tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5091979846401534659.post1141243277081461105..comments2009-09-03T21:07:25.154-04:00Ordinary Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06639576996810057526noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5091979846401534659.post-14971031116232917992009-09-03T20:35:22.016-04:002009-09-03T20:35:22.016-04:00Now, some answers:<br /><br />Are these attachments? Only if he lets them be<br /><br />Evertything is a good lesson in zen if you listen and watch and understand.<br /><br />If I were in your place, I would not be in my place.Alanhttp://www.abeced.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5091979846401534659.post-83576237575471469122009-09-03T19:05:15.314-04:002009-09-03T19:05:15.314-04:00Many who begin Zen practice attach to a notion of non-attachment as a goal of the practice. It is a curiosity... something to be investigated in the practice, the attached or not attached, right and wrong, etc. We can certainly chat about those anytime, but in the meantime, it&#39;s still true that I like corn, but I don&#39;t like peas.<br /><br />As to whether the monk&#39;s activity was a lesson at all, who knows? I suppose I could interpret it that way, no?<br /><br />In both questions, though, we find ourselves wondering if there is meaning in what we observe---but what is the meaning of this wondering?<br /><br />Was Sunim lost in thought? There&#39;s not necessarily an external indicator. The way to find out would have been to have challenged him---a time-honored tradition in this lineage, after all ;-) But should you challenge him or should you not challenge him? What is the right way to proceed?<br /><br />As for me, I had plenty of discussion with the monk Sunday night; this time Monday was just time to hang out and to see if he needed any help with anything before leaving Tuesday morning. If either of us had something to do or to discuss, I suspect we did it without hesitation. And when it was time for him to rest, he rested, and when I got the message that dinner was almost ready, I left.<br /><br />Nothing but fun! :-)Ordinary Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06639576996810057526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5091979846401534659.post-32445389028126838332009-09-02T20:55:10.238-04:002009-09-02T20:55:10.238-04:00huh.<br /><br />Nice questions, Joe. I&#39;m sorry I wasn&#39;t able to drop in on Sunday.<br /><br />Yes, the devotions are attachments. But we may mean different things by this. We&#39;ll have to talk next time I see you.<br /><br />Yes, the monk&#39;s activity was a good lesson in Zen. Is he not human, living in the world, with a need to attend to those matters that are necessary? If you said he spent the whole visit in meditation, chanting syllables, and perhpas lifting X-wing fighters out of a swamp... I&#39;d say something was amiss. We live in the world, not a movie.<br /><br />If I were in your place... I don&#39;t know. Did you have questions that needed to be answered that badly?<br /><br />Something to ponder.jrfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17547986019432523760noreply@blogger.com