go here: LINKIE it is a rely cool meditation webbsite!!!





(soory just had to)

Edit: Fixed your link for you Kimm. Warning to those that have only a 56k modem, the site is 'flash' intensive, so pages will load slowly.

One moon shows in every pool; in every pool, the one moon.

that is very interesting oracle

Nice link Kimmy
But it sure brought the creeps to me
then it was funny .. when the bugg was standing on the guys head

Thanks for the link~

Does anyone else here practice or is a Zen Buddhist? I am and meditate daily.

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Just curious, not too many western people take to Eastern philosophies or religions if you prefer to call ZEN a religion.

I don't want to be nasty but actually depending how you interpret the word of Buddha, there is a god or no god. And also you can be a Christian Buddhist in which case it is a religion. There are also gods in Buddhism depending on you sect and some believe in Allah, Yahweh, etc. The Buddha neither confirmed nor denied that there is one true God, but he said everything is one which correponds to the Christian ideal that we are all part of God and God is in each one of us. All of his 'religious' sentiments have been echoed in ALL major religions, of course the wording is changed but the exact idea is the same. There is a God, but for Buddhism it doesn't matter if you confirm or deny that idea. please don't pigeonhole or try to define my beliefs for me.

QUOTE (djdodo @ Jun 23 2003, 06:18 AM)

Sorry to say this ... but ZEN is not a religion ... it is something made up by people ... A religion is something that came from God ... just like Christian, Judaism and Islam

Well djdodo, look at it this way:

There can only be one religion that is right. This could be Christinaity, it could be Judaism, it could be Islam, it could be Buddhism, it could be Hinduism, it could be Secularism (not a religion to most, but play along - it works for Geographers), it could be any of the religions that have come and gone, it could be any that are yet to be. Only one of these interpretations can ever be completly and wholly correct.

All the rest.... they are the ones made up by people. As it is, none of them are worth any more than any other. That is, unless you happen to be biased though belief towards one of them.

DJDodo, BBK didn't actually say that Zen was a Religion, what he said was that some people may prefer to call it a religion. Besides that I really don't think a discussion that started out being about Zen Meditation should turn into a discussion about religious beliefs or God for that matter.

I know that ((TheOracle)) ... I only wanted to say my own opinion ... don't we have a little Democracy here ...

Sorry DJDodo. As far as I am concerned you are quite welcome to voice your opinions and beliefs ...but...I don't think a discussion on God or Religion needs to be done in this thread (Just my opinion though).

On looking back through older threads I have seen them head down this very road and the dicussion ends up being locked down because things get out of hand.

I'm not trying to pick on you and I don't have anything against you personally, I just don't want this end up with people being offended or put down because of their personal beliefs.

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Well put Kimm.
May I ask how long you have been practicing? I usuall only practice Zazen but lately I have been trying Yoga Nidra also.

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I respect Buddhism for that.
Personally I believe that God's message is in every school of thought...
ie. All paths lead to God...

It is about evolution and consciousness and some will be naturally harmonious with certain schools of thought than others.

I think Zen, or Ch'an Buddhism (whatever you prefer), is a beautiful way to get beyond the mind.
The koans are a very cool practice for this, and it is a legitimate spiritual system in my belief, not just one that requires you to be forcefed a belief and be afraid you will fry if you don't.