I've been enjoying reading the website of UK-based retreat leader, poet and longterm activist Ken Jones. Mr. Jones seems to be a real, genuine seeker (not just another gown wearing 'yes man', believer, or buddha wannabe!), and a genuine activist for positive social change (who avoids drawing any exclusive political conclusion from Buddhism, although he clearly has his own views).
Maybe you'll find something of interest HERE too... if not, at least it didn't cost you anything!
13 comments:
yet something seems lacking with him ! ? why would an irish man avoid john moriarty who actually knows what he is talking about?
Hi Andrew.
I'll certainly avoid him based on your recommendation.
Here's a bit of 'engaged Buddhism': Stop being an asshole!
The details of that are for you to fill in.
Good luck,
Harry.
what are zen and meditation doing to you that you have to reply like this?
unpleasant
constricted
a sort of senile vapid?
if john moriarty is not in your world, then bad luck for you !
Hi Andrew,
Zen and meditation can kiss my ass when it's hurting on the cushion.
I'm afraid it's a very human thing (and John must have known this oh so well... I had met the man) that we are more often experts about everybody else's ignorance, while being unblissfully ignorant regarding our own.
There are creative solutions to this which have quite distinct recognisible criteria, and then there is the less obvious.
I like books too, but, in terms of expressing it, I've already wasted enough time.
Regards,
Harry.
i think john moriarty has basically lived a celibate life, or at least substantial portions of it
ken jones was married
there's quite a difference in intensity which is why ken jones seems vapid and john does not
i do think that zen is severely off the rails in it's trying to apply what is really a celibate approach to "the suburbs"
of course you will no doubt write this off as my "ignorance"
interestngly i think your contact with john has affected you, some more real idea of what it might be about, or at least an idea of what it might look like : o )
Hi Andrew,
Your ignorance is, first and foremost, your own issue. One thing I did learn early on is that rubbing shoulders with any amount of 'spiritual' celebs is not the right sort of effort, and it is not a path I will be taking refuge in any time soon.
A lot of what John believed in is (according to my own practice-experience, my standard, that is) nothing more than a product of the human imagination: an afterlife, a divine intellegence/diety etc, an implied 'spiritual' commonality across histories and cultures... At least it is totally irrelevnt to the practice of Buddhism. It's not unusual for Buddhism to be lumped in with the New Age mélange however, but, as far as any valid practice goes, I find most of it long-winded and totally irrelevant to the question of ending suffering; which is really a simple matter, however hard it is to practice.
John was a special man however, a very nice man, and a talented writer. That's for sure at least.
Regards,
Harry.
he can certainly be long winded, but basically there's a deep sense in what he says that is missing in people like peter rocca, who unfortunately lacks a real understanding of what zen is about
i think the rather roving way he talks is part of what is being said
try the 15th of feburary 2002 audio on this page
and this
zen only makes sense if you exclude john moriarty and dylan thomas and if you don't exclude them, where do they fit, what they say doesn't accord with your world views : o )
Hi Andrew,
You misunderstand/misrepresent what I've said.
Zen, as I practice it, excludes nothing because it is centrally just the simple practice of things, everything and anything, *as it is*: People write about unicorns, and there is of course meaning and beauty in that, but that doesn't make unicorns real as far as my own practice-experience bears things out.
This is not a negation of what other people believe, nor an exclusion of what is meaningful for other people.
If you question yourself as much as you casually question others about 'zen' then I think you must be a rather excellent zen practitioner. I'm still waiting on a few words to clarify that point however...
Regards,
Harry.
reply
Hee hee, seriously, good luck in your practice/work/[enter preferred value here].
I don't see that you require my agreement or consent, and I'm certainly not looking saved, converted, or whatever it is you're selling, thanks.
Regards,
Harry.
... and maybe consider getting a humour gland installed.
Cheers,
H.
humour is awhole brain function : o )
a-hole brain function? ;-)
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