Originally Posted by Jundo
Donkey Kong is just as pointless as Zen practice. In fact, the game is truly pointless, while Zazen is pointless ... but with a point. The video game just has more bells and whistles, flashing lights and noise to distract the mind. If I put buzzers and sirens on the Zafu, and had it automatically award points for how long you sat there, it might have about the same effect. Donkey Kong is the self fooling itself that it is "accomplishing" something (granted, there might be minor improvements in hand eye coordination that we do not attain in Zazen ... although we do in Oryoki). The mind just fights being put "out of a job", and does not know how to drop the achieving, and getting somewhere, and winning points that the game fools the 'self' into thinking it is getting (because, of course, the points and "getting somewhere" are just electronic illusions on a screen).
Donkey Kong will get you nothing by a few hours' satisfaction ... as the games pass, and the time is killed. Both Zazen and Donkey Kong are an absolute waste of time ... though Zazen will allow one to see absolutely that there is no "time". Zazen will get you freedom in this moment ... as one realizes that there are no points awarded in life, that the obstacles and barrels to jump over are of the mind's own making, as is the ape-self who is chasing us ... as 'jumpman' realizes there is no place to jump ... as the mental rivets are removed and the Koan Kong falls into emptiness ...