The aspects of Buddhism that worked the most for me were about mindfulness and meditation. I am not a Buddhist, but do enjoy the philosophical aspects.

Mindfulness is simply about living in the moment and appreciating every moment. Do not worry or think too much on the past or the future. For example, if you're eating an apple. Concentrate on the apple. Its taste, texture, the crunch. Do not eat the apple and worry over the details at work or a relationship you're in. Simply, concentrate on the apple.

This is a simple approach to life with huge rewards. Life becomes more satisfying, the more you let go of worrying about the future or the past. All aspects of life become more enjoyable, assuming they are moments meant to be enjoyed. You become more present in whatever you're doing. At work, you pay better attention and have increased focus. At play, you will have more fun. It is easier to become content with life and stop worrying about what you do not have or have not achieved.

If interested, there are books you can read which will help develop mindfulness.

Buddha in Blue Jeans: An extremenly short simple Zen guide to sitting quietly and being Buddha by Tai Sheridan

This is the Kindle version and free of charge. Tai Sheridan advocates for people spending 5-10 minutes just pondering and relaxing / reflecting. The book is full of little sayings for us to reflect on to create more awareness of our own lives and appreciation of life.

Tai Sheridan is a Zen priest and poet. He has a series of books titled Budda In Blue Jeans which are about an appreciation of life. You do not need to be Buddhist to read or appreciate these books. I have looked at some and find them to be books that encourage introspection and self-reflection.

Another book that addresses mindfulness is:

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

The Power of Now can be somewhat inaccessible to people. I find the book very rewarding to read. However, the book becomes more understandable if you have experience with meditation or intend to begin meditating. Eckhart talks about quieting our minds and learning how to control the mental chatter which is constantly running through our minds. The more we learn how to control our minds (meditation helps here), the more mindful we can become, and live in the moment.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

If you want to learn fairly thoroughly about it, but still in a relatively condensed manner, I'd recommend this book. It is super cheap as an ebook and I think it was worth the read.

Another one I like is this. The nice part about that one is its free and really short/simple.

You can probably find videos not only on how to meditate on youtube, but guided meditations as well. Guided meditation can be really helpful for beginners, of which I am one. Having someone to listen to helps keep the chatter in my own mind down. Alan Watts will guide you through in this one..

Sit comfortably, with back straight (but not tensed), eyes either closed or with eyelids relaxed and gaze unfocused. Another tip that he gives in another lecture is to relax the tongue; let it drop into the lower jaw, rather than touching the roof of your mouth like it might usually sit. This tends to help reduce chatter in the mind, because talk in the mind (thinking) usually comes along with some tension in the tongue. It's kind of like how you smile when you're happy but even if you smile when not happy your mood will lift. Now try that guided meditation if you're available to do so. ;)

Hopefully this isn't a jumble of words. I'm kinda hungry so I'm just throwing things out there that I hope would be helpful to you.

In The Diamond Sutra: The Pefection of Wisdom, Red Pine (Bill Porter) translated each chapter, provided his own commentary, and quoted other commentaries.

Chapter 12: ... wherever but one four-line gatha of this dharma teaching is spoken or explained, that place is like a stupa in the world of devas, humans, and asuras.

[Red Pine:] This teaching is the true body of the Buddha, and wherever even a single gatha of this teaching is spoken or explained that place shall be venerated as if it contained the relics of a buddha. In fact, these words do contain the relics of a buddha.

---
Chapter 15: ... Moreover, Subhuti, wherever this sutra is explained, that place shall be honored. Whether in the realm of devas, humans, or asuras, that place shall be honored with prostrations and circumambulations. That place shall be like a stupa.

[Red Pine:] Much of this last section repeats what is said in Chapter Twelve, where the Buddha says that any place a gatha from this sutra is recited is like a relic stupa that contains the remains of a buddha. Hence, it is honored by those beings capable of understanding its significance: devas, humans, and asuras.... Once again, the Buddha reminds us that this teaching does not come from buddhas, rather buddhas come from this teaching. For this teaching is the diamond body, the dharma-kaya, the body of truth, which buddhas realize and teach to others.

... Asanga says, “Those who uphold this teaching sanctify the place it’s found, break though all obstructions, reach all knowledge quickly.” Vasubandhu comments, “Those who uphold this teaching ‘wear enlightenment upon their shoulders.’ Hence, wherever they are that place is honored with incense and flowers.”

🙏

>Thanks for sharing your wisdom

You as well.

By the way, perhaps you may find benefit in learning the word kenshō, and as one last suggestion, perhaps you might enjoy someone like Huangbo, perhaps something like this.

Whereas this sub might perhaps tend towards a sort of rational, perhaps masculine, analysis based approach, some of the Zen adepts such as Huangbo might tend towards a more ... poetic or heart based, pithy approach, and maybe you would delight in it, if you’re inclined to check it out.

If you’re put off by too much dogma, he might be perfect ;)

Best wishes, as always.

Instant Zen by Foyan and translated by Thomas Cleary is really good. The introduction by the translator is a bit wonky but the body of the book is great.

If you're more Shikantanza inclined Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and Not Always So are pretty good. They're both collections of dharma talks by Shunryu Suzuki.

I personally have a great affection for the book Zen Question it has beautiful illustrations and is in a very simple Q & A format.

So, your creative side has burst open, and is aching to play, but that means the chasm between your current circumstance, and where you want to be now, is laid bare. Okay.

>I do agree that it all reduces, more or less, to "maximize positive emotions and minimize negative emotions."

Yeah, perhaps, but it's not something you do deliberately as such. Really, for the releasing exercise, just treat it as a habit you do every day, without expectation. It's only 10 minutes, which you can treat as your daily time to "let the engine cool off", like when the metal chassis of a car going "ping! ping!" as it settles back into shape - or whatever metaphor you want.

The side effect is that gradually your sense of space will expand into your body volume, and beyond. You will be more in touch with feelings and the felt-sense of intuition and your creative sense. But you can't "do" this, you just have to let it happen. All you need to do, is do the daily exercise and get better at not micro-controlling yourself and the world, if you find you have a tendency to do that.

>I want to learn writing and other artistic pursuits.

Related Top Tip - If you centre your attention in your lower abdomen, that's where that "global summary" sense is, and is where you "rest" with your attention when you want to understand something in a general way, or when you want to explore things creatively. You can't make it do anything, but you can sort of "ask and receive" in that area. (Which sounds a bit vague, but it's hard to describe because you do this by just "feeling out".)

