CLEVELAND'S SCREAMING DOCUMENTARY
This is the most flagrant misuse of this forum yet. But hold on & I'll give you some Zen stuff at the end of this post.
I just put the trailer to my movie "Cleveland's Screaming" up on YouTube. The link to it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDqEOpF4QXY
Please go look at it even if you've seen it before so that it gets more hits & becomes popular. Thanks! Your support will be good for the cause of promoting Buddhism in America. Here's why.
I was in Japan last week and while I was there I visited Nishijima Sensei. We talked about lots and lots and lots of stuff. One of the things was his view that Buddhist teacers should earn their livings through "real jobs" rather than trying to earn their keep solely as Buddhist teachers. He practices what he preaches too. He finally retired at age 84 (I think, or 85). But he kept his day job throughout his career as a Buddhist Master. We talked some about the movie I'm making and about my job with the company I work for. Given the current state of that company, he encouraged me to try and make it apart from them with the film. Not that this movie in particular is ever gonna earn me enough for rent -- I can't believe how much I've spent on what was supposed to be a "no budget" production! -- but it could be a good start.
We also talked about his blog. In spite of everything, he is still very optimistic about the possibility for blogging to be a great way to spread Buddhism. Even though the comments section of his blog has been largely hijacked by people with agendas which have nothing at all to do with what he is trying to teach, he still maintains a very positive view towards blogging. It was pretty inspiring to hear that. I may just start mine up again....
In the meantime, go post some relevant comments on his blog, would ya? Somebody! Maybe the serious comments might eventually overwhelm the noisemakers. I feel so bad that it's gotten so awful in there when he's still so positive about the whole thing.
Before I start blogging again myself, though, I need to prepare for the first screening of my film at 8PM on July 1st at the Jigsaw Tavern in Parma, Ohio. I'll be there if anyone wants to talk Zen or punk or buy me an orange juice.
posted by Brad Warner @ Tuesday, June 20, 2006
35 comments
35 Comments:
Nishijima Sensei could easily close up his comments section and just respond by e-mail to any questions he feels are worthy of being answered. Yet he continues to answer all questions on his blog in a manner so even tempered that it makes everyone else seem hysterical by comparison. His balance is amazing.
It does seem as if Mike Cross is trying to hijack Gudo Nishijima's blog. It would be nice if he saved all his spouting and ranting for his own blog. But I am very happy that Gudo Nishijima is putting so much effort in answering and commenting on are questions and comments. If anything Mike's misunderstandings and unbalanced actions (misbehavior) is a good reference to understand Gudo Nishijima Roshi's correct understading and balanced behavoir.
It would be awsome if you started up the blog again Brad. Nice Trailer. It would be cool to check out the screening of Cleveland Screaming. I probably won't be able to make it up to Parma, Ohio from down here in Dayton, Ohio July 1st, but-hey, you never know.
Nishijima's thoughts on Zen folks having a "real" job closely mirror those of another Japanese treasure: Ueshiba Morihei, founder of aikido. It also corresponds, doesn't it, to the last of the oxherding pictures, wherein the practitioner is shown heading back to the marketplace?
If you're looking for new opportunities to make a living, have you thought of translation work (if your Japanese is good enough) within the Court system? Depending on your location, I'd think there might be some growth in that area. And yet, the hours are irregular enough to support a laid-back "I'm gonna make a movie" lifestyle.
Cleveland's Screaming looks like a fun and interesting movie Brad. I want to see it. Nice editing job, by the way.
Okay, now I'm gonna sit down and shut up... but not on a chair.
thank you for your input and care about roshi Nishijima and us all - i think i understand why you closed your blog and why you consider starting again - in the past i didn't know why you refused to tell ppl what specifically is good for them or what is bad - now i think i understand - everyone's situation, karma is different and there is no universal rule for all of us - Zen teachers can't be responsible for our actions - so when i do something now, be it good or bad or whatever, it is my action and I have to be responsible, i have to understand my own life and how i affect others with my actions - so roshi continues his blog and comments because he probably feels it is a good thing and helpful, and you stopped - because you felt it was good to stop and so it is with everything - everyone has to find his or her own unique, irreplacable way - be it punk, motor racing, career, money, poverty, women or men
but zazen is good universally, for everyone everywhere because it is beyond personal situation, beyond karma, there is something we all share and we should not lose that something - thumbs up brad
it took me a while to let go of my excitement when i encountered Brad's written experience, Mike Luetchford's teaching me directly and roshi Nishijima's personal encouragement for me, it is not so easy to let go of such encounter with such peopple but it is necessary, sooner or later to let go of this excitement and attachment and grasp our own stuff, job, everyday life, fun, without quitting zazen and buddhist studies - this is my experience so far since I encountered these modern Buddhists last year
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Brad, yeah.. what ryunin said. except, for the life of me, i cannot understand why you spend more of your blogging time expounding on punk rock instead of teaching buddhism.
