Sincerity and just being

I have been listening to The Ordinary Mind Zen School Sydney podcast. The Dharma talks given by Geoff Dawson are fairly short with good audio quality. Three Chords and the Truth comes from a description of country music. Using this to talk about Soto Zen practice, he discusses sincerity. 

That reminded me of what I am trying to say about my Zen practice not intended to be discouraging to fellow Christians who are sincere in their practice. I know there are people who respect my views and I don't want my Zen practice to be a statement against Christianity. This is what it's working for me and I'm glad at what is working for them. 

Another talk was No God, No Governor, No Ego. He mentions how many believe that there must be a God who controls and divides into good and evil. He says, Allow things to just be. Turn up to each moment and let them be. In our life we can pilot and organize but this is not a controlling thing. Think about how we effortlessly walk and breathe. Ego is just a construction that gets in the way. Clean, not cluttered but not controlling.

Fully integrated maturity of the "enlightened self."

In other words, we begin to divine that Zen is not only beyond the formulations of Buddhism but it is also in a certain way "beyond" (and even pointed to) by the revealed message of Christianity. That is to say that when one breaks through the limits of cultural and structural religion - or irreligion - one is liable to end up, by "birth in the Spirit," or just by intellectual awakening, in a simple void where all is liberty because all is the actionless action, called by the Chinese will Wu-wei and by the New Testament the "freedom of the Sons of God." Not that they are theologically one and the same, but they have any rate the same kind of limited limitlessness, the same lack of inhibition, the same psychic fullness of creativity, which mark the fully integrated maturity of the "enlightened self." The "mind of Christ" as described by St. Paul in Philippians 2 maybe theologically worlds apart from the "mind of Buddha" - this have not prepared to discuss. But the utter "self-emptying" of Christ – and the self-emptying which makes the disciple one with Christ in his kenosis – can be understood and has been understood in a very Zen-like sense as far as psychology and experience are concerned. Zen and the birds of appetite Thomas Merton (The study of Zen)

The best way to develop Buddhism

"Usually religion develops itself in the realm of consciousness, seeking to perfect its organization, building beautiful buildings, creating music, evolving a philosophy, and so forth. These are religious activities in the conscious world. But Buddhism emphasizes the world of unconsciousness. The best way to develop Buddhism is to sit in zazen - just to sit, with a firm conviction in our true nature. This way is much better than to read books or study the philosophy of Buddhism. Of course it is necessary to study the philosophy - it will strengthen your conviction. Buddhist philosophy is so universal and logical that it is not just the philosophy of Buddhism, but of life itself. The purpose of Buddhist teaching is the point to life itself existing beyond consciousness in our pure original mind. All Buddhist practices were built up to protect this true teaching, not to propagate Buddhism in some wonderful mystic way." Page 123 Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind - Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice by Shunryu Suzuki