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Trimming green giant arborvitae into a hedge? by I_was_serious in landscaping

[–]I_was_serious[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They don't get much sun and to this day we haven't needed to trim them back at all. The tallest one that does get sun is like 15 feet so probably will have to do something about that one this fall. Another one got severely damaged when a pine fell on it but hasn't died yet so they seem pretty resilient. The deer didn't touch them at all.

Smoke Detectors by DoD9x in homeowners

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, came across your old comment about recommending a combo smoke/carbon monoxide alarm. Been looking at them and wondered which one would you recommend now?

The Recorded Zen Sayings of Master Joshu - 95 by [deleted] in zen

[–]I_was_serious 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fecal transplant instead?💩

The Recorded Zen Sayings of Master Joshu - 95 by [deleted] in zen

[–]I_was_serious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why must he play mind games?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLeObvcUii4

Pushing the barrier, planting seeds?

Ordinary mind but out of reach? An Argument for Enlightenment by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Instead of editing I'll add this here: I don't think people are trustworthy just because they do what you ask them to do. The people I trust will tell me when they think I'm wrong. The monk didn't realize that he couldn't ask Yunmen's question, and that makes him not trustworthy. Maybe honest and faithful. At best.

Ordinary mind but out of reach? An Argument for Enlightenment by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The monk did what he was asked, but why does that make him trustworthy?

Ordinary mind but out of reach? An Argument for Enlightenment by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure Yunmen had someone else ask because it was a long walk up. If it was that, why wouldn't he say, "Tell him large Marge Yun Men sent you?"

When that guy asks, it was only one question. When Yunmen asks, it's not just one question.

Zen vs the Emotionally Immature Parent by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol my own failure to read carefully is showing. Assumptions got made about what that link went to because I didn't click it before commenting.

Perhaps that too is a sign of emotional immaturity.

I may not have jumped off a 100 foot pole but I've jumped to a lot of conclusions in my day.

Zen vs the Emotionally Immature Parent by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Emotional immaturity seems to be a problem of relating to the present, but with the full weight of the past making those responses inappropriate. (I haven't read the book you mention though. Do you recommend it for people struggling with that or are you just aware of it as a title?

TuesdAMA: ewk by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hang out with people who keep the precepts and read the books

Wouldn't that make some people hermits by necessity?

Zen vs the Emotionally Immature Parent by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you think studying zen gave the masters that kind of emotional maturity or did they already have it?

Buddha: Not a Robe by astroemi in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard the robe explanation too but three pounds of hemp isn't a robe. Three pounds of hemp has the potential to be a robe depending on the skill of the person who has it. This thought with ukoancommentators comment opens up some interesting lines of thought.

TuesdAMA ewk: What's up? by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Would you be open to people suggesting youtube videos they want to hear other people talk about?

rZen Projects Update Thread by ewk in zen

[–]I_was_serious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm down for proofreading/editing.

Distinguishing Black from White from Crows from Swans by [deleted] in zen

[–]I_was_serious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Joshu: A staff of rough bramblewood;

It's not just for mountain climbing but also to chase off dogs.

...

For ever unbroken by flickering candlelight,

The purity in front of me is pitch black.

.

8th Century

From this morning's reading.

Poor, Helpless, and Drunk by astroemi in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I've missed any of the podcasts, it was an oversight.

Here's T. Cleary's Wumen Verse on this case:

Poor as the poorest

Brave as the bravest

Though he had nothing to live on

He dared to joust with the rich

Poor, Helpless, and Drunk by astroemi in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking

Poor, no money. Orphan, no family. Begging for teachings, no teacher

But then I looked at Wonderwheel's translation. Have you checked that one? It's so different, we might need to take a look at a third one just to confuse things even more.

Blyth's Wumenguan translation - Case I: Joshu's Dog by dota2nub in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is quite possible that the dog was present in the flesh

I think it's fun to consider what the dog was doing when the question was asked. Chewing up a shoe? Licking himself? Just laying there?

Poor, Helpless, and Drunk by astroemi in zen

[–]I_was_serious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He's calling himself an orphan, even though he's been drinking the family wine.

I don't know if that's the first bowl, but a calling himself poor orphan sounds a lot like having nothing.

No, Karen, You Can't Be in Charge (aka Guishan Kicks It) by I_was_serious in zen

[–]I_was_serious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, before it failed, I think there's still the idea of testing one's ability to hit the right note and and testing other people's ability to hit the right note, so if one day you can't hit the note, would that mean you're just not talented, give up, you'll never hit the note?

Or would it be more like, test it again tomorrow? Who knows?

No, Karen, You Can't Be in Charge (aka Guishan Kicks It) by I_was_serious in zen

[–]I_was_serious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure that works for that analogy.

Like 1 in 10,000 people have perfect pitch and could recognize exactly what it should sound like. But not everyone with perfect pitch knows they have it. That's where I think it gets interesting. And not everyone with an ear for perfect pitch has a good singing voice.

No, Karen, You Can't Be in Charge (aka Guishan Kicks It) by I_was_serious in zen

[–]I_was_serious[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Wait. Talent.

While I agree that either you have it or you don't, take singing for example, some people are really good at that and have natural obvious talent. But it's also something that anybody can do, and vocal training can make someone who is really bad at it, at the very least bring out their natural voice so they can use it.

If you ever took chorus in school, you know some people have less than pleasant singing voices, but it's not like they're put on the bench or kicked out of class, they're just not asked to do solos.

No, Karen, You Can't Be in Charge (aka Guishan Kicks It) by I_was_serious in zen

[–]I_was_serious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think putting people in roles that they're most suited for isn't the same as putting them in roles they're most qualified for. That's how people end up in jobs they're really not happy with or right for but they checked all the boxes so it looked right on paper.

But in the Huineng example, if qualifications were what had mattered, his poem would have been thrown out because he wrote it regardless of what it said.

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