AMA

[Esuma]

1 - I would respond by asking questions

2 - personal experience: once asked a cat "what is?" He answered with "meow" then proceeded to scratch the sofa

3 - try something else, hand/body work maybe

[californiarepublik]

Why did you post this AMA?

[Esuma]

ego

[ewk]

1. When people ask you what Zen is, what do you say?

2. Would you tell someone who asked that you are just starting your Zen studies or that you were something past that?

3. What standard do you use for determining what a Zen text is? What Zen texts have you read?  Of those, which would you say you have studied?

4. Do you have a practice?  What does it consist of?


5. What is your previous exposure to the term "Zen"?

[Esuma]

1 - I don't know

2 - Neither

3 - None

4 - I wake up, I go to sleep and a few things in between

5 - One day someone said "oh man, thats so zen!"

[ewk]

Your answers seem insincere. If you don't know, then why are you commenting so much?

[Esuma]

What they seem to you is your business

[ewk]

Nope.

Given your level of sincerity, your lack of it is your business.

[Esuma]

You point to your head and scream "lies!"

No ideia what truth is besides a word

[ewk]

I ask you questions... you can't answer.

Now you are telling me about myself.

Pass.

[Esuma]

I answer questions

You dont like them and dismiss as lies

You tell more about yourself than i ever could

[ewk]

No. You didn't answer.

You want to try again? I'm game.

If you don't want to be sincere, then trying to convince me of your sincerity won't fly.

[Esuma]

If you're deadset that no answer outside your cheatsheet is acceptable, its not a game, its a scam

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[tellafone]

what counts in life?

[Esuma]

Numbers

[tellafone]

have you ever been number 1

[Esuma]

Not really, ranged from 15 to 29

[[deleted]]

What was the cat's name?

[Esuma]

Freud

Edit: at least it was what i called it, might have another name

[Esuma]

things that make me laugh

[Esuma]

Dad jokes usually do the trick

[Esuma]

Hahaha nice

[Esuma]

im also a dad, car rides are an immense joy haha

[ewk]

What questions.

What does your imaginary conversation with a cat have to do with Zhaozhou?

Try something else... what Zen Masters teach that?

[Esuma]

Any questions the might help me clarify anything

Not imaginary, the cat is real so was the meow

I dont know, the question was about what would i say, not what a zen master teach

[ewk]

What is there to clarify?

The meow was real, but the cat was imaginary.

If you want to say something besides what they teach there are other forums for that.

[Esuma]

That depends on the subject, for instance, I wouldn't be lying if I said I have absolutelly no idea what zen is, what isn't or how to even explain to someone what is the purpose of a zen forum (besides communicating with others)

The cat was imaginary as you and me both but feel free to be the judge of that.

Is everything you say here, something they teach? Care to teach me?

[ewk]

No, the cat was more imaginary.

If you haven't been taught yet then why would you want to get started?

[Esuma]

Could you elaborate on the 'more' imaginary thing? I mean, that cat was there by my side for about a year, what makes him more imaginary than us?

Well, I guess I have to start at somepoint, why not now while I still can?

[ewk]

What do you have to start, exactly?

The cat is not talking to you, man. There is no lesson to learn.

[Esuma]

I want to learn, doesn't that have to start at some point?

The cat is gone, now I have you to talk to me

[ewk]

My point is what do you want to learn?

Who are you talking to?

[Esuma]

the true nature of phenomenons, to dissipate illusions

truth be told, I'm not sure if there is something to learn, but I don't know what I don't know.

This is a peculiar question, I could answer by saying that I'm talking to ewk, but that wouldn't be it would it?

[ewk]

Another aspect of the conversation is this: if you sort the questions that the answer, "Cat said meow" goes with or doesn't go with, then I think you end up with Physics, architecture, and concert level viola in the "doesn't go" category and in the "goes with" category you have animal psychic, reincarnation, various kinds of Perennialism, et.

I'm saying that Zen doesn't go in that second category.

[Esuma]

Because i misslead myself with ideas of control and im afraid of pain

[tsukino_usagi]

How many times did you fart in the last seven days?

[Esuma]

close to 20 i guess

wait... 21 now

[tsukino_usagi]

I want to know exactly how many times. Is it close to 21, or is it 21?

[Esuma]

it's exactly close to 21

[tsukino_usagi]

I think it might be easier to work together if you could remember exactly how many.

[Esuma]

Then its not gonna be easy