>Yet, I've always had an inner desire to draw, to write, to make music, to dance, to act, etc.

Have you begun doing that now?

Any moment you're not doing other stuff, and time you sitting feeling miserable, redirect yourself toward an artistic project. Mood is posture, to an extent - you can't work your way through misery, it can't be solved; you just have to "shift state".

So: think up a project. Or pick an artistic area and ask me to invent a suggestion for you.

Books some people find useful:

• On Not Being Able To Paint, Marion Milner
  
• Constructive Living, David K Reynolds
  
• Stop Thinking, Start Living, Richard Carlston
  
• What is Zen?, Alan Watts

What are you looking for? What the Buddha Taught is a general intro to Buddhism focused on the Sravakayana teachings while In Buddha's Words is a collection of Pali texts. They aren't of the same genre.

There generally won't be texts like in Buddha's Words for the Mahayana as Mahayana Sutras are often much longer then Pali ones though there are collections of various sutras formed into one like the Avatamsaka Sutra which you can find on the internet or Sutras with commentaries like the

Surangama Sutra:

http://promienie.net/images/dharma/books/sutras_surangama-sutra.pdf

Heart Sutra Commentary:

https://www.amazon.com/There-No-Suffering-Commentary-Heart/dp/1556433859/ref=la_B001JOMDEC_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503124435&sr=1-2

Collection of Bodhidharma's texts:

https://www.amazon.com/Bodhidharma-Anthology-Earliest-Records-Lilienthal/dp/0520219724/ref=pd_sim_b_18

If you are looking for texts like What the Buddha Taught then there is:

Chan Teachings of Master Xu Yun: Considered the Greatest Master of the past century in China, similar to someone like Ajahn Chan

http://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/Master_Hsu-Yun_Discourses_and_Dharma_Words.pdf

Buddhism of Wisdom of Faith: Comprehensive Teachings on Mainland Buddhism focused on Pureland

http://www.ymba.org/books/buddhism-wisdom-faith-pure-land-principles-and-practice

Master Yin Shun: Teachings in Chinese Buddhism, a general intro to Mahayana

http://www.buddhanet.net/chin_bud.htm

Some Free Ebooks on Mahayana Buddhism

http://chancenter.org/cmc/publications/free-literature/

Sure, no prob!

I don't know if it helps, but zazen has been described as goalless meditation. Not reaching for any special state, just sitting. Maybe you already know that, and again I don't know how it compares to vipassana. :)

Shobogenzo is cool. The most popular version nowadays is the Kaz translation. At least in the San Francisco area. Brad Warner prefers his teacher's version, says the translation is more accurate. I've only read bits and pieces of both, but I think the Kaz version is easier to read. Feels more poetic I guess. Though only downside I've noticed is the chapter titles are in English, while most people refer to their Japanese titles (Uji vs Being Time, etc.).

Dogen also wrote Fukanzazengi which instructs how to practice zazen. It's pretty cool, and I remember a monk at SFZC reading parts of it when I took the intro class. Actually, I should really read it again.

This stuff should really be stickied, but that's a whole other can of worms, haha. Maybe r/zenbuddhism could put something together.

For me the most unusual would be the koan 56 of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Zen-Warrior-Trevor-Leggett/dp/0415284651 :

"
In the seventh year of Ko¯an (1284) there was a great drought.
In every region the rice-fields and farmlands dried up and
there was no sign of anything growing. The Vice-regent
(Ho¯jo¯ Sadatoki) anticipated that such a bad year might cause
disturbances in some areas, and he asked the great Zen master Mugaku (Bukko¯) to pray for rain according to the traditional ceremony (once) used by Zen master Eisai. He gave
orders in the capital that in front of the stone torii of the
Tsurugaoka Hachiman shrine at Kamakura an altar twelve
foot square should be erected of pure sand, and arrangements
made for the ceremony with its accessories of rice-wine and
so on.

Bukko¯’s attendant disciple Isshin (the editor of the
Records of Bukko¯) did not at all welcome this performance of
a rite of the Shingon mantra school, as Eisai, though professing Zen,
had done. (Imai’s note: It is said that the rite which Zen
Master Eisai performed when he prayed for rain at Kamakura in
June 1201 was a ceremony of the Shingon sect with which Eisai had
once been connected.)
Bukko¯ said to him: ‘When you go to a village, follow the
village ways. What is wrong with that?’
The attendant, when he saw that the Master was going to
do it, hastened away first, and when he got to the altar
jumped up on it and said:
‘Today instead of the Master let this novice make the
prayer for rain. The Zen way of rain-making is an unusual
one. Do Your Honours please look,’ and he briskly tucked up
his robe, spread his legs wide, stuck out the ‘one-eyed dragon’
and made water on the altar.

At this Sasaki Sukemori, the official in charge of the ceremony,
was aghast and angry. He arrested the disciple and was
taking him under escort to the Kita-mandokoro police headquarters,
when on the way suddenly a great downpour fell,
bathing the road. Sasaki realized that there had been a divine
meaning in Isshin’s action of making water, formally thanked
him with warmth and set him free.

Tests

(1) Where is the rain-god? Say!

(2) What virtue was there in Isshin’s action? Say!

(3) If there is virtue in making water on an altar, then this
instant try making water on this Buddha-altar to test
the virtue. Make the proof of it!

(4) The teacher lifts his nyo-i stick and says, ‘This thing,
and Isshin’s one-eyed dragon – are they really in the
end the same or different? Say!’

(5) If you really understand, try manifesting great action
immediately: make proof of it!

(Imai’s note: Many koji (laymen) taking this test have tried imitating the action of making water, and received a slap on the face
from the teacher for it. Don’t imitate them!)
This became a koan in Kamakura Zen at the interviews of
Ko¯an, the 14th teacher at Enkakuji.

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po is short and very straightforward unlike some Zen books. It has been the single most important book I've read without a doubt.

I've read a couple books by Shunryu Suzuki and found them very helpful. "Zen Mind Beginners Mind" is a book I read and reread many times, each time getting a bit more out of it.

I honestly don't know anything about Seung Sahn or Sawaki or other contemporary teachers. My teacher was Joshu Sasaki Roshi.

When I first started looking into Zen, I was a bit paranoid. Having been raised by very strict atheists who put down all things religions or spiritual, I wanted to be sure I was on the right track of authentic Zen and not in danger of ending up in a cult.

I decided very early on that reading books that have been tested by centuries of time was the safest and so I avoided most modern authors for the first 2 years.

