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Zen is Chan is Zen |
Before coming here to the 'Beehive State,' I was studying Buddhist Kung Fu. Although I was mostly interested in some self-defense, I was also looking for the spiritual path they depicted in that David Carradine TV show from the 1970s, "KUNG FU." I loved Master Po, the blind Monk. I loved his Zen wisdoms. He called David Carradine, "Grasshopper," which was also my teenaged nickname because of my BOUNCE in my walk. I was fortunate to find a school when we moved to L. A. actually run by one of the monks in the TV show. Unfortunately, Buddhism wasn't taught as much as the physical arts so I began a pursuit for the Buddhism missing in my Kung Fu. When I started reading Buddhism books I realized 'I AM A BUDDHIST.' When I moved to Utah, my Kung Fu and pursuit of Buddhism really became my sanctuary from Utahan mediocrity. Utah inspired me by being uninspiring. The void that Utah created in my life motivated me to practice my Kung Fu even more and study more Buddhism books. Fortunately I was studying the ORIGINAL SHAOLIN KUNG FU so I became dedicated to pursuing the ZEN style Buddhism that came from that original ZEN TEMPLE. ZEN is actually the Japanese word for CHAN which is the Chinese word for ZEN... There are more Japanese Zen books out there than Chinese Chan books, so I'm warning you that you may be MISLED. Just as the Christians twisted the teachings of Christ into some bizarre concepts, so have the Japanese altered the Chinese Zen into some warped concepts. Uh-oh. I've ostracized myself from the Christians and Vampires - - now I'm gonna create Buddhist enemies? Uh, hopefully I can say this without having porcelain Buddhas thrown at me. I actually find almost half the Japanese Zen wisdoms to be enlightening but unfortunately I've got some beefs with them too. The FOUNDER of Zen Buddhism was Bodhidharma back in the 6th Century. He was the 28th Pope of Buddhism and traveled to China where he settled at the SHAOLIN MONASTERY in Northern China. He, like Christ, wasn't trying to create a new religion, he just wanted to improve the existing Buddhism. He taught that if you want to meditate better and attain enlightenment YOU NEED TO EXERCISE. Unfortunately, this key concept of Zen Buddhism has been completely missed by the Japanese Buddhists. Uh-oh. I hope American Zen can still tour Japan after that remark! Kung Fu evolved from the EXERCISES Bodhidharma taught his Disciples. The original movements were more like today's Tai Chi movements and incorporated relaxed breathing. Over the next few hundred years the Shaolin Buddhist Monks added more exercises and added Chinese weapons to their program. The CONCEPT IS THIS:
Kung Fu requires constant, almost relentless effort so that it can become NATURAL. Kung Fu is not about fighting, it is about a 'WAY OF LIFE' where hard work is natural. This makes EVERYTHING EASIER. When Kung Fu becomes a 'Way of Life,' it is like ZEN ARCHERY: letting the arrow shoot itself. Japanese Buddhists got the wrong idea about Bodhidharma when they heard of him SITTING IN MEDITATION FOR 7 YEARS staring at his cave wall. He did a lot more than just sit and look at a wall. He wrote several books and he exercised. The Japanese Buddhists have a thing called 'Zazen' sitting meditation. They teach that if you can attain 'nothingness' without any intention of enlightenment...that enlightenment will somehow happen anyway. For some, I'm sure it does. I know that when I became really bored in Catholic mass my mind would shift gears and hunt for enlightenment like a starving archer. Of course, that enlightenment was usually just an appreciation for the sunlight trickling through the stained glass and a thorough study of church ceiling architecture.
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11 songs to kick your ass From the Kung Fu Cowboy.
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