Raising Thought - The Baltimore Zen Center

with brush, ink, paper / we drew lines and circles...

2010-01-20T21:51:07.729-08:00

with brush, ink, paper / we drew lines and circles / each seeking perfection / and each so perfect / in its perfection seeking

I want a funny hat.

2010-01-14T12:04:06.301-08:00

I want a funny hat.

I agree with Shaun that enlightenment should be at...

2010-01-14T09:51:29.918-08:00

I agree with Shaun that enlightenment should be attainable without the ritual. Anyone who says, "this is the way you have to do it, and if you don't, you're wrong/it won't work," only limits their own experiences. Ritual is an experience that helps to teach the history and beliefs of a religion; it provides a starting point for those who need it. Additionally, many (most) individuals do not begin their practice with the perseverance they require to move forward. Practicing rituals allows them to explore and grow at whatever pace they need, adding depth to their experience as they are ready.

Maybe it's not what they need, though. Maybe it's just what they want to make themselves more comfortable.

Ritual or no ritual. There are many roads but only...

2010-01-14T09:37:55.221-08:00

Ritual or no ritual. There are many roads but only one Way.

MOUNT SUMERU! Actually, well put if it must be pu...

2010-01-08T13:15:22.017-08:00

MOUNT SUMERU!

Actually, well put if it must be put ans as humans we must put to get unput.

I've rejected a reader's comment to this post rela...

2009-12-01T10:17:22.684-08:00

I've rejected a reader's comment to this post related to the "Law of Attraction / The Secret." It is not that the topic itself is uninteresting; rather, since it linked back to a questionable site (now off-line), it was not clear if it was an example of "blog spam."

We are naturally open to discussions regarding the Law of Attraction and Zen. So, if the reader would like to try again, we're all ears! :-)

If we beat reverence into you, jrf, then what woul...

2009-11-17T17:10:10.405-08:00

If we beat reverence into you, jrf, then what would we do to get it out? Did I not mention that we were busy? ;-)

I suspect JB will enjoy handling the other questions :-) Thanks for checking in!

Thank Goodness you've posted updates! I was worri...

2009-11-17T17:02:54.177-08:00

Thank Goodness you've posted updates!

I was worried that Zen had gone out of business. What kind of bad economy could do that?

Plus, November began and you were still listing October events! I wanted to know when Buddhists celebrate Thanksgiving. Also, when are you scheduling the BZC Christmas Party? I was afraid I'd miss that...

Hopefully one of you guys will have a chance to beat some reverance into me soon.

Glad to see the site updated!

Now, some answers: Are these attachments? Only if...

2009-09-03T17:35:22.016-07:00

Now, some answers:

Are these attachments? Only if he lets them be

Evertything is a good lesson in zen if you listen and watch and understand.

If I were in your place, I would not be in my place.

Many who begin Zen practice attach to a notion of ...

2009-09-03T16:05:15.314-07:00

Many 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's still true that I like corn, but I don't like peas.

As to whether the monk's activity was a lesson at all, who knows? I suppose I could interpret it that way, no?

In both questions, though, we find ourselves wondering if there is meaning in what we observe---but what is the meaning of this wondering?

Was Sunim lost in thought? There'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?

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.

Nothing but fun! :-)

huh. Nice questions, Joe. I'm sorry I wasn't abl...

2009-09-02T17:55:10.238-07:00

huh.

Nice questions, Joe. I'm sorry I wasn't able to drop in on Sunday.

Yes, the devotions are attachments. But we may mean different things by this. We'll have to talk next time I see you.

Yes, the monk'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'd say something was amiss. We live in the world, not a movie.

If I were in your place... I don't know. Did you have questions that needed to be answered that badly?

Something to ponder.

Everyone is welcome to attend!

2009-08-27T10:48:10.047-07:00

Everyone is welcome to attend!

This is excellent! I've never visited, is this som...

2009-08-27T10:22:20.122-07:00

This is excellent! I've never visited, is this something you'd recommend for a first-time visitor?

I feel cheated. Where is the salute to Japan? We...

2009-07-19T17:43:00.945-07:00

I feel cheated. Where is the salute to Japan?

Were there ninjas? You know I love them ninjas.

I have often felt like Animal during "med-i-tay-shun" practice. I have yet to see the white eternal light coming out through my toes even though I have looked many, many times.

Awesome stuff. I can't wait for the Salute to Japan.

ZM Pohwa Sunim comments from Seoul International Z...

2009-05-25T05:17:43.928-07:00

ZM Pohwa Sunim comments from Seoul International Zen Center in South Korea:

"Who am I? Who am I."

Sometimes, no posting is the posting... Sometimes,...

2009-05-20T09:29:24.859-07:00

Sometimes, no posting is the posting... Sometimes, there is nothing to be said. In truth, though, in this case we've been preoccupied :-)

Knowing that there are readers does inspire writing though, so: Thanks for the feedback, Gil!

Is it just me, or is dust beginning to settle on t...