If you enjoy ancient literature, I highly recommend reading a couple of the old sutras. They are often easier to read than some modern shit and they are AMAZING considering how long ago they were written.

My favorites so far as the Surangama Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra.

Always glad to discuss!

I learn a lot as I try to articulate my understanding and experience. That is one of the reasons I started teaching mindfulness practice.

I've listened to a lot of Alan Watts. I love that he described himself as a "spiritual entertainer" and a "philosophical entertainer". I could listen to him talk for hours. :D

I've also listened to many videos of Tolle, he is a great guy. I haven't read books from either of them.

I've read a little about Huang Po back when I hung out in /r/zen a little. I've since moved on from that place. BTW if you ever go there, maybe you already have, take them all with a grain of salt. I think there is more to learn from the zen texts and meditation than the toxic people in that forum.

'Taking the Path of Zen' by Robert Aiken is really good.
https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Path-Zen-Robert-Aitken/dp/0865470804

'Mindfulness in Plain English' may be the best intro to mindfulness I've read.
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-English-Bhante-Henepola-Gunaratana/dp/0861719069

'Focused and Fearless' is a very direct and simple guide to Jhana practice, or absorption concentration meditation. It describes very specifically how to reach and identify every level of Jhana.
https://www.amazon.com/Focused-Fearless-Meditators-States-Clarity/dp/0861715608

'The Posture of Meditation' is a great guide to the role your body plays in meditation. It is the most in depth guide on posture, but it can be an intro to meditation in itself. The author teaches that you can read deep mindful states with only correct posture.
https://www.amazon.com/Posture-Meditation-Will-Johnson/dp/1570622329


Most of those talk about actual practice, which I think is the most important.

For philosophy and understanding what is going on I highly recommend this course:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/science-of-meditation

It is a serious and lengthy course for which you will need patience to sit through lectures. An evolutionary psychologist from Princeton - Robert Wright evaluates Buddhism through the lens of modern psychology.

That was a defining course for me and gave me a lot of motivation to practice whole heartedly.

Hey

Your post was likely caught in the sub's spam filter, but I invite you to check out a list that one of our sub's users, /u/ewk, has compiled of many Zen Texts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/zensangha/wiki/getstarted

​

As a personal recommendation (though it's not how I started), I'd recommend beginning with The Sayings of Joshu (Green translation):

https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X

​

It makes a nice "Bathroom reader" and is useful for getting you primed for "Wait wtf how does that response make sense?" because, buckle up, that's the game, my friend!

​

Since you mention Dharma Talks, I think you'll probably like Bankei:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802131840/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

​

However, definitely check out the Mumonkan. It's a primary source (rather than secondary source "Sayings Texts") with commentary on various "Cases" by an actual Zen Master himself: Mumon. It's claimed by Mumon himself to be intended for novices.

​

Have fun!

> It is the habit of continuously entering this state of no-thought until it is automatic.

> There are no inhibitions.


This is almost exactly what the zen masters teach as far as dhyana practice (not enlightenment though, heh). I can quote you but you should just pick up DT Suzukis zen doctrine of no mind instead. All about the no-thought you experience. Also Watt's Way of Zen is very, very good.

Thanks for this. Right when I think I get it, somebody comes and shows me that I don't. Pushing me in the right direction. Letting go of wanting/not wanting to think is spot on. Super helpful. :)

Unlocking the Zen Koan: A New Translation of the Zen Classic Wumenguam has been helpful. Also, reading Red Pine's translations and commentary on the The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng, Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra. Although many people speak of the influence of the Lankavatara on Zen, I find it very difficult to read, even Red Pine's fairly approachable translation. But, the idea of "no views" and "no perceptions" was helpful, and "to speak of [this] to to speak of not [this]". Those themes come up often in koans. And studying Lao Tsu helps. Despite what the "not zen" crowd says, a background in Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism, and some historical background really does help a lot. Currently reading Ordinary Mind as the Way: The Hongzhou School and the Growth of Chan Buddhism and The Hongzhou School of Chan Buddhism in Eighth- through Tenth-Century China to get some background on Mazu's lineage. Like many westerners, I used to think koans were just about derailing rational thought. While that is useful, now I also see some patterns, a certain amount of "sense", and more experiences of "of course". Easier koans like, it is your mind that moves help with the more difficult ones. Another helpful one is What are you doing? What are you saying?.

The Tao Te Ching is also neat (if not strictly Zen) – the Taoist influence on Zen is pretty strong. For the poetry of it, I’m really fond of the translation by Jane English and Gia-Fu Feng, but in terms of a helpful explanation of the text, I really like Wai-tao’s translation included in Dwight Goddard’s compilation A Buddhist Bible. A Buddhist Bible is also an amazing compilation that I love (my copy’s gotten pretty beat up over the less-than-a-year that I’ve had it), but I’m not sure how helpful it is specifically in terms of understanding Zen.

(If you want to read really difficult but very integral Zen text, I’ve also started reading the Gudo Nishijima and Chodo Cross translation of Master Dogen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye.)

There are several popular 'flavors' of Buddhism, but unfortunately I have not read any general overview books covering all of the sects. Most of my generalized knowledge has come from podcasts like Buddhist Geeks and Zencast. Gil Fronsdal and Jack Kornfield are both enjoyable to listen to.

But back to books!

The most accessible Zen book I've read was Nishijima's To Meet The Real Dragon. Other overviews like Alan Watt's What Is Zen and Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind are good but a little obtuse.

And while I can't give it a general recommendation because the writing style isn't for everyone, I really enjoyed Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up.

Of those mentioned, I would go with To Meet the Real Dragon unless you prefer a much more informal style -- then I would pick Hardcore Zen.

I'm in a similar situation and after having looked around a bit I've put these two books on my Christmas list. (My family still celebrates the holiday and I look at it more as a time for giving and being with Family.)

• Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Reps and Senzaki
  
• The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
  
  If anyone here as any specific praise or criticism of either of these books as starters I would love to hear it. I'm also reading electronic copies of Mindfulness in Plain English and Zen and the Brain.

thank you again for your replies; very well articulated, very helpful to me

I would like to ask you for your favorite resources on how to enhance mindfulness/awareness.

Mine are E Tolle's The Power Of Now and Stillness Speaks.

I listened to Alan Watts Out Of Your Mind and Do You Do It or Does It Do You?: How to Let the Universe Meditate You, and read his The Way Of Zen. I liked the book very much, did not enjoy much the audios. I went right back to listening to E Tolle audiobooks, mainly his TPON.

