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Taiji Bum

Legitimate Zen Lineages?

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yeah, and Buddha moderates it...

 

For some reason this sounds like the weirdest question I ever heard. I think even a cardboard box can be a good temple and don't think a back-story is so important.

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Hui Neng's Platform Sutra

 

But still, I am not from or lived in the US.

Edited by XieJia

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It seems legit but you never know. I finally found a website that lists it as legit from a Korean Zen Buddhist group. I am going to an intro class on Sunday. I need a new spiritual guide and Zen Buddhism seems the way to go these days.

http://www.detroitzencenter.org/

Had a browse of their website.

 

They have an organic cafe selling home-grown foods, but that's closing down end of September... but it looks like they're still active in other areas. Lineage looks fine by me.

 

Curious though that you mentioned the need for a new spiritual guide... what happened to the previous one? And why Zen?

 

Care to share?

 

:)

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Previous one died. I picked Zen this time since it seems that is the type of meditation I have been doing for years. Plus I was having trouble defining some things I am trying to improve about myself and when I found the definition of the skandhas it seemed to fit. Then I explored Zen Buddhism a little more and it really seems to fit what I have personally experienced over the years with meditation.

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Lineage is important. In Buddhism, legitimacy in this sense comes from being given permission to teach by one's own teacher, in a *theoretically* unbroken line from the historical Buddha to the present. I don't know as much about Korean Zen (Son), but this looks legit.

 

The only thing I would add is... as you probably know... just because someone has a legitimate lineage doesn't mean that they're enlightened or that they're a good teacher (separate things) or that you'll personally resonate with the teacher or the sangha.

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