2009-05-20T04:26:50.637-07:00

Is it just me, or is dust beginning to settle on the blog postings here?

Something new to think about... pretty please?

It's my pleasure, JRF. I often find that the discu...

2009-05-06T14:37:59.351-07:00

It's my pleasure, JRF. I often find that the discussions on other blogs contain some finer Zen content worth discussion, though possibly not there where they may not be appreciated. I'm thinking these cases might make for an interesting feature here, so, if you happen to spot any... ;-)

I'll stop this post here before I'm tempted to go too far into Zen and Etiquette---another topic so full of potential!

This case has continued to haunt my thoughts. Thi...

2009-05-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

This case has continued to haunt my thoughts. This makes it worthy of discussion.

Some of my random thoughts have echoed some of your points:

Is it necessarily an error to display ego? No, though in this case, I think the ego-centricism fails to recognize the larger picture.

Has the instructor's attitude changed in fact? Maybe, maybe not. As you state, we have no real proof. It might be the student's shame that causes him to think this. My earlier point was simply that I would not blame the teacher for changing his attitude towards the new student -- especially if he came to the school with a reputation as an advanced martial artist. the student's attitude marks him as an immature artist with advanced skills: a potentially dangerous combination.

The teacher displayed great respect and trust in permitting his mid-level student an opportunity to teach. Even if the new student felt he knew more than the mid-level student, he should've taken the opportunity to learn something about the personal strengths and weaknesses of the teacher and the mid-level student. It provided great insight into the nature of the school he was looking to join.

There is also the Sempai-Kohai relationship to consider. This, unfortunately, is often misunderstood in the West. However, by any estimation, the new student, the Kohai here, disrespected his his Sempai, the mid-level student. I think there's a lot of food for thought here for people interested in this etiquette.

This was an excellent case to bring to our attention, and I thank you for it.

It is an interesting case, and it has several red ...

2009-05-04T16:23:03.379-07:00

It is an interesting case, and it has several red herrings. For instance, the AikiWeb discussion thread tended first to focus first on the student's statement about money; people tended to project their own dojo's economic system onto the situation. There were also some who claimed it would be an honor to be selected by the instructor for such a duty; this misses the point that automatically giving the benefit of the doubt to the instructor creates the same situation as automatically assuming the instructor is taking advantage of you. There were assumptions that the instructor made no error, or had some larger lesson in mind; in fact, we do not know.

From a Zen-ish point of view, it is the student's assumptions and doubt that are perhaps most revealing. The student assumed he was being short-changed. Why did he feel this way? Had he been screwed over in the past and sees similar conditions? Is it the expectation that he deserves more? The thoughts and feelings arise naturally, for whatever their reasons, but there is no cause to be swept away by them. The student may in fact have been short-changed---with or without malice---but the response was rooted in the thought, not the situation as it was. The student was swept away into a spiral of compounding irritation that ended with a possibly not-so-well-considered response. Days later and still affected, he assumes that this is the cause of the instructor's changed attitude; in reality, we have no evidence of this.

Whether displaying ego is an error or not is a good topic for another thread :-)

the student's response may have been spontaneous a...

2009-05-04T05:02:00.000-07:00

the student's response may have been spontaneous and from the heart, but it was ego-centric and failed to connect with or comprehend the larger picture.

The student may well have been an experienced martial artist, but from the facts you gave, he was a beginner to Aikido and new to the class. From his own perspective, he needs to learn the basics of the art. If he can connect them to other lessons and incorporate the Aikido into his own practice faster than other beginners, that is a bonus. But he needs to accept that this is new, and Aikido basics may have their own lessons to teach him. Presumably he is taking the class because he believes there is something he is lacking from his other training -- even if that "lack" is just a new perspective.

From the teacher's perspective, the new student is an unknown commodity. He needs to be tested to see who he is at his heart. In the old days, this test had life or death consequences. Perhaps the new student has dangerous ulterior motives for training. The new student needs "to prove" he is worthy of more attention. In this regard, the student's answer was honest, and he "failed." The teacher had good reason to give the student the cold shoulder -- until he realizes his mistake and changes his attitude, he has proven that he is a beginner.

Just my two cents.

You're welcome. Good to have.

2009-03-25T12:29:52.591-07:00

You're welcome. Good to have.

A thoughtful post.Now is the time I have to practi...

2009-03-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

A thoughtful post.

Now is the time I have to practice, for it is the only time I know.

Thank you for genrously allowing the Antagonistic Buddha to post on your site.

Juicy.

2009-03-21T15:33:14.099-07:00

Juicy.

I'd like to thank Hsoi, of "Stuff from Hsoi", for ...

2009-03-17T08:32:21.114-07:00

I'd like to thank Hsoi, of "Stuff from Hsoi", for his feedback on his own blog:

http://hsoiblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/a-zen-moment-in-parenting/

Hsoi's postings are quite eclectic; I especially think Jaeger would be interested in taking a look!