The Zen View of Death

[@saralawlor780]

Enjoying the music and finding the talks as interesting as always and really liking the new book. Thank you Brad!

[@SonofSethoitae]

I know we're all here for the profundity of Zen and stuff, but Brad's got pretty cool taste in music too

[@cyrilgcoombsiii]

I’m here for the free 🌮🌮🌮🤣

[@wolf-bearchief3705]

I think you nailed the explanation of the topic with the opening song. Thanks Brad

[@HardcoreZen]

Thank you!

[@dbuck1964]

Wow Brad that is one sweet Tele. 🎸👀

[@tahchridaya]

“Everything is perfectly resolved in the Unborn.” ~ Bankei 🕳

[@osip7315]

the "unborn" is famous for its lack of resolution

[@tahchridaya]

@@osip7315 speak for yourself cowboy! 😂

[@ceruleandusk]

That song at the beginning sounded really cool

[@HardcoreZen]

Thank you!

[@dr.jeffreyzacko-smith324]

Well said! Uchiyama Roshi has a wonderful little volume, translated by Okumura Roshi, all about life and death that I have found meaningful.

[@alpahlavi7959]

Have been following your videos for quite a while and I love them. Thank you for explaining this point. Reminds me a lot of the Zen advice of when you're hungry eat, if you're tired sleep. I've been wondering for a while now, I've been practicing for more than ten years now but recently most of my breakthrough moments happen during sleep. I don't always remember what the dream was about but the feeling stays, long enough to improve my life and make things easier overall. So, is it possible to have enlightenment experiences in a dream? Did Dogen or any of the Zen masters write or say anything about it? That would be my question. Thanks again for your excellent work!

[@jonkomatsu8192]

I came here for the Zen and a cover tune--and got Buc-ee's too! Gravy. Pure gravy. Mahalos! 🤙🧘‍♂️🧘‍♀️🧘

[@olly3231]

love these intros lol

[@adin4407]

Danke für den Hinweis, dass die chinesischen Schriftzeichen in dem erwähnten Dōgen-Kapitel, das oft mit "Geburt und Tod" übersetzt wird, eigentlich die Schriftzeichen für „saṃsāra“ darstellen. Man lernt nie aus. Ich freue mich darauf, deinen Dharma-Vortrag hier in Deutschland zu hören.

[@Mac-ku3xu]

It's: "Let go, and let God".

[@HardcoreZen]

THAT'S what I was trying †o think of!

[@Mac-ku3xu]

@@HardcoreZen Ah, you see you were trying. You should just have let go and let god.

[@dr.jeffreyzacko-smith324]

In the South it’s “Jesus take the wheel!” 😬

[@je.1525]

I've been reading alot of Sri Ramanas books lately, he's a fascinating person to me. I think he said something like birth and death are but illusions upon the screen of consciousness. Forms appear and dissappear but consciousness always remains. That consciousness is the Self and is our true nature. He goes on to make this point by getting us to pay attention to are 3 states of consciousness. Waking, dream, and deep sleep. Every night mind and body subside, with dream a subtle body and mind, waking gross body and mind. But I exists throughout all 3 states. I exists beyond body and mind. If not how could we be conscious of the state where there was no body and mind? How can we be conscious of state that science calls unconscious? So it seems consciousness flows from one state to the next, one moment life the next moment death, around and around this cycle goes until we break the wheels and become Buddha's of are own.. By the way Brad if you read this, do you ever host retreats in the states?

[@osip7315]

"By the way Brad if you read this, do you ever host retreats in the states?" in my experience, most teachers will take a retreat if you organise it and pay them, the amount paid ideally should be more than covering their transport costs etc, but that may not be able to be afforded

[@je.1525]

@@osip7315 Hey bud. Glad to see your still out there in internet land. Hope your having a wonderful day 😉🤟🙏

[@osip7315]

@@je.1525 i think you have asked the same question before and i have given the same answer, reincarnation of sorts ?

[@je.1525]

@@osip7315 Memory must of slipped with this incarnation. Would be cool to have a group of us to get Brad to do a retreat in the states though.

[@lazerlloyd1]

Yes with so many great teachers it seems at the end Sri Ramana Maharishi ends up being Jesus Buddha and the greatest Zen master - somehow he so simply incorporated it all and yet one look at him on video surpasses all the teachings - thank you for your very insiteful comment

[@amadlover]

9:25 metallica is soothing !!!!!!!!!

[@baruchdespinoza6318]

Your 'question' line is of course from the Star Trek episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever'. Right? Poor Edith Keeler!

[@HardcoreZen]

Yes!

[@kidkous]

Soul Asylum was lfr, i think. Hardcore came into my life late (in my middle of college years, Zen end HS/Start college HZ came later still) so I may be wrong, or misremembering; but when I have an interest I go deep and try to learn view and feel any info out I missed; and in the later 80s-early 90s a lot of bands some on Mtv even, were like hi we're [name] used to be a hardcore band, now a regular band

[@karmajangchubdorje]

Would you consider the Zen view of death to be different from the Buddhist one? (I’ve come across some Zen authors who say that the view of Zen is different from or transcends Buddhism)

[@joeg3950]

That would have been the breakout hit for 0DFX. It was fun. “Nirvana is found in this life.” That is a good brief summary. For me, a problematic part of certain belief systems is a belief that the soul is separate from the body. This leads to quite a few pitfalls (I’ll leave it there). Keep rockin’, Brad. Ziggy forever!

