Dharma Wheel

Matylda, Can you specify where and what difference your friend experienced regarding koans? No. In Asia it is highly improper to ask such things actually. Those are details of protected practice and such things generally are not discussed. As far as I remember most koans are same for both tradition...

Is the experience of suchness and the Tao the same? no way too tell but too experience both! as far as i can tell, it is the same. one time i experienced a zen state of mind and i suddenly recalled words from the tao te ching that made no sense when i read them, and i understood them! but then, at ...

The only difference in practical terms between Caodong and Linji in China was the brief period when Dahui came up with the huatou practice and it was in the process of spreading. But in a short time everyone embraced it. Dogen was in China when kanhua practice was still relatively new. So what he b...

I don't have a specific book to recommend, but basic books on Chinese medicine often explain how the emotions affect the movement of qi. I know you were asking about Buddhist qigong in another thread - there are a couple books I know of that cover a wide range of qigong practices, and have sections...

Although jhana may not be emphasize, it doesn't mean the perfection of samadhi can be ignored. In the 6 paramitas - Perfection of Concentration is the jhana which is talked about. The difference is then whether you want to reach that samadhi through your breathing or through Vipassana, it doesn't m...

dakini_boi wrote:Disordered/polluted qi is mainly caused by afflictive emotions. Metta is an antidote to afflictive emotions - because afflictive emotions are all based on self-clinging, and metta pacifies self-clinging. At least, that's how I understand it!

awesome. thanks, any books you recommend?

The most I can give you is that my friend says that Sheng Yen's approach is "more inclusive" than Dogen's. interesting. how much did sheng yen bring pure land into caodong? the two don't seem very compatible. one being based on practice leading toward awakening and total dedication to tha...

[quote="/johnny\"]I have read this many different places and always assumed it too be true. but the more i learn the more it seems that soto is dogen zen which is totally it's own thing and perhaps derived from caodong, but not really the same. however for contrast, as far as i can tell, ...

To really answer these questions, one would have to completely master jhana AND the various Zen meditations. As for the lower jhanas, insights can be gained from any of them (I'm pretty sure) but they go deeper into the nature of things as you go along. Don't let yourself get stuck in the first jha...

[quote="/johnny\"]I have read this many different places and always assumed it too be true. but the more i learn the more it seems that soto is dogen zen which is totally it's own thing and perhaps derived from caodong, but not really the same. however for contrast, as far as i can tell, ...

I have read this many different places and always assumed it too be true. but the more i learn the more it seems that soto is dogen zen which is totally it's own thing and perhaps derived from caodong, but not really the same. however for contrast, as far as i can tell, linji and rinzai are very sim...

many chan/zen teachers do not recommend traditional jhana meditation and instead teach silent illumination, among others (in japanese shikantaza, although i think this is a dogen version of it and is a little different). is one better than the other? are they technically the same once you get into t...

dakini_boi wrote:Well that makes sense because metta can have the effect of regulating and purifying one's qi.

thanks, do you know any more about it?

johnny, All I'm talking about here is the relationship between Chinese forms of body training and Zen Buddhism. I define Zen as a set of doctrines and methods. Taoism and history, I've said nothing about those. Now, when comparing or matching Zen with something else, what I consider are the doctrin...

[quote="/johnny\"]obviously this little story is totally ridiculous, but if it were some how true, it would mean that there is taoism in zen. what would this mean for you? A recent thread on this topic is very useful, I think. Take a look if you like: http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic....

The majority of Zen teachings is written in Chinese language. Does that mean Zen involves Chinese? No, Zen is not connected to the language that is used as its medium, and the language itself does not become Zen just because it is used to convey Zen teachings. As for the concept of "Zen school...

Meido wrote:Just edited my last post to add a few text recommendations, if you're interested. You beat me to the punch.

~ Meido

thanks!

I can think of examples of teaching lines that transmit and/or have integrated such practices. For example, the late Sheng-yen developed an eight-form "moving meditation" that uses movements found in qigong: http://chancenter.org/cmc/chan-practice/moving-meditation/" onclick="wi...

I think you can find quite easily a Chinese monk who also knows qigong. But that doesn't mean Buddhism or specifically Zen/Chan is connected to it in doctrine or praxis. You can find Western Zen teachers who are also psychotherapists or engineers, but neither of those professions are Buddhist metho...

I learned a lot of shaolin stuff that combines qigong and buddhism. are there any others?