Also, I am reading the The Zen Teaching of Huang Po

What about you? What do you definitely think I should listen to or read?

If paying shipping doesn't bother you, check out used books on Amazon. Lots of people would rather pass a book along to the next reader than throw it away, and some people sell books just for the tiny profit they can make on Amazon's shipping fee, so there are a lot of used books that go for basically free + shipping. Here are some good deals:

• An Introduction to Zen Buddhism by D.T. Suzuki, $0.32 plus shipping
  
• The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha, $0.01 plus shipping
  
• What the Buddha Taught, $0.91 plus shipping
  
• How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life, by H.H. the Dalai Lama, $0.18 plus shipping

The group is totally nondenominational, although the other facilitator and I are members of the Zen Center. The readings are taken from every source imaginable, from the Shobogenzo to accesstoinsight.com to (occasionally) totally non-Buddhist sources. We spent a number of weeks reading and discussing Ticht Nhat Hanh's beautiful Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra.

Most of the folks seem to value the conversation more than the actual readings, so the readings tend to be brief and the discussions longer. We are a fun and extremely diverse group, come join us some time!

My favorite books about buddhism and meditation are:

[zen training] (https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zen+training&qid=1565793019&s=gateway&sr=8-1) ,
nothing special
, everyday zen - love and work , [the path to bodhidharma] (https://www.amazon.com/Path-Bodhidharma-Teachings-Library-Enlightenment/dp/0804832161/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+path+to+bodhidharma&qid=1565793271&s=gateway&sr=8-1) , and this one is a free e-book : [the 7th world of chan buddhism] (https://zbohy.zatma.org/common/downloads/SeventhWorldOfChanBuddhism.pdf)

Also, if you're interested in buddhism, visiting a temple if there is one near you and learning there provided you find it worthwhile is another way to learn and practice buddhism.

Okay, I will tell you some things about me.

First, I ghosted everyone that knew me as a Blue Pill guy. Now, an inherent part of ghosting is being alone. When most people tell you they are independent, it's fucking bullshit. Emerson wrote a great deal on self-reliance.

Here is an essay by Emerson on the subject of self-reliance. It is both a great introduction to his views and how beautifully he writes.
http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm

Here is a collection of Emerson's essays. Ignore the 1 star review, which is for the Kindle version of the book, but heed it and buy the physical book instead of the Kindle version.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1598530844/

Emerson was friend and mentor to Thoreau, who wrote the following account of his two-year stay in a cabin near Walden Pond. One of Thoreau's goals was self-sufficiency.
http://www.amazon.com/Walden-A-Fully-Annotated-Edition/dp/0300104669

Here is some further reading.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0762415339/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1492777862/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0199291152/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0802150926/

You mention you are going to be a radiographer soon. Now, I have seen said on TRP that some here do not see the point in film, but I fucking love film. Now, there is one film in particular that I think relates to your situation incredibly. That is Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ikiru/
Ikiru is about a Japanese man who, near the end of his life, learns he has a terminal disease. He has, up to that point, wasted his whole life at his government job. Learning of his illness inspires in the main character a will to change, and seeing him undergo that inspires change in those around him. But, and this is another lesson to be learned from the film, we see that the main character's transformation has no lasting effect on those around him. Change has to come from within.

Another film seriously worth watching is Whiplash. I saw it mentioned in this subreddit in passing and am glad I did.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_jQycdQGo

If you want me to elaborate on the things that I didn't, ask. I have a lot more film recommendations, but cannot recommend any more books, as I do not read that much. I don't recommend any music as I would consider most of what I listen to to be blue pill.

> I don't think the zen characters expressed any metaphysical views, or conceptual explanations in their teachings. Logic, yes, to expose hypocrisy but not to try to support or clarify Mazu’s position.
> Mazu points. What is pointed at (the moon) is inherently a mystery. Zen is experienced non verbally, non conceptually.
> Zongmi is building conceptual models, truths, a philosophical and metaphysical synthesis, verbal descriptions of reality. This is not what Mazu, Dongshan, or their followers were doing.

So Zongmi was really more of an academic himself, than a zen student.
Academia is not about emulating zen masters (or even students), but about gathering accurate information regarding their history and concepts.
Like academics in other fields, e.g. biology, are not trying to emulate animals either.
Since this seems to be what Zongmi was also trying to do, it makes sense that he would be one of the most important sources.

>Though Zongmi was not character within the zen stories and conversations, you may enjoy reading Foyan, Instant Zen https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Zen-Waking-Up-Present/dp/1556431937 in the sense that Foyan spends a lot of time disabusing Zongmi's followers (not his immediate followers, but the institutional results of Zongm's point of view, which prevailed in Song period Chan Orthodoxy) of which Foyan is critical, and expounds upon.

I've read Foyan already (a year ago or so). I don't remember too much, though.
Maybe I'll reread it when I have time, trying to see how his teaching is actually a reaction to the conceptualized zen of people following
academics Zongmi.

Yeah, that overly simplistic "just sit" instruction of Zen is really not very useful for beginners and much of the language used is not as clear or direct.

Buddhism has become a big business lately, and there are many bullshit artists making tons of money on books and BS these days. (I read "Zen Confidential", and it totally falls into this trap. This guy spent 10 years in a Zen monastery in Cali and didn't really make shit for progress imo.) For some reason "Zen" has become super popular in the US, probably due to our cultural fertilization of Japan. Don't bother reading any of the modern stuff. (Anything past D.T. Suzuki I wouldn't really put much stock in.) I can certainly recommend the Shobogenzo by Dogen though as a timeless classic. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419638203/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419638203&linkCode=as2&tag=hardzen-20&linkId=AZEOP5C4QUQK5MMG]

I was seriously considering joining a monastery myself about a year or two ago and went to a bunch of different sects temples here in town. (I live in a big hipster city so there are a ton more than most places in the USA.) Personally I concur that the Theravadan approach is the best overall beginner approach to Buddhism for the majority of people. I sat in on at least 15+ meditation classes at Zen, Tibetan, Pure Land, Theravadan, and the style and feel of the classes are totally different. Personally I find Tibetan the most egregious offender and totally off kilter with what Buddha actually taught and more akin to a religion than philosophy. (Complete with visualizing deities and fucking them; something I doubt Buddha would have advocated for considering his battle with Mara!)

