richard P. Hayes wrote:

>
>There is, I confess, not much excuse for going to retreats, unless one
>is in need of getting rid of the burden of too much money. As Shunryu
>Suzuki says, it is quite enough to spend about half an hour a week doing
>zazen. Retreats are for those who have lost all perspective, such as
>adolescents.
>
I believe that Suzuki kept up a regular schedule of retreats throughout 
his teaching career. So obviously he doesn't intend this in the most 
literal sense. This is simply a straightforward case of upaya (for those 
with underdeveloped clairvoyance I am hiding behind my desk as I utter 
the dreaded word "upaya"). The teaching that "retreats are not 
necessary" is only helpful to people who do retreats. For people who 
don't do retreats, the appropriate teaching is "retreats are vitally 
important".

> 
>
>As for the shot of bourbon and the nap, we all know that when the nap is
>over, the problems remain. It has been the experience of many of us, I
>think, that meditation is far more effective than bourbon and naps at
>reducing the kinds of thinking and expectations that lead to many of the
>problems of life.
>
>  
>
This is a false dichotomy. A shot of bourbon and a nap can serve as an 
excellent meditation practice. It can also be quite productive - at 
least in the mundane, problem solving sense. The chemist Friedrich 
August Kekule "discovered" the structure of benzene while nodding off on 
the bus home after a pleasant evening of talking (and drinking) with a 
friend.

Winston Churchill was a great advocate of naps and it is said that he 
liked his brandy - however his methodology was to take the nap in the 
afternoon and save the brandy for after dinner. Churchill is reported to 
have said "I have taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me."

Cheers,
Curt