PeterGraves 2002-06-16 03:25:39 ET does anyone besides me practice zazen or go to a local zen center...i am interested in conversation with any other "freaks" who practice Zen....

misfitangel* 2002-06-19 18:02:17 ET I don't know who Zen is.

PeterGraves 2002-06-20 02:57:09 ET hmmm, well, zen is not a person...thats why you don't know who zen is...

misfitangel* 2002-06-20 07:49:06 ET well then that would make since.

People are Strange* 2002-06-22 15:11:49 ET do you know of any good buddhist community type thingies sorta like this maybe? i'm interested in finding something like that.

PeterGraves 2002-06-22 15:16:15 ET then its up to me and you to make it cuz i can't find it...

People are Strange* 2002-06-22 15:17:52 ET heh it's a deal

PeterGraves 2002-06-22 15:29:38 ET *LOL* any good with dreamweaver 4.0.... i don't know if i would feel right making it...i'm not even practicing with the zen center here in town currently... (there last newsletters big article was about the abbots thoughts on gautama siddartha (the ...first buddha..) and how he looked physically...they practice the korean version of zen known as Kwan Du Zazen and i'm not to interested in its teaching methods...i prefer to practice according to the Soto Sects ideals and there is no Soto Zen Center in indy...*shrugs* i would prefer if we had a roshi to rely on, but whats the chances of getting one actually interested in the idea... truth is there just isn't that many from the subkultures who practice zen, by very nature i find they draw different directions...the subkultures are so filled with ego and pomp that i doubt any would have a go at it with a quiet mind.... i know personally i have issues battling ego, MORE because of my extreme individuality... i don't feel qualified to talk about zen this way....*L*...

People are Strange* 2002-06-22 21:31:31 ET hehehe I don't know much about Zen to be honest, I consider myself therevada. But i also have ego as well as maturity problems.

PeterGraves 2002-06-23 01:05:12 ET i could recommend so good books that brush the dust off of and illumenate zen pretty well...? i'll go through my shelf later and find the ones i'm thinking off

PeterGraves 2002-06-23 12:58:14 ET try these two if you can find them Nine Headed Dragon River, zen journals, by peter matthisen and, A First Zen Reader, i forget who compiled it but its translated texts by An Abbot of Rinzai Zen and the Head of the Order of the Soto Sect...like most zen books there not exburantly popular so it might take some digging to find them, not sure really, Nine Headed deals with an american zen students journals following the second wave of zen teachers from japan....and his travels and a lot of history and facts about zen over the last 14 centuries...VERY good read...his writing captures the essence of zen closely... and A First Zen Reader is really like a lesson, or a first good lesson and reading, it dicusses the diamond sutra and many many koans....the compiler even takes a short step at his own writing and finishes the book with a chapter on "the ways" of zen...interesting views...i would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to begin wrestling with concepts and ideals...a great first step....

TeRRoR 2002-06-26 23:00:30 ET Zen is my boyfriend! :D hehehhe. OK so that's not his real name but that's his journal name :P

PeterGraves 2002-06-27 05:39:10 ET ummmm....congradulations.....

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