I definitely think emphasizing the Jhanas more as a benefit of meditation practice and goals would be more beneficial for presenting the material to a Western Audience rather than "just sit". Many people (even Buddhists) don't even know about the Jhanas! It's nuts!

Thanks!

I don't think the zen characters expressed any metaphysical views, or conceptual explanations in their teachings. Logic, yes, to expose hypocrisy but not to try to support or clarify Mazu’s position.

Mazu points. What is pointed at (the moon) is inherently a mystery. Zen is experienced non verbally, non conceptually.

Zongmi is building conceptual models, truths, a philosophical and metaphysical synthesis, verbal descriptions of reality. This is not what Mazu, Dongshan, or their followers were doing. Later, expecially in the Song period, people who claimed to be in the lineage of Mazu and Dongshan had essentially hijacked the lineage name in order to teach a new Buddhist synthesis, based largely on what Zongmi had done:

>Zongmi's lifelong work was the attempt to incorporate differing and sometimes conflicting value systems into an integrated framework that could bridge not only the differences between Buddhism and the traditional Taoism and Confucianism, but also within Buddhist theory itself.

Zongmi was classifying the finger, not looking at the moon. His interests had nothing to do with zen. And yet Zongmi's work provides the

>"most valuable sources on Tang dynasty Zen. There is no other extant source even remotely as informative"

according to Broughton, who speaks for all modern Buddhist Religious Studies department academia in this regard.

I also addressed some of this in a recent conversation with grass skirt, a Buddhist academic Phd candidate:

https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/4u2v6d/hating_ewk/d5nf9ns?context=3

>point me to some other book or website ..... that clarify's Zongmi's interpretation of Mazu

Though Zongmi was not character within the zen stories and conversations, you may enjoy reading Foyan, Instant Zen https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Zen-Waking-Up-Present/dp/1556431937 in the sense that Foyan spends a lot of time disabusing Zongmi's followers (not his immediate followers, but the institutional results of Zongm's point of view, which prevailed in Song period Chan Orthodoxy) of which Foyan is critical, and expounds upon.

I always recommend engaging with primary source works (translated, naturally...), but some people are not ready to grapple with Yuanwu's collection of koans or with Linji yet.

Some initial works to start out:

• The Way of Zen, by Alan Watts
  
• Buddhism is Not What You Think, by Steve Hagen
  
• The Taoteching (the Taoist classic - Taoism is the mother of Zen)
  
• What the Buddha Taught (a primer on classic Buddhism - Buddhism is the father of Zen)
  
• Headless experiments inspired by Douglas Harding
  
  If you've worked through (one or more of) those and want more, some primary works I recommend:
  
  
• The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma
  
• The Platform Sutra, by Huineng the 6th Patriarch of Zen
  
• The Zen Teaching of Huang-Po
  
  That will get you to a good level.

Since you're embarking on a survey of religions, I recommend this:

First, read the first 5 books of the Old Testament in Bible - aka the Pentateuch - and if you can get a Jewish commentary on it, do so. They are their books, after all.

Then, read the first 5 books of the New Testament - the Gospels and Acts.

If you're still cooking at that point, then swing back and read Isiah (with Christian footnotes and commentary because this is where Jesus' coming is prophesied), then read Romans, because it's a good summation of Christian theology.

If you're still going after that, then read the rest of the OT and the NT.

Get a good translation - this is key. I prefer the Oxford Annotated NRSV. It'll have everything you need, except for the Jewish commentary on the OT. Consult a Rabbi about what would be best there.

In other recommendations, I suggest Introduction to Zen Buddhism by Daisetz T. Suzuki for Zen Buddhism. To me, it was the most clear attempt to describe it in a book.

Zen is super confusing at times, which might frustrate the inquirer. Also, there's a lot of seemingly contradictory information, and a lot of the zen masters actually admonished meditation. Without context it's a little unclear as to why, aside from the fact that they didn't want their disciples to meditate for the sake of blissing out. That said, I'd wholly recommend this book, since it's very lucid:

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Essence-Shambhala-Dragon-Editions/dp/1570625883/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464891954&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+science+of+freedom

Foyan is featured in it, and his book is fantastic as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Zen-Waking-Up-Present/dp/1556431937/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464892102&sr=8-1&keywords=instant+zen

For something a little more challenging but great, go with:

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Teaching-Huang-Po-Transmission/dp/0802150926/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464892139&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+teachings+of+huang+po

Have fun!

> Just getting into it and want to learn more.

Then the ones I would recommend are:

[zen training by Katsuki Sekida] (https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zen+training&qid=1554340070&s=gateway&sr=8-1)

[everyday zen - love and work] (https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Zen-Love-Work-Plus/dp/0061285897/ref=sr_1_1?crid=J90HSTXQF25Y&keywords=everyday+zen+by+charlotte+joko+beck&qid=1554340125&s=gateway&sprefix=everyday+zen%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-1) and [nothing special - living zen] (https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Special-Charlotte-J-Beck-ebook/dp/B001VA1PIE/ref=sr_1_2?crid=J90HSTXQF25Y&keywords=everyday+zen+by+charlotte+joko+beck&qid=1554340179&s=gateway&sprefix=everyday+zen%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-2) by Charlotte Joko Beck

[The path to bodhidharma by Shodo Harada Roshi] (https://www.amazon.com/Path-Bodhidharma-Teachings-Library-Enlightenment/dp/0804832161/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=the+path+to+bodhidharma&qid=1554340239&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull)

and "the 7th world of chan buddhism" by Ming Zhen Shakya which is free [here] (http://zbohy.zatma.org/common/downloads/SeventhWorldOfChanBuddhism.pdf) .

All you have to do is sit quietly. Your parents cannot stop you from doing that.

I also recommend reading something short and freely available online like Buddha in Blue Jeans by Tai Sheridan. The eBook is free if you have the Kindle app on your phone or tablet.

http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Blue-Jeans-Extremely-Sitting-ebook/dp/B005ZZ2T2C

Otherwise you can Google it and read it on your computer for free.

$100/bottle - every collector should have a few of these bottles to share with friends

the bhagavad gita (a walkthrough for westerners)

the zen teachings of huang po

$5/bottle (don't let appearances deceive you-- they actually filled with some of the best, strongest wine available, provided you don't mind swallowing a few bits of pure crap along the way)

the power of silence by Carlos Castaneda

discovery of the presence of god

(ps>want to see what a $1000 bottle looks like? try vasistha's yoga).

