Honorentheos Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 Beron'sThe zen story about slaying the buddha is at heart a wish that evil didn't exist? That's a unique interpretation...
Honorentheos Posted May 24, 2009 Posted May 24, 2009 Jeff K,I went back and reread Ron Baron's explanation for the story which makes what you said more clear. My cup was too full, you might say.I think what you said is insightful - our nature as humans certainly is to simplify and categorize things into understood paradigms and it may be impossible for us to truly accept all paradigms. I think I let my understanding of the "slay the buddha" story get in the way of understanding what you were saying. Kind of ironic.To me, the story of slaying the buddha implies something about how we should be living our lives in the here and now, almost independent of the end result. I think all of us have known people who are so focused on the end results of their religious beliefs (celestial glory, eternity with 70 virgins, rockin' out with heavenly harps...) that they forget to simply live the precepts of their religion in the immediate sense. It can become very easy to be so focused on remaining unspotted from the world that one no longer is able to live a truly Christ-like life.I don't know, the slay the buddha story is nuanced in someway that the Happy Chinaman story seems to best express my understanding of it.But I found Ron's insight also valuable and worth consideration. Slay the buddha, pull an ox out of the mire, eat with publicans and sinners...Christ or Pharisee/Sadducee? Buddha or enlightenment? All paradigms have something we can learn from.
mfbukowski Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Jeff K,I think I let my understanding of the "slay the buddha" story get in the way of understanding ...There you go!Now the buddha is dead.
Ron Beron Posted May 28, 2009 Author Posted May 28, 2009 There you go!Now the buddha is dead.Sliced in two...now you can learn.
mledbetter Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 Sliced in two...now you can learn.What do you do if you look in the mirror and see the buddha?
mfbukowski Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 What do you do if you look in the mirror and see the buddha?Go on a diet.
mledbetter Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 Go on a diet.Doh, I was afraid someone would say that. :-(
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