As a relative newcomer, I have been spending a lot of my time eagerly absorbing what I can from zazen, books, this and other forums, and -- yes, I admit it -- the Zen blogosphere. Those first three sources are endlessly rich. The last has presented me with a conundrum.

In particular, there seem to be quite a number of Zen practitioners and other Buddhists who have analyzed a situation and come to the conclusion that the practice of an individual or a sangha, school, or other collection of humans is somehow wrong, insufficient, or otherwise ill-informed. I admit that I don't understand a lot of the context, but frankly it's hard to square these judgments and accusations with my growing understanding of Zen.

I struggle with whether this impression is correct. I mean, I can list a few dozen reasons why these accusations seem inconsistent with my understanding fundamental tenets of Zen and Buddhism, starting with, say, the Heart Sutra! I'll add that I recognize the attractions of judging others. For example, I'm new enough that chanting of the Heart Sutra can be slightly off-putting, plopping me into a moment in which I'm faced with a choice: cling to a judgment of all you chanting crazies, or, letting that fish slips through the net, confront my grasping for an awkward self that resists having its emptiness revealed.

I do understand the need for us humans to distinguish between lineages, to identify violations of trust and ethics, to operate within a world of laws, and to act in an engaged manner when faced with inequity and injustice. But I don't understand what feels like an insistent cycle of judging others' practice, schools, institutions, and communities within the broader Buddhist community. So I turn to you, Treeleaf members -- a pretty non-judgmental bunch, in my opinion -- for some thoughts about what seems to be going on here.