The Life Of Milarepa

An Introduction To Zen Buddhism by D.T. Suzuki

The Way Of Zen by Alan Watts

Be Here Now by Ram Dass

These are just some of the better ones ive read so far, all really great starting off points into Buddhism. Zen in particular. Good luck!

Hmm yes, the comparison you made is between a collection of discourses from Master Huangbo and a collection of Koans and stories. I can recommend really any more discourse oriented Chan teachings ranging from Master Foyan's "Instant Zen" to the recorded sayings of Master Linji. The Recorded sayings of Master Linji also include some interactions and stories, but also some clear discourses from the Master... the same with the Recorded sayings of Master Zhaozhou, which is mostly interactions and some discourses. Another one that you might find interesting is "Ch’an Master Hui Hai- Zen Teaching of Instantaneous Awakening" or The Letters of Chan Master Dahui Pujue.... but really, reading those discourses and not doing the practice won't be very helpful... hence the 'clear discourses' are rather rare since you should penetrate it yourself directly and not have it chewed out by those old grandmothers

I would suggest reading a few zen books. Be careful, because some of the words are supposed to be vice grips that trap you, but you will read things that cause you to wonder, thus growing your mind, and zen is not about the religious aspects of Buddhism so much as the tangible, concrete, here-and-now perceptions of deeper and deeper wisdom. I can give you . . . four recommendations of zen books that I really enjoyed.

Zen Bridge

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Don't Be A Jerk

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po

Some good books about Zen, if you're interested in learning more:

Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality Great book, written by a modern Zen 'master.' Colloquial, not translated and thus easy for us westerners to understand.

Not Always So, Shunryu Suzuki

Moon In A Dewdrop, Dogen This guy is the real shit. Lived hundreds of years ago. You can go as deep as you want into this guy's writings, many levels of meaning (or none?). More metaphorical/figurative than the others, very poetic.

When/if you read this stuff, don't worry about understanding everything sentence. It's easy to get caught in the trap of reading and re-reading sentences and paragraphs to try to understand, but in doing so you miss out on the flow/stream of consciousness of the works. Just read it through, eventually the ideas will start to become clear.

Who Rules the World? – Noam Chomsky

Siddhartha– Herman Hesse

The Way of Zen– Alan Watts

Dropping Ashes on the Buddha

The Platform Sutra of Huineng

Dogen on Meditation and Thinking

Essays in Zen Buddhism by DT Suzuki

Lyrical and Critical Essays- Albert Camus

The Myth of Sisyphus- Albert Camus

The Metamorphosis- Franz Kafka

The Stranger- Albert Camus

The Rebel- Albert Camus

Man's Search for Meaning- Viktor Frankl

On The Advantages and Disadvantages of History for Life- Nietzsche

Frankenstein– Mary Shelley (Surprising, but highly existential)

Nausea– Jean-Paul Sartre

The Awakening- Kate Chopin

Candide- Voltaire

The Gateless Gate (Mumonkan)

Couldn't get all the PDF's at the moment, but just google the name of the book and then "PDF" for a potential online copy. Highly recommend all of these– Frankenstein and The Myth of Sisyphus are must in general. Alan Watts is great for synthesizing Zen thought as well.

Sure.

This site gives a nice overview of a bunch of styles. Good place to start.

There's a book called Zen Without Zen Masters that gives really no-nonsense descriptions of a few different styles.

What really helped me was to just read lots of different articles, blogs, and books. You just start to notice the similarities between all these different methods. I think of meditation like doing art; you need different ways of moving the brush, or pushing the keys to express yourself properly.

And, if headspace is working for you just start trying these new moves on top of that method.

I have found meditation to be extremely helpful, but I don't schedule it or anything. I use it to get in touch with how I'm feeling. The best way is with some chill music, and a quiet environment.

This book helped me a lot:
http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Blue-Jeans-Extremely-Sitting-ebook/dp/B005ZZ2T2C

Given your interest in the topic I think you'd really enjoy this book. He talks about this sort of thing way better than I do.

The problem is that primary sources are almost invariably misunderstood or taken in a shallow perspective if one is not also receiving guidance and doing practice. When the teachings are put into perspective through direct experience, which happens through the correct application of effort and activity, then they can gradually be digested. But trying to get it from a book often enough has something of an opposite effect: the mind gets hung up on concepts and less able to perceive truth directly.

If you insist on reading, I implore you to avoid koan collections until you are actually trained in the practice and assigned the work by your teacher. Speculation about koans is the worst of the worst, a common hell-pit of Zen, which we see so often on these very forums. It not only creates a huge block for the one doing the speculating, it muddies the waters for countless others dipping their toes in. Speculation leads to false pride, posturing, and a house of cards that at some point will be torn down.

Two original texts that come to mind as basis for the study of Zen are The Zen Teaching Of Bodhidharma translated by Red Pine, and The Zen Teaching Of Huang Po translated by John Blofeld.

Bodhidharma was the First (Chinese) Patriarch of Zen. His teaching is quite foundational. The teaching of Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch, was quite formative and represented an evolution from Bodhidharma's view, but without commentary it tends to be less accessible than that of the later Master Huang Po. By Huang Po's time, Zen had already evolved a great deal, and had split into factions with their own perspectives, training, and method.

Note that the Huang Po translator, Blofeld, sometimes gets the concept wrong, because he himself hadn't achieved that depth of training and insight. The translation suffers from shallow view at times; but someone experienced in right practice can trace the words back to their original intent and make sense of the translation.

Other primary sources from the Golden Age Of Zen include the aforementioned Hui Neng, Pai Chang, Hui Hai, and Ta Hui. Very evolved teachings can be found with Chinul in Korea and, sometimes considered the peak, Dogen in Japan. Several others along the way left their distinctive mark, such as Hakuin.

To distinguish between the teachings and understand them in a way that is useful for practice and life, first, receiving teaching and making gradual progress in practice are essential; second, understanding the difference between the three types of Zen (Patriarchal/Ancestral, Doctrinal, and Tathagata) would be very helpful. This is where the western-white-people commentators come in, bridging the gap between a view that is by nature beyond words, and the mind of the common person seeking to understand -- including the rigid or naive conceptualization of those who haven't yet made much progress in practice.

Please take to heart that a minute of practice is better than ten hours of reading, and that "one time seeing is better than a thousand times hearing". We shake our heads at those who try to get something beyond words by pursuing words.

Be aware of r/Buddhism as a resource. I recommend avoiding r/zen, which has devolved into a shitty mire of confusion, speculation, and posturing.

