Huangpo and Thai Masters

I am listening to Ajahn Buddhadasa's teachings of Hung-po, which was frequently quoted by LP Dune Atulo of the Thai forest tradition. It's amazing that the both Ajahn Buddhadasa and LP Dune liked Hung-po's piece, which they called "Puttha" (Buddha).

The truth is always the truth wherever and whenever it is. Buddhadhamma is really timeless and is not confined to certain traditions or territories.

Site on Huang-po

Is Zen exclusive to only Zen !@?

I just started reading the book "The Zen of Creativity: Caltivating Your Artistic Life" by John Daido Loori. In the Introduction, the author wrote that:

"In the sixth century C.E., Bodhidharma, considered to be the first ancestor of the Zen lineage, put forth the four points that define Zen:

Zen is a special transmission outside the scripture,
With no reliance on words or letters,
A direct pointing to the human mind,
And th realization of englightment.

Zen is about the experience of Buddha's enlightenment, not the words and ideas that describe it. To understand or believe in enlightenment doesn't impart any lasting strength. But to realize it - to make it real for yourself - can transform your life. The teachings of Zen always point directly to the inherent perfection of each one of us. The Zen arts are a form of direct pointing."

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Anyway, although Zen does not use scripture as a part of its teaching (as far as I know of Zen anyway), the method itself is not confined to Zen, in my opinion. Some other Buddhist traditions, though teach students to learn the basic teachings of the Buddha first, prefer to tell students that when they practice they have to "let go" of all that they have been taught as they are merely concepts made by the minds. Although they may be correct concepts, or partly correct concepts, they are still concepts, and hanging on to these concepts can prevent progress in Buddhist practice.

So Zen type of practice may not be exclusive for students of Zen, in my opinion.

I have never practice Zen Buddhism before, so I am quite unfamiliar with the (in my opinion) strange way that Zennies sit meditate. From the famous web-forum that I often visit there is a link to this website www.buddhabum.com/store/ that sells something calls "seiza bench" which are supposed to be quite comfortable to sit meditate.

If I have a chance, I might get one :-)

Bodhidharma

The Zen master....