XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.philosophy.zen   
   From: tanghuyen@gmail.com   
      
   On 8/30/2016 7:24 AM, Lee Dillion wrote:   
      
   > In my own teaching experience, which has   
   > nothing to do with formal Buddhism, I have   
   > encountered a wide range of student abilities   
   > and receptiveness.  A few fall at either ends   
   > of the spectrum – ones who really are quite   
   > hopeless in learning the doctrine and skills   
   > needed, and others who seem to possess   
   > both with ease and little needed prodding.   
   >   
   > For those in the vast area in between, I am   
   > egotistical enough to think I can   
   > assist – some through direct teaching, some   
   > through modeling behavior, but most by   
   > allowing them to get their hands dirty (and   
   > fingers stepped on occasionally) by direct   
   > practice, feedback, and, hopefully, reflection.   
   >   
   > Not sure how this maps to Zen, but I would   
   > like to think that not all is hopeless, even for   
   > the most of inept students.  For them, at least,   
   > we could suggest another path.   
      
   Lee my sweet and loving son, paths themselves   
   are not hermetically sealed, and if somebody   
   discovers some path somewhere, somebody   
   else is going to discover the same, with at most   
   minor variations. In addition, paths famously   
   borrow from one another, and Chinese Chan   
   borrows massively from Daoism, almost en bloc.   
   As I often say, Madame Guyon and Fénelon   
   rediscover much of Buddhism and Daoism, at a   
   time and in a place where they are almost   
   unknown.   
      
   On top of that, there is the possibility that   
   underneath it all, the ultimate reference, the   
   rock bottom, may well be the human mind and   
   its patterns, in all their opacity and fluffiness, so   
   that under the proclamations of, say, the Book,   
   people can well practice the same methods   
   (Dharma-s) as in Buddhism, and attain to the   
   same results, more or less. The uncarved whole   
   can express itself in different manners ...   
      
   So, suggest another path can well be to   
   suggest another appearance to the same path,   
   more or less. Mindfulness, concentration,   
   detachment, equability, etc. It would be to   
   protect the innocent ...   
      
   Tang Huyen   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)