Best books on zen Buddhism?

Zen at War

>Zen at War
That's actually a must-read topic for anyone who wants to seriously get into Zen.

I couldn't get into Matthiessen, but I've seen The Snow Leopard referenced several times by some of my favorite writers. Why did you like it? I found the style dull, expect for a few descriptions randomly sprinkled into the story. I also thought the Buddhist bit was shallow, but then again, I only made it about half-way through the book.

I don't know shit about anything but here's another gondola

This book would be more accurately titled, "Buddhism at war" since Japanese "Zen" is mostly just Buddhism, as the Japanese Zen Master Bankei pointed out. There are lots of people around now, courtesy of Japan, who say "Zen" but practice a variation of religious Buddhism.
All over the world Buddhists go to war over all sorts of things. They believe in right and wrong and good and evil and all that sort of thing.

The wikipedia article on this book lists twelve characteristics of Japanese Buddhism which the author argues contributed to Buddhist support for Japanese militarism. Those who are familiar with the Zen lineage will immediately spot items on the list that Zen Masters rejected. Further, there are items which cannot be reconciled with other items on the list and as such illustrate the basic conflict between faith and reason, a conflict that Zen has no interest in.

The best books about Zen Buddhism, are not books about Zen Buddhism.

gondola is best internet mythology god

truly the modern kalevala

I still think it's instructive to remember that even Buddhism/Zen does not have ultimate moral superiority.
While Buddhism certainly is doing better than most, it's not an immunization towards evil. It just... helps.

Probably the only religion to actually have never killed in its name is Jainism. But they are borderline suicidal in their pacifism.

>All over the world Buddhists go to war over all sorts of things
Le Vénérable W showed me this and holy shit, was that an intense documentary. Seeing your stereotypical bald Asian monk in an orange robe talk about how happy he is with the success of his campaign of ethnic cleansing was pretty fucking unsettling.

Yup. No matter what the idealism, philosophy or religion. People will manage to fuck it up.
We're still waiting on the Jains tho.

In all honesty, cleansing your country of Muslims is a good idea for any religion that wants to continue existing.

Jains took over the Antwerp diamond trade from the Jews, I can only imagine the amount of immorality that goes along with that.

Preventing Islamic invasion is not 'fucking up' though. Wirathu did nothing wrong.

"The Story of Chinese Zen" by Nan Huai-ch'in. It's up online.

The Muslims there are of a non-violent sect. I suggest you look into the different schools of Islam (yes, there's more than shia and sunni) and pay attention to who the troublemakers are.
It also makes clear why many of the countries are in such a turmoil and what kind of stakes neighboring nations have. Like when a government is of a different sect than the majority of the population (as is often the case).
Pay especially close attention to the sects of the Saudi royal family and most if not all relevant terrorist organizations. (Hint: There is a reason the West is fucking rushing to get rid of combustion motors.)

It's jihadists like ISIS who want you and everyone else to believe that there is only one Islam. Don't fall for their propaganda.

The non-violent Muslims are the worst. They take over gradually so there is as little incentive as possible for the population to resist the creep. Meanwhile they start outbreeding the locals, opening Mosques, demanding people to be considerate regarding their prayer routine, diet, customs and laws et cetera. They always seem harmless until they reach a certain number and then they start to erode the host culture.

Jihadists aren't as bad since they punctuate their spread with loud bangs, causing resistance. I guess I agree with ISIS that the distinction and separation between Muslims and kuffar should be absolute. It's better for non-Muslims in the long run.

>The Muslims there are of a non-violent sect.
LOL

I'm more interested in it from a historical, philosophical, world religions approach honestly. Plus I've never been really spiritual either.

is worth getting into zen?

>The non-violent Muslims are the worst. They take over gradually so there is as little incentive as possible for the population to resist the creep. Meanwhile they start outbreeding the locals, opening Mosques, demanding people to be considerate regarding their prayer routine, diet, customs and laws et cetera.
How awful! God forbid we be considerate about people's religions.

Authentic Buddhism isn't really accessible to Westerners, doubly so for Zen; we only have access to Zen through extremely watered-down heretical books written for and by Boomers.

Try this book by an authentic Chan master then:
terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/The story of Chinese Zen.pdf

Then read Gethin, read the wiki articles on the travel of Buddhism to the east, read up on Chan and that's basically it.
Literally the opposite is the case.

Watch the documentary. The Buddhists in Myanmar, under the smiling soft-spoken insturctions of W, pull Muslims from their homes in mobs and burn them alive.
You don't know what the fuck you're meming about.

Being considerate towards Muslims always goes wrong.

I sort of respect their swarm tendencies memetically, it's a very efficient design, but that doesn't mean it should be tolerated.