[@lazerlloyd1]

No need to believe yet best to experience that which is aware of the body/mind/ego experience and then to be conscious that you are the IT that is aware that there is something aware of this body/mind/ego experience and what that is can be one with the body and beyond it at the same time and it is beyond words or concepts yet each will experience it differently when the thoughts are stilled

[@ohmsarchives5819]

i got it,,, and now its gone...

[@thejakealonzo]

Teaching lessons and rockin faces.

[@benhorner8430]

I'm not that worried about it, and am kind of doubtful that you would be able to give an example, but I thought I would ask: Could you give an example of how we have a tiny amount of free will? I personally believe that we don't have free will, and also that since we feel that we have free will, that we do have free will. The idea of free will affects the actions that we take, and we would take different actions if we thought we have free will versus if we thought that we don't have free will, therefore I think that we do have free will. :) But I have heard you say many times that we are able to have a small effect on things, that we have a small amount of free will, I have always wondered what you meant by that, are you able to clarify that a bit? :)

[@HardcoreZen]

Nishijima Roshi used to say, "I have free will. If you put a plate of food in front of me I can choose to eat it or not eat it." I used to think that was a weird and sort of dumb example. Now I think it's brilliant. You can't choose what gets put in front of you. You can't choose the past experiences which incline you toward responding in certain ways. But in the moment when you're faced with something you have a small degree of ability to choose how to respond. This is why we try in Zen practice to let go of our attachments and our habitual responses. That way, when something happens we have more freedom in how we respond.

[@benhorner8430]

@@HardcoreZen Ok, that sounds like you completely believe in free will! When considering a choice that I've made, and thinking about how I could have made a different choice, I don't see how it could happen... What could have been different that would have led to a different result? Even if I flipped a coin to make the choice, what could have been different that would change the result of the coin? I just can't see how free will would work. :) I do feel like I have free will though, like presented with a decision I could make different choices, but I've thought that was probably not what's actually going on. Anyway, thanks for sharing!

[@danielhopkins296]

@Hardcore Zen sorry dude, typo , please forgive me 🙏. If I'm not mistaken, you have pointed out their differences many times but not as much as their similarity. You claim that the Buddha didn't claim to be a prophet or savior ( placing all your problems in his house) and that the Buddhist nirvana and samsara cannot be paralleled exactly to the Christian heaven and hell. A unique feature of Buddhist heavens and hells is that they are temporary : " both heaven and earth shall pass away" - Jesus " You will not get out of jail until you repay every last cent" -Jesus

[@jonwesick2844]

Dogen seemed wedded to the idea of rebirth in the chapter, "Deep Belief in Karma." Any comments?

[@HardcoreZen]

I wrote an essay called Did Dogen Believe in Reincarnation and Does It Matter If He Did. I'm pretty sure it's in Don't Be a Jerk or It Came From Beyond Zen. It's also on the Internet somewhere and I may have done a video too. ANYWAY, my conclusion is that he probably did believe in something that could be labeled "reincarnation," but that what he believed in differed greatly from what most contemporary Westerners believe when they say they believe in reincarnation.

[@jonwesick2844]

thanks

[@macdougdoug]

I think that Christians say that God's already got everything all planned out - so chill, have a little faith, no need to struggle so much.

[@califazen9504]

I'm ready for hardcore Brad unplugged tbh. ;-). Brad works hard on these things. Grab a subscription on Patreon.

[@HardcoreZen]

Thanks!

[@WoodsyLadyM]

I think the phrase you were looking for is "Let go and let God."

[@danielpinojr.8312]

Isn't it three books ago?

[@HardcoreZen]

I've lost count!

[@garyhynes]

Hinduism and Paganism have reincarnation so it's hardly just an idea that came from modern pop culture.

[@HardcoreZen]

The idea of reincarnation does not come from modern pop culture. However, modern pop culture has put its own spin on the idea of reincarnation. When I speak with people about reincarnation, I usually find that their ideas about reincarnation come from movies and TV shows rather than from ancient literature.

[@garyhynes]

@@HardcoreZen I totally get you. Thanks for the videos. Good stuff.

[@RonD108]

Turn it over.

[@belaji]

Hi Brad. I'm not sure about if you talk about this or not, so I'll just say it anyway. The early Zen masters made it clear that all opposites are nothing but concepts which, in actuality, do not exist. If we are facing each other and I say point left, we both point in opposite directions. "Left/right" do not exist outside of our heads. (Though the concepts of opposites can be useful, they are not true.) Same goes for birth/death. They are just concepts we use (maybe helpful but I doubt it), and aren't really true (yes the body dies). This seems to me another way to look at it.

[@danielhopkins296]

This dud continually points to alleged differences between Buddha and Jesus: if ever there were two similar beings , I e. The Father Tathagata & son

[@HardcoreZen]

Am I the dud you're speaking about?

[@xlmoriarty8921]

Brilliant example of the uselessness of Dogen. A lot of confusion and practical insignificance.

[@HardcoreZen]

Sure. Whatever...

[@osip7315]

@@HardcoreZen that's a weak reply, you need to do better. as a btw i'm not sure its a good idea to refer to nishijima as "your teacher" like he's still alive and actually the other side of your saying that is you are conscripting him like you do sawaki and kobun as "your teachers" when they can offer no opinion at all on such a matter ie, they may not agree with you. what can be said about "birth and death"? words that go on forever meaninglessly

[@dr.jeffreyzacko-smith324]

So please enlighten us yourself … and also consider why you’re here when this is Dogen’s lineage Brad practices.

[@xlmoriarty8921]

@@HardcoreZen yeh, up yours.

[@osip7315]

@@dr.jeffreyzacko-smith324 too much pot in your younger days?, your memory doesn't seem up to par at all !