Congratulations on proving I am not omniscient, replace the words "have been told" with "have read" if you like. Whether you have been told the misinformation or have read it, you are still clearly misinformed and it doesn't matter how I think that misinformation came about.

So again, read the sutras before making claims about what a particular school does or does not involve. I hear the Diamond Sutra is pretty popular in Zen, maybe start with that?

Buddha in Blue Jeans, free for Kindle. Extremely short read, but a great primer.

http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Zen-Buddhism-First-Series/dp/0802151183

This one is greatly recommended by Alan Watts :) You should also check out his books, the way of zen and other books on meditation and zen! His work is really entertaining and eye opening.

Here are a few free Kindle Books you might find useful:

http://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Blue-Jeans-Extremely-Sitting-ebook/dp/B005ZZ2T2C/

http://www.amazon.com/Hoist-My-Own-Petard-Writing-ebook/dp/B00R1R64NW/

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Marcus-Aurelius-ebook/dp/B0082XJGRK/

http://www.amazon.com/Change-your-Life-minutes-Self-Help-ebook/dp/B00HESRIU6/

http://www.amazon.com/Meditation-Transformation-Relax-Revitalize-Perspective-ebook/dp/B00IS8RSDI/

Broughton's [The Bodhidharma Anthology] ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0520219724?pc_redir=1404325243&robot_redir=1) is pretty good.

For starting Zen practice, or just for meditation in general?

If you are interested in Zen, check out this book from your local library: http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Path-Zen-Robert-Aitken/dp/0865470804/

For concentration/mindfulness meditation in general:

1. Find a quiet place to sit for 5-15 minutes. Use a timer so you don't have to worry about time.
   
2. Take up a stable sitting posture that will prevent you from falling asleep or getting too relaxed: http://www.bisbeelotussangha.org/sittingpostures.htm I recommend the burmese posture for beginners. Find a cushion 6-10inches in height. Firm.
   
3. Close your eyes, or keep them open with an unfocused gaze on the ground in fround of you, about 45 degrees. I recommend trying both to see what works at first.
   
4. Bring your concious awareness to your breath. Take a few deep breaths and then breath like normal.
   
5. Begin counting on the inhalation and exhalation of your breath.
   
6. When you arrive at a count of 10, start over.
   
7. When you get distracted, acknowledge what you are thinking about, maybe even label it and then bring yourself back to the breath gently setting aside the distraction.
   
8. Repeat until your timer dings.
   
   Sounds simple? You'll get distracted very quickly. Most beginners have a hard time getting to 10 even once without losing their concentration to a sound, a thought, an itch, etc.
   
   The longer and more frequently you practice the less you'll get distracted, and the faster you'll realize when your concentration falls to something other than what you intend to concentrate on.
   
   It bleeds over in day to day life. With various side-effects
   
   

• noticing details of day to day things that we overlook usually
  
• better memory
  
• calmer, less reactive
  
• less desire to constantly be "doing" something.
  
• comfort with ones own thoughts
  
• trust in your intent (i.e. i know i won't eat that donut because i told myself not to)
  
  It goes on and on. Essentially it appears that focus and awareness is a basic skill required for self-control and disicipline. Meditation is one method to improve it.
  
  If you feel frustrated with your inability to remain distraction free. Remember that the frustration is yet another distraction, identify it and set it aside. Beware of it all, but Let it all go when you are practicing.

http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Zen-Waking-Up-Present/dp/1556431937/

Foyan! Awesome book!

The sound of one hand clapping was a koan made by Hakuin, he thought it was superior to Choshu's Mu koan. It's a bit false to think koans are set in stone from anecdotes about old masters. During the Samurai era, monks were known to make up impromptu koans on the spot..

You're probably equating koan with the well known blue cliff records and such, but koan does not have to restrict itself to those.

explaining zen to a 5 year old could prove tough... explaining zen to a 9 month old, however, would be a piece of cake.

edit: also, http://www.amazon.com/What-Is-Zen-Alan-Watts/dp/1577311671

and, http://www.selfdefinition.org/zen/Alan%20Watts%20-%201957%20-%20The%20Way%20of%20Zen.pdf (you dirty pirate, you)

the dedication on that last one made me smile :)

getting into zen is like getting into western philosophy. just keep reading/practicing even if you don't understand and eventually things will start to click

In order:

1. Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha from Daniel Ingram
   
2. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
   
3. Shobogenzo
   
   The first one is very neutral, and very good. In the other ones I assume that you have an inclination for Zen (which might or might not be the case).

I enjoyed this one.

Pretty much sums up what we should be aiming for. I first heard this one in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.

Oh, no need to apologize anyway. There's just a lot of... backstory.

You'll need to couple source material like the below with the above historical scholarship if you want to come to a full understanding.

As for some primary sources:

Tang dynasty teachers who were students of Mazu (one of the most influential Zen teachers ever)

Dazhu (although, relevant)

Huangbo

Baizhang (this text is prohibitively expensive on Amazon, so look in local libraries.)

Song dynasty teachers

Yuanwu (1, 2)

Hongzhi (1, 2) (note, take Taigen dan Leighton's introduction to Cultivating the Empty Field with a grain of salt, as he's a shitty scholar. He basically just misrepresents Hongzhi and Dahui's relationship. See Schlutter's How Zen Became Zen for more details.)

Song dynasty kanhua Chan teachers (kanhua is the main approach to Zen in both Rinzai and Seon)

Dahui (Yuanwu's student)

Wumen

A Japanese Zen teacher

Bankei (1, 2)

A Korean Zen teacher

Daehaeng (1, 2, 3)

___

Note that this leaves out huge swathes of the literature, including all of the literature associated with the East Mountain teaching, the Northern school, the Oxhead school, Soto, most of Rinzai, Obaku, most of Seon, etc. Of course, some people with more fixed and essentialist ideas of what "Zen" is object to the idea that some of these other schools/lineages are actually "Zen". Use your own head. (I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong; I'm just saying that once you feel comfortable with the basics, start to think critically about Zen and your own study of it, including e.g. how you would decide which teachings to follow, and why.)

There's no roster of "Zen masters^TM " anywhere, so the above is a bit of a random mix of my own choosing.

While reading, note what people say and ask yourself questions -- where do they agree? Where do they disagree? If they disagree, should that be reconciled or not, and why?

