Zen Talking

Zen Talking

Zen is a tradition from India that passed into China. Zen culture is based on the Five Lay Precepts, teachings compatible with the Four Statements of Zen, and Zen's only practice: Public Interview. The Zen reddit forum has a huge diversity of discussion about Zen ranging from scholarship and unique translation work to doctrinal discussions based on Zen's history: Why is Zen not compatible with Buddhism? Why are meditation religions not the Zen they claim to be? What are koans about?

Episodes

July 7, 2025 48 mins

#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1ls8bau/treasury_492_dont_misconceive/

'Muslin Robe' Zhao one night pointed to the half moon and asked elder Pu, "Where has the other part gone?" Pu said, "Don't     misconceive." Zhao said, "You've lost a piece."  Dahui said, "He gets up by himself and falls down by himself."

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# What did we talk ...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1lq84sk/falling_into_cause_and_effect/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

Zen Masters tell people that enlightenment is not based on cause and effect, and that enlightened people are not subject to karma.  This was heresy as far as 8fp Buddhists were concerned.

Cause and effect mattered to Buddhists back in the day... wha...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/askZen/s/AiaILuDT3X

Link to episode:  

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?


Who are the Patriarchs?  Previous translation errors.  

How to make sense from one sentence to the next in Zen formal poetic instruction.

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Add a comment if there is a post you want somebody to get interv...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/askZen/comments/1k3q9px/a_zen_lady_in_translation_case_1_the/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

Translating the first Case of the book of instruciton by a female Zen Master.

Discussion of translation, history, Zen vs Buddhism. Propaganda, 1900's vs Chinese history, etc.

 

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Add...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1jucfhx/koans_1000_years_of_history_about_how_to_survive/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

How do we know what "donkey" means in China, on a Zen commune, 1500 years ago?

This is the problem that caused 1900's religious writing about Zen to implode.

Why have koans lasted so long and continued to be more relevant to daily ...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1jnfsd4/translation_error_sunday_picking_and_choosing/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

alternate translations
mind body problems
what you already have is it
magic eye pictures, factory error
trust in awareness
touching awareness
you can't see it, you can't not see it

substitution game:

Ordinary Mind not difficult
for t...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1jltjfd/zen_allows_only_sudden_enlightenment_but_how/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?


why does enlightenment take so long if it's sudden?
do people change over time?
what does it mean to be somebody or to change?
ship of thesseus

 

 


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Add a comment if there is...

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March 29, 2025 50 mins

#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1jfokwv/nanquans_cat_and_my_tunafish_sandwich/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

Judging other people's values versus judging their hypocrisy
Ethnocentrism
Not knowing what you are 
Ignorance vs pretending to be ignorant
self awareness on a culture by culture basis
why precepts conversations are disengenuous - lying all t...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1jdbgrw/indra_builds_a_monastery/

 

Zen Master Buddha was walking with the congregation and he  pointed to the ground, "This spot is good to build a [commune]."  Indra, Emperor of the gods, took a blade of grass, stuck it in the ground, and said, "The [commune] is built."  The World Honored One smiled.

Link to all episodes: https://sites.li...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1jbcxlb/from_the_famous_cases_treasuryyunmen_if_i_was/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

  • Time travel to kill baby Buddha vs baby Hitler
  • Baby Hitler vs trolly problem
  • Sutras not true, nobody thinks infant buddha said that
  • history of anti-Zen conduct by Buddhists and newagers
  • newagers can't quote books, so they differ ...
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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1jabfde/a_verse_for_prajnatara/

Link to episode:  

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

It took us an hour and change to get here:

A cloud rhino gazes at the crescent moon1, its light engulfing radiance;
A wood horse2 romps in spring, swift and unbridled.
Under [Bodhidharma's] eyebrows, a pair of cold blue eyes;
How can read...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1j3a1bf/huangbo_no_hope_wo_mahayana_master/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

Who is your teacher?  What does it mean when somebody has no teacher, no text, no tradition?

Who are these people that don't?  Who are the people who have but can't say?

The new age movement and the moment of realization. 

Why does Huangbo say y...

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#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1iv8odu/translating_prajnataras_recitation_of_scripture/

 

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

Mostly about the Introduction and Case with Wansong commentary.

It's a complex bit of writing with some translating problems.

Cleary seems to have wanted to minimize the anti-Buddhist aspsects.

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March 4, 2025 56 mins

#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1ize5fb/sincerity_is_it_the_topic_or_the_format_or_the/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

How do we test for sincerity in books, conversations, and life?  Does it matter?

This problem just gets worse from every angle.

Also a movie recommendation.

#You can be on the podcast! Use a pseudonym! Nobody cares!


Add a comment if...

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March 1, 2025 60 mins

#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1io3ped/from_the_famous_cases_treasuryone_finger_zen/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?


It's not "boy" or "teenager" or "greeter".  It's Personal Assitant to a Zen Master.

It's not "arm" or "forearm" or "hand" or even "whole finger".

With these translations we have multiple problems: 1. logistical problem, chopping off w...

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February 15, 2025 59 mins

#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/s/VpZF9KQlmn

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?


Why does it matter what Anwan said?

Did Zen Master Buddha talk too much?  What is the point if it's direct experience?

Translation problems and footnotes.  Tiliting at convienence stores.

What is art?  Does it matter how hard you work or whether it's art?

 

#You can be on the podcast...

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February 10, 2025 65 mins

#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1icc8dx/from_the_famous_cases_treasuryshuilao_facing/

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

# What did we talk about?

Disagree.  Not about ignorance.

Possible wordings:

1.  Bodhidharma came from the West to show reverence
2.  In that Bodhidharma came, you should show reverence
3.  ? Bodhidharma was able to come from the West because he was reverent
4....

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February 1, 2025 61 mins

#Post(s) in Question


Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1h0js2q/more_checkpoints/

 

"How is my hand like the hand of Buddha?"

"How is my leg like the leg of a donkey?"

"Everyone exists by a particular cause of birth."

 

I'm not even.  Don't listen while driving on a freeway or interstate.


I was confused the whole episode.  

If you want to know what a thankyou letter from a Zen Master sounds like, that what this Case is a...

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January 28, 2025 74 mins
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