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From: gregbo@houxm.UUCP (Greg Skinner)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Open suggestion to Jeff Sargent
Message-ID: <1076@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 12-Jan-85 02:55:49 EST
Article-I.D.: houxm.1076
Posted: Sat Jan 12 02:55:49 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Jan-85 06:45:55 EST
References: <262@stat-l>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 34

> From: rsk@stat-l (Rich Kulawiec)

>>> From Greg Skinner (houxm!gregbo):
>>>
>>> It seems there was once a master and a student.  The student asked the 
>>> master 
>>> one day "What is the meaning of the Tao?"  The master slapped the student 
>>> in the face and said, "If you have to ask then obviously you do not 
>>> understand."

>> From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
>> 1.  The master's line is so obvious that it's hardly worth saying.
>> 2.  This is exactly the kind of perfectionistic attitude that is killing me
>>    -- the idea that any lack of knowledge or understanding is a sin deserving
>>    painful punishment.

>	You do not grasp even the beginning of Zen.

>	The master's line is more subtle than you imagine...and the slap
> in the face was NOT punishment.

If you want to understand Zen, the Tao, or other Eastern religions better, try
to think of the Force, particularly when Luke Skywalker was first introduced
to it.  If you will recall, Luke tried to use his physical senses to find the
moving ball, and failed.  Such is the case with the student -- he wanted to
understand the Tao, without understanding that understanding the Tao is not
something that someone can simply tell you about, but something you must
discover for yourself. 
-- 
			Baby tie your hair back in a long white bow ...
			Meet me in the field, behind the dynamo ...

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!houxm!gregbo