The Pagan Library

by **Kelreth** » Tue May 08, 2007 7:53 am

Just wondering what every one here thinks of Zen and its associated qualities. I personally like it a lot and attribute it to helping me get over some rather aggravating personally qwerks, anger mostly that and it helps to control the more primal urges of the human psyche. My gf doesnt really have an opinion, shes more of a lay Xian, follows the ideals but not the church, kind of, not really sure. One of the guys i do jujitsu with tries some Zen but I think he could use more of it.

Just wondering if any one else has had experiences with Zen and what happened from it.

by **Crazy Healer Lady** » Tue May 08, 2007 8:08 am

My ex was starting to get VERY into some of the practices of Zen. If he had applied some of the more spiritual knowledge, I'm very sure he would not have been the complete jerk that he was when I found my SO.

What I have learned is that the Zen Masters are amazing. One martial artist can defeat two opponents with one finger, without even touching them. This is also a skill witnessed by my SO studying Ishin-Ryu Karate and the Grandmasters.

The practices of Zen Meditation really improve your archery scores, by the way

I learned that after my first real archery bruise which I am so proud of ^_^

But it is the riddles (I forget the real name) that most interest me. To me, these reflect the remnants of a Shamanic society. What is the sound of one hand clapping?

by **Kelreth** » Tue May 08, 2007 11:30 am

Koans are the riddles, they are very useful, the one on Temper i read it and it changed me, idk how but it made me realize that anger was not me and that i was not anger.

lol the sound of one hand clapping, that one is interesting.

Ishin-Ryu karate? the dojo that my sensei trains at teaches that, colman sensei teaches several different arts. one of them is ishin-ryu, it looks cool, i like jujitsu though, much fun

by **Crazy Healer Lady** » Tue May 08, 2007 12:52 pm

KOANS! YES! I was thinking Korans, but I know what that is...

Jujitsu is neat, but I'm still a fan of Ishin-Ryu ^_^ The dojo in Hope is very VERY strict. It's one of those places where you walk in a wimp, and walk out a man, in every sense of the word. It builds so much character, and teaches you discipline, ethics, and how to NOT fight.

by **Kelreth** » Tue May 08, 2007 3:42 pm

Crazy Healer Lady wrote:Jujitsu is neat, but I'm still a fan of Ishin-Ryu ^_^ The dojo in Hope is very VERY strict. It's one of those places where you walk in a wimp, and walk out a man, in every sense of the word. It builds so much character, and teaches you discipline, ethics, and how to NOT fight.

that is how dojos should, not these mockeries that are everywhere

the stuff here is traditional, so while the university group is strict but not overly the sensei down town is strict

by **Kitsune** » Wed May 09, 2007 7:40 am

I'd like to start learning a martial art one day... Perhaps after I've got my business up and running, bought and starting training with my archery equipment, find time for meditation and Reiki every day, and am able to hold down a job I enjoy while allowing my guy to go through school without worrying about the rent. :lol:

Yep, One Day! :-D

by **daibanjo** » Wed May 09, 2007 8:51 pm

When I was in my 20's I took up Karate. One of my instructors, I heard, was studying Zen. So I asked him what it was. I'd never heard the word before and I was curious. He told me, I always remember it, he said "Don't go looking for Zen, Zen will find you." So, of course, I went looking for Zen.
I think I told the story here once of how i was being asked what was the sound of one hand clapping and so I smacked the monitor on the back of the head and asked the Roshi, (The Master) "Next question."
I did find the Koans to be marvelous little mind tricks. They are very much in the nature of jokes. They don't mean anything until you get it. For instance;
I was at an introductory meeting many years ago. The way it began was interesting. It was in a hall with the Roshi up on a stage eating a cheesecake off a paper plate. A young man walked up to him and said "Master, what is Zen?" The Roshi squished the cheesecake into the young man's face.
The question was answered perfectly. I wonder if there is anyone here who can explain that.

by **Ragnar** » Wed May 09, 2007 9:07 pm

Crazy Healer Lady wrote:I learned that after my first real archery bruise which I am so proud of ^_^

Aha. Who forgot to bend the elbow away from the string then? :roll:

by **Kelreth** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:59 am

daibanjo wrote: The question was answered perfectly. I wonder if there is anyone here who can explain that.

where would the fun be in that?

and zen is life, zen is normal :-?

by **Crazy Healer Lady** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:48 pm

Ragnar wrote:Aha. Who forgot to bend the elbow away from the string then?

Yeppers! And darn proud of it ^_^ Because sometimes you only learn by getting hurt very badly. When I learned archery as a child, I was great at it. Seven years later I forgot what it was all about, felt a little too confident, and...

Archery is not my sport, really. As soon as I am done with SCUBA (learning & diving this weekend and next YAHOO) I am enrolling in a fencing course with my partner. I've always wanted to learn how to fight with a sword. Now is my chance. They teach just down the road!!!

Yes, now... Back to Zen.

The thing I love about Koans is when you hear them, you think about them, and you just get this overwhelming feeling that I can only describe as "Ommmmm!" At least for me :oops:

by **daibanjo** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:22 pm

Kelreth wrote:
daibanjo wrote: The question was answered perfectly. I wonder if there is anyone here who can explain that.

where would the fun be in that?

and zen is life, zen is normal

It took me years before I understood what happened that day. I just wondered if anyone here "Got it" (hint) you have to have fun in you to understand how that was the perfect answer to "What is Zen?"

And Zen is far from normal :lol: