[Buddha-l] Re: Was Buddha a Buddhist

[curt]

A good enlightenment story should be enlightening. Definitely. The 
little book "Dropping Ashes on the Buddha" has numerous little stories 
in it about great masters, including a Chinese girl who attained 
enlightenment and became a great teacher while leading an "ordinary" 
life of a lay person, as well as another story about an entire family of 
people (mother, father, son and daughter) who were all enlightened (I 
think that one might be based on the famous "Layman P'ang"). These 
stories often sound like harmless fairy tales on a superficial level - 
but they reveal a great deal of depth on closer inspection.

I didn't know "Swampland Flowers" was back in print! I have an old Xerox 
copy made from a library book. I have recently been reading "Zen 
Letters" - which is from Yuan Wu's letters (he was, of course, Ta Hui's 
teacher) - another "Cleary Brothers" production. The brief introduction 
to this slim volume is quite interesting in its own right - has anyone 
else read it? It is quite a sweeping denunciation of western culture and 
Christianity in particular - but couched almost diplomatically enough 
that one could miss it.

- Curt

Benito Carral wrote:
> On Friday, May 26, 2006, Jamie Hubbard wrote:
>
>   
>> [...] any Buddhist teacher worth her salt ought to be
>> able  to inspire an encounter with the Buddha through
>> a good story about Sakyamuni, no?
>>     
>
>    I can't agree more with the points you rise.
>
>    I  think  that  it's  important  to know the role of
> narrative  in  the  traditions. I have experienced that
> good  histories  use  to  inspire  quite more than nice
> thoughts.  That's  why  I  ask my students to read Chan
> master's  biographies.  For  example,  when  they  read
> Xuyun's  autobiography,  they  get a feeling of what is
> real  Chan,  and  they  can feel inspired to follow the
> master's steps.
>
>    Could  you share with us some of the book titles you
> had in mind? BTW, does someone know some good new books
> on  Chan  or  the  Chinese tradition? I think that it's
> good to share this kind of info.
>
>    I  don't  read much about Buddhism nowadys. The last
> Buddhist thing I have read is _Hoofprint of the Ox,_ by
> master  Sheng-yen, what seems to me a nice introduction
> to   Chinese  Zen.  I  have  also  ordered  a  copy  of
> _Swampland  Flowers:  The  Letters  and Lectures of Zen
> Master  Ta  Hui,_ the classic J.C. Cleary's translation
> now available again.
>
>    Best wishes,
>
>    Beni
>    
>
>
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