The first fold of the Eightfold Path, Right View, is sometimes translated as Right Understanding and is explained by many commentators to mean that one has Right Understanding if one understands the Four Noble Truths. But that common explanation doesn’t jive with the Buddha’s words. He said the first fold of the Eightfold Path was… Continue reading Meat, Murder, Tofu And Zen
Category: Precepts
Zen Precepts: Black or White?
I had the misfortune of taking a tour of a Buddhist temple in Orlando today. It was a spur of the moment tour, taken only because the tour group passed by us and a lady who worked at the temple suggested we (my wife and I) join it. The man leading the tour, which was apparently over,… Continue reading Zen Precepts: Black or White?
Can Zen Rename the Realms?
The ten dharma realms smack of religiosity. Whenever I tell my friends that Buddhism is not a religion of blind belief but a rational system of mental cultivation practices, they say: But your website speaks of hell realms, hungry ghosts and other such religious-sounding, old-fashioned things. They are correct. However, although Master Hsuan Hua speaks… Continue reading Can Zen Rename the Realms?
Are Zen Buddhists Vegetarians?
I know self-proclaimed Buddhists who brag that they eat meat because they have transcended all notions of right and wrong and are no longer concerned about trivial issues such as eating veggies or the dead bodies of slaughtered animals. They proclaim that only the unenlightened care about such a non-issue. “Grow up,” they tell me. “It’s… Continue reading Are Zen Buddhists Vegetarians?