[Buddha-l] Emptiness and not being able to imagine dying[confused]

[Jim Peavler]

On May 25, 2010, at 10:43 AM, lemmett at talk21.com wrote:

> Oh ok, I notice that I'm too concerned with metaphysics though I have been worse; I find it easier to get at what I read that way. I'm most interested in East Asian Buddhism and especially Dogen, because of the Buddha nature but try to read around Buddhism in general. I am though interested in dialectic or argument, as well as 'annihilation'. That's pretty much all I have to say. I will read that book but am not on a course so not right now. I think that covers it!
> Thanks, Luke

Dear Luke,
Notice how I deleted everything (about 4 or 5 posts all strung together), except enough for us both to tell what I was going to answer. That is good email etiquette, and if all of thee demon buddha-hellers would observe it would reduce the space requirements of the archives by about 75% and would also make searches about half as long. And, besides, it gives more free room for people like Hayes and me to blather on and on and obfuscate to our heart's content.

So.You are apparently interested in Mediaeval Chinese buddhism and its aftermath -- commonly known as Zen. Reading that stuff is good, and it is very heady broth indeed. Then, just as you finish your twentieth sutra and 500 pages of koans, some wise ass walks into the monastery and declares reading is unnecessary or even harmful to real enlightenment (the Platform Sutra)! Or a beggar with no formal education or buddhist training shows up all the monks who question with his intuitive understanding of buddhist that shames them all (Vimilakrti Sutra).

What's a fella or fellina to do? My answer was to sit very very quietly for long periods of time and study the pain in my knee joints very intensely, forgetting everything else. I still love to read and I love to argue and use spooky words. But I think it is possible to get all tangled up in your head if you start worrying about emptiness and annihilation and those things.Let the pain in your knees teach you.

Well. That's probably not very zen, and you have to forgive me for referring to books and ideas rather broadly. I am not a fine detail guy -- I am a mapper. And I just drew you a map.

Enjoy buddha-hell but please be email polite.

Jim Peavler
jmp at peavler.org

"Be good. Be just."  John Adams