Some more pointed questions to ask for each book: What can one do to reach awakening? What ways to reach awakening are preferred over others? What practices and doctrines are criticized? Is there any cultivation necessary at any point along the path? If yes, what is to be cultivated? If the teacher is talking about the teachings of earlier masters, are those teachers being represented accurately, or are extrinsic frameworks being laid onto them to fit the later teacher's presentation of Zen? If you had to sum up the teacher's teaching in a slogan, what would it be?

Really, the main thing is that you can think critically about what you're reading, but the above reading list and approach would give you a really solid foundation for the things people tend to talk about on this forum.

Go for it.

This is good too
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0520219724?pc_redir=1403765741&robot_redir=1

The OP is from the Red Pine translation, and I greatly recommend anyone to pick it up for themselves.

http://www.amazon.com/Platform-Sutra-Zen-Teaching-Hui-neng/dp/1593761775/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453562580&sr=8-1&keywords=Platform+Sutra%2C+The%3A+The+ZEN+Teaching+of+Hui-Neng

i recommend huang po.

Try picking up a copy of Dogen's Shobogenzo. I like the Nishijima and Cross translation here: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Dogens-Shobogenzo-Book-1/dp/1419638203

An upvote is an abstract hug of sorts.

On a more serious note, if you are really interested in what I was trying to convey, instead of just for the sake of winning an online argument, then I would recommend reading some zen literature. Huang Po, for example. Just don't visit the subreddit, or they'll drive you mad. They drive anyone mad.

It is inside of this book of his writings: Moon in a Dewdrop

Be careful though, if you read it you might end up being a green mountain walking ;)

I read it when I was sixteen or seventeen. Truly amazing book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1561840734/

It's a bit hard to find nowadays. This is the only one on Amazon but the cover is weird, and it includes a commentary by "Robert Anton" something.

This is what I have

The Diamond Sutra https://www.amazon.com/dp/1582432562/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_SJq9ub01CV1H4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1582432562/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_SJq9ub01CV1H4

Someone here recommended this to me and I am working my way through it. Shipping took forever. 😐

>HIstorically, there is no evidence that Bodhidharma wrote outline of practice.

"In the early part of this century, the discovery of a walled-up cave in northwest China led to the retrieval of a lost early Ch'an (Zen) literature of the T'ang dynasty (618-907). One of the recovered Zen texts was a seven-piece collection, the Bodhidharma Anthology. Of the numerous texts attributed to Bodhidharma, this anthology is the only one generally believed to contain authentic Bodhidharma material." - The Bodhidharma anthology: The earliest records of Zen

I imagine this is the source in English. I imagine the bulk of the scholarship surrounding the texts was done in Chinese.

>Zen Masters don't ascribe outline of practice to Bodhidharma or even mention the text at all, let alone in relation to Zen, anywhere that I've found.

I have no idea who you would include as "Zen Masters" so I can't help there.

>What Zen Masters say about Bodhidharma would suggest that outline is unrelated to Bodhidharma.

Again, I don't know who you include as "Zen Masters". It appears scholars agree that it is from him.

>There is no evidence that Bodhidharma or anybody else thought "wall gazing" was meditation; Dogen lied about this in FukanZazenGi, and like Jesus being resurrected, lots of people thought it sounded good.

I don't think the text suggested that he thought wall was meditation. I was just sharing the only connection to meditation in that book which scholars generally agree came from Bodhidharma.

"It is that which you see before you. Begin to reason about it and you at once fall into error." Zen Master Huang Po, from this superb book

Instant Zen.

I read this one: https://www.amazon.ca/Zen-Teaching-Huang-Po-Transmission-Mind/dp/0802150926/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474053415&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=zen+teachings+of+huang+bo

some zen

I'd suggest you read some Huang Po.
I think you can find a PDF of it online, somewhere.

So, you're not interested in studying zen but studying what zen is about and where it's coming from.

Try this one.

This chakra balancing meditation is great

Im reading this translation and Philosophy of the yoga sutras right now and its really in depth and good

Nietzsche has many profound insights on human nature.
http://nietzsche.holtof.com/reader/index.html

This book is amazing and the chapter "Enlightenment and Ignorance" is such a detailed and clear explanation of the Buddhas idea of enlightenment and his take on what emptiness has to do with our being and existence. The Buddha argues against an only meditative resignation mindset. He think that you should seek the truth and be at one with reality and that the ignorance will blind you.
https://www.amazon.com/Essays-Buddhism-First-D-T-Suzuki/dp/0802151183

Francis Bacon on Society and human nature


Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauviour

I would reccomend Kierkegaard, Foucault, Marx, Hannah Arendt works on human nature, society, existence.

This is another good translation

http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-list.htm

http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~randall/Readings%20W2/Horkheimer_Max_Adorno_Theodor_W_Dialectic_of_Enlightenment_Philosophical_Fragments.pdf

Book

The Zen Teaching of Huang-Po

Incense

Shoyeido Illusions premium low smoke incense
Incense Bowl
White Ash (to hold up the incense in the bowl)

Sitting Cushion

Buckwheat Zafu

Huangbo:
1
2

Linji: 1 (this is the copy that I have, after discussing it here it sounded better) 2

Bankei: 1 2

etc.

Edit: My university professor translated the xinxinming (based off of lok to's translation) and chunks of the platform sutra (original work i believe), and i've got a copy of that. he suggests for further reading on the platform sutra to read 1 2 3 (as well as zen doctrine of no mind! ha!)

I recommend reading Carl Jung and either DT Suzuki or S. Suzuki.

Most of what you’ll find elsewhere are just bullshit artist Gurus looking manipulate their power over you for self-aggrandizing purposes.

It’s been my experience that “occult” should be understood more from a psychological/numinous point of view rather than a supernatural. That is, personal experience that you are the source of, rather than someone else, person, thing or diety, which most lays claim as being the source of what your experience may be. Thus disempowering/stunting your path for development.

The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691006768/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_naI0Cb30YZNGJ

Psychology and Religion: West and East (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 11) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691097720/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9hI0CbHSVC6E5

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802130550/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AiI0CbSSEKFGX

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590308492/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6iI0CbMYD0STX

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind

http://www.amazon.com/The-Zen-Teaching-Huang-Transmission/dp/0802150926

fundies gonna have to find other ways to revolt

Ever read Joshu or Huangbo?

I only suggest those because I'm reading Joshu again right now, and Huangbo is a BAD MOTHERFUCKER.

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Teaching-Huang-Po-Transmission/dp/0802150926

https://www.amazon.com/Recorded-Sayings-Zen-Master-Joshu/dp/157062870X