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From: esot@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Eric Sotnak)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Zen Buddhism (Is a teacher necessary?)
Message-ID: <1990Nov22.003525.2312@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 22 Nov 90 00:35:25 GMT
References: <1990Nov20.033319.15098@nas.nasa.gov>
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In article <1990Nov20.033319.15098@nas.nasa.gov> unx.sas.com!sascmc@mcnc.org (Chris Conn) writes:
>I'd like to ask these questions to those of you that are 
>interested or involved in Zen Buddhism:
> 
>   Do you think a teacher is really necessary to practise Zen?
>   Does a person have to be involved with a teacher or a group in order
>      to consider themselves a Zen Buddhist?

  A teacher is not necessary to practice Zen, though a teacher may be
necessary to teach you how to practice.
  Zen practice has no fixed manifestation.  It has often been said by
zen teachers in the past that no matter whether you are sitting, standing,
lying down, ..., just remain mindful.  This is zen practice.  Or,
as Ta Hui said, "Just realize right where you are."

  Many people consider themselves to be zen buddhists.  Some are involved
with teachers and groups, some are not.  But whether or not one really
is a zen buddhist depends upon more than what one considers oneself to
be.  A person whose "zen" never manifests itself in daily life is not
a zen buddhist.  Such a person merely studies about zen.

  Analogy: A person who attends a physics lecture and considers him/
herself a physicist is not a physicist unless he/she (a) really knows
something about physics, (b) is able to apply that knowledge in at 
least some circumstances.

  Final point: What do you suppose a teacher of zen is?