Ok first a sidebar: I start losing the point when abstract and "what-if" scenarios get thrown out about what if Hitler meditated or was your weatherman, etc. Ok, I'm being an ass.
I'm sure there's a point to those exercises, but I don't really get it. As a segue :P, something that I love about this practice that resonates with me, and why I practice at all is that it's so practical. I think that is something that Zen has always had going for it; it's practicality. It's sort of a form of Buddhism that's focused on the core practice as opposed to all the added ritual and so on. But yeah, I know it has a crapload of its own oddities. I sort of like those too in a way, even though I'm not a traditional Buddhist by any stretch. I'm more of a Bodhidharma/Dogen than a let's sing Koombayah type of dude, but there is room for both.
I want to absolutely clarify that what I'm saying applies only to me. I can't speak for all of Buddhism, nor should I. Similarly, and this is sort of off topic, I don't think a Sangha or any group should speak for me. I think Zen has room for liberal, conservative, etc opinions. I don't think any political views should be assumed just because someone practices Zen. And I don't want Treeleaf to speak on my behalf, and I don't have any right to speak on it's behalf.
Ok so back to my sad attempt at making a point. There is a lot of ritual, etc. in zen too. There's a lot of cultural "baggage" that I don't really "dig" all of that too much (qualify: some times); I'm more for a secularized approach as well as Kirk and Byrne have mentioned. For example, I'm not going to be living in a monastery anytime soon. I don't really have time for imitation in my life. I'm not trying to be someone else. I'm not trying to wear more costumes. Believe me, I play enough roles to add another one.
Now I'm not saying that practitioners that do like doing that are just wearing costumes; I think there are genuine practitioners here and elsewhere who do like that stuff. I met Jundo, and I think he's one of the most down to earth people I've met, and he is how he is here, which is also why I'm here. I'm not trying to pander, but his down to earth teaching appeals to me and motivates me to practice. At the same time, the more my practice matures, the more I have to be honest in my practice here.
So I'm absolutely just speaking for myself, which I think is something that maybe is showing how Buddhism is adapting to our culture here. I think it's going to be applicable to someone like me who really doesn't want to have 3 robes and a bowl. I think my views (which come from my culture) that questions authority, values individualism, etc. will have an impact on Buddhism.
I work in the corporate world, and I'm very much a practicing Buddhist, although I don't really identify myself as being a Buddhist, but I am one. I took the precepts, I try to live by them, I have a regular practice. I love the practice, or I wouldn't do it. But I'm not a smiling zen monk in a mountain. I live in the suburbs, I love technology, I own way too much stuff, I'm not a vegetarian and I don't aspire to be one. I like beer. Sometimes I drink too much.
But zen fits. Zen helps me. I love how I can sit or bring that attitude into my life of being present amidst whatever chaos is occurring, or how I can catch myself getting angry and let it subside (sometimes, ok sometimes. lol) instead of feeding it. So it's practical. But those are just a couple of small and shortsighted and obvious examples. There's so much to this that is difficult to explain.
All of that said, I also see a danger in "boiling" Zen down too much. If you boil something too long, it loses all of its flavor. There is absotively, posilutely an important place for ceremony and ritual and robes and liturgy, etc. I see the value in it, and I really do like that part too, so it's a balance. One of the things I like doing during Ango is chanting more, lighting a candle and incense when I sit, wearing my rakusu daily because I think that is important too. Like everything in life, there is a cycle. Some times you do some things more than others. Practice feels right with this type of rhythm as well.
I don't know how to answer the question about if Buddhism needs to change, because I can't speak for Buddhism. But I think we all have a responsibility to change it for ourselves. We have to adapt it to our lives, or we are just parroting, imitating which, sure, we need to do that until we start learning to ride the bike without the training wheels. But at some point we have to dig in and ask ourselves why we are doing this.
I do think that by virtue of each of us applying Zen to our own lives it naturally will change because we are beings of our time; we can't change that. So I don't think any one should say (or a group of Buddhists), "Hey, Buddhism change." I think either humanity finds things useful or not, and when they do (which I think Buddhism is very much useful) it will adapt just by being practiced and adopted and adapted, very naturally, sort of how language naturally adapts to a culture when it is used, or how tools are honed or new tools discovered as they are used to solve new problems.
I also think it's dangerous to describe what Zen is; actually I think it's pretentious and limiting in a way, sort of like describing emptiness. I think the more I practice the more depth I find in the practice and realize that things that maybe didn't resonate start to resonate with me now, or teachings that seemed way out there really make sense with a different perspective. Of course, just like the imitation analogy, we need pointers and basics, but after we start practicing regularly we need to start questioning this shit for ourselves. Maybe that too is a more modern approach. Lay practitioners in the marketplace, taking it to the streets in our lives.
And I mean question everything, all of our assumptions. And similarly how that modernity most certainly skews our view on Buddhism, Buddhism has timeless truths that also influence us. This isn't a one way street; if it was all one way or the other, there would be no value/need for Buddhism. I think Zen takes us to the basics of what we hold important. I think that like the intro says, we need desperately to find that connection with each other so that we don't see each other as adversaries but learn how to live with each other and truly take care of each other.
I don't have any answers. I have more questions than anything, but I do know; I mean we absolutely do know, deep down, we know when we are bullshitting ourselves.
Gassho,
Risho
-sattoday