This is a good thing.

You don't know what you're memeing about, you don't know Muslims.

I would have become a Soto Zen Buddhist and accepted the precepts if it weren't for their autism over "proper Lotus posture". I knew plenty of people who messed up their knees.

Christianity and Islam are both stupid. Also, it's due to USA and UK that radical Islam has grown so tremendously. If Europe were oil-rich, then you could bet that sectarian tensions would rise again, and certain foreign powers would support, arm, and bribe one faction of fanatics over the other, fueling the tensions. It would be pretext to gain more power via gaining control and securing oil refineries.

The USA should never have backed its dollar with the petrodollar, thus constantly intervening in OPEC countries -- supporting dictators or terrorists when convenient. Kissingerian realpolitik is largely to blame for exacerbation of tensions to unprecedented heights.

Regardless, both Christians and Muslims are icchantikas and simple-minded.

Yeah, Norway has really stepped up the Protestantism since they hit oil.

Silly cunt.

They have nowhere near as much crude oil as Saudi Arabia, hence why USA has supported and armed Saudi Arabia -- turning a blind eye to their spreading of Wahhabi fanaticism and funding of 9/11 hijackers:

"The Untold Story Behind Saudi Arabia’s 41-Year U.S. Debt Secret"
bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-05-30/the-untold-story-behind-saudi-arabia-s-41-year-u-s-debt-secret

"How Petrodollars Affect The U.S. Dollar"
investopedia.com/articles/forex/072915/how-petrodollars-affect-us-dollar.asp

>We believe that this administration represents Israel inside America. Take the sensitive ministries such as the Ministry of Exterior and the Ministry of Defense and the CIA, you will find that the Jews have the upper hand in them. They make use of America to further their plans for the world, especially the Islamic world. American presence in the Gulf provides support to the Jews and protects their rear. And while millions of Americans are homeless and destitute and live in abject poverty, their government is busy occupying our land and building new settlements and helping Israel build new settlements in the point of departure for our Prophet's midnight journey to the seven heavens. America throws her own sons in the land of the two Holy Mosques for the sake of protecting Jewish interests.

Which is why I'm with the Rinzai folk, lol

Hmm, so Rinzai don't place as much emphasis on "proper Lotus posture"? I may pay them a visit then. I actually have read a bit of the Blue Cliff Record and did koan meditation.

In Rinzai, do you guys ever utilize the Hua Tou method?

>don't
doesn't*

Generally Rinzai tends to be more "easy going" as far as rules go. Especially in my experience.

My group acknowledges the physical limitations of individuals and encourages people to go as far as they can safely, stretch if they can, but never hurt themselves. So everyone sits as close to lotus as they can. We have one old lady who has to use a chair.

One of our two (fully ordained) assistant "teachers" chooses to dress up traditionally, the other does not. She, conversely, doesn't use a keisaku, the other does. The only sutra we ever recite is the heart sutra.
We have a Buddha statue around (on something of an altar), but apparently only because it was a present. We never bow to it.
We also never use koan. Or at least I know it isn't common and never met anyone who received any.

>In Rinzai, do you guys ever utilize the Hua Tou method?
It's been mentioned, but I've never experienced it in a group or know of anyone who got instruction on it. Apart from the teachers themselves. But it is practiced.
I'm relatively new and haven't been on any retreats or anything. The head of the Zendo isn't around much. He travels a bunch.

Don't know how Rinzai Zendos around you will be tho. I'm sure some are more "traditional" than ours.
But reading Hakuin and some other Rinzai folk, I get the feeling most will at least be along the same vain.

Thanks again. I've been reading a lot lately on Buddhism as it applies to Buddhist countries/nations in addition to anything I can find on influential buddhist thinkers/philosophers from these places.

Theres literally a two volume comprehensive study on Zen Buddism thats wildly known and lauded.
Its called Zen Buddhism: India and China and then 2nd volume is Zen Buddhism: India

Maybe we should've bombed more than Pearl Harbor. Glad the Brits burnt down your White House.

>implying anime isn't cultural warface against the west to turn our men into tranny numales

for a while in the 80s everyone was japanese-aware and talking about the japanese question, but now the japs are just as tricky as ever but flying under the radar with sneaky psychological warfare on the west

Wow this sub scatpoats as much as Veeky Forums desu

But user, even Japan hates anime.

it's a bit more complex than that

fluland.com/2017/05/03/han-deep-state-robert-ohashi/

that's the point, the japs dont' like that crap, it's strictly produced to undermine the west, everyone complains the jews have too much control of the media but look at the fucking jap menace, this anime shit is ubiquitous

Zen without Zen Masters

Godammit, the bait levels are fucking off the roof.

bump