Oxeye, it's because less people bug me when Iit's usually lots more fun to talk about punk. But, actually speaking I think I put out about 1000 times more stuff about Zen than I have about punk. I lecture about Zen once a week. I wrote a book about it. I go out on speaking engagements all the time. Every person I meet wants to chat about their Enlightenment Experiences or whatever...
Brad, of course.. Look at it as a compliment. It is only because I find your Buddhist writing so interesting that i wished you had no life and no fun. :)
No one here finds it even remotely odd that Brad is blogging/not blogging based upon the whims of his teacher. "I'm taking my stuff down, no-I'm putting it up. I hate comments, no they;re ok. Gudo said its good. I'm blogging again. No, this sucks."
Up until recently i thought Brad had his sh--t together, but my bullshit detector has gone off.
I vote "fake" on this dude.
Aaron
I love it when people get so huffy puffy about other people, especially in the Blog world.
comments about comments about comments are funny too.
yeeeeehaaaaww!
i'm not really huffy.
brad has no effect on my life whatsoever. just pointing out that like many other self proclaimed zen masters, he seems to be totally full of ka-ka, inconsistent in his words and actions (based upon saying he isnt blogging, than he is sort of stuff) and basicaly not much different than anyone else here. Except maybe he's a better writer.
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huffy..
...puffy...
he seems to be totally full of ka-ka, inconsistent in his words and actions (based upon saying he isnt blogging, than he is sort of stuff) and basicaly not much different than anyone else here.
He's pointed out plenty of times that there is no real difference between a zen "master" and a regular joe, just a ritual and piece of paper or something... The problem, it seems to be, is that you think there should be some difference. Same old story the buddha was on about - reality in the head isn't jiving with reality in the world.
But it's not the world that is wrong. The facts are simple - Brad is a zen master. Your complaints about him suggest you have a rigid concept of what a zen master should be like. Most people untrained in zen have rigid concepts of what life should be like (and since it isn't like that, well, we all know how it goes... time to start a war to fix things to be like how we think they should be!)
Jizang, I agree with your comments about leaving thoughts buried. In fact, I think it could be dangerous to leave things buried in the deep recesses of our minds.
The way I see it, when a disturbing thought comes to mind, I want to understand why it disturbs me. If I don't understand it, then it has power over me. And ignoring it won't make it go away. So it seems best to deal with it. If it is a really disturbing thought, then maybe it is time to see a professional.
If my car's transmission breaks, I take it to a specialist. I don't want to learn everything there is to know about transmissions and fix it myself. And I don't want to just wait to see if it gets better on its own. The same applies to psychologists. They are trained to take care of thinking problems. Nothing wrong with admitting that you don't know how to deal with every strange situauion that comes along.
I think zazen is a wonderful tool for letting our minds settle. And when they settle, sometimes our subconscious minds bring important things to our conscious attention. This is a gift... not something to run away from.
I think we all want to live better lives. Taking care of ourselves is the nicest thing we can do for the ones who love us and depend on us.
eardrum wrote: I think we all want to live better lives. Taking care of ourselves is the nicest thing we can do for the ones who love us and depend on us.
EXACTLY! I think it's so sad that many Westerners think of zazen as a 'selfish' practice. Both people who practice with an enlightenment-seeking attitude, and people who refuse to consider practicing it because they perceive it as nothing more than introverted selfish navel-gazing.
Sometimes people have such a hard time seeing that we're all interdependent, and that positive energy is contagious.
To those who speak of Zen masters being just like us, and how my statements show my lack of "zen training" and fixed ideas about Zen masters...first off, ye dont know me either, anymore than i know Brad.
But i have come across someone who I believe to be enlightened, and he isnt Brad. He doesnt act like Brad. He doesnt gossip like Brad, bitch like him, or change his mind every five minutes like him.
This guy I am referring to IS different than us. Sorry to burst YOUR fixed ideas about enlightened people being "just like you or me."
They aren't. Yeah, they're human, they can say weird crap, etc. But they have some attributes which are quite different, and some of Brad's written words speak to the fact that he's more than a little full of shit, thus, just like me and you...and not really an enlightened zen master.
Sorry if that doesnt fit with your PC view of zen masters being just like all of us.
Aaron
yeah well, the internet makes it easy to say things without necessarily worrying about consequences...my stupid opinions may be recorded forever, but then again, every other word out of my mouth is ridiculous.
I'm just trying to point out that Brad has said some things of late that i find odd. Based upon MY own personal experience relating with someone whom I consider to be a "master" in this realm.
One of the most striking things about him is how little he cares what others think or say. Brad, on the other hand, gets all bent out of shape about comments on Gudo's blog! C'mon, theres something really strange about that.
And his pulling all those articles off his site, stopping blogging, then suddenly saying he is starting again. It indicates that he changes his mind a lot, worries about what others are saying, etc etc.
None of this necessarily MEANS Brad is full of crap. But i think it definitely points in that direction. Again, you can say that he is "just like us" but i dont agree with those kinds of PC statements.
Yes, a zen master is human, but part of what they supposedly understand is the temporary nature of things, the fact that others are deluded, etc etc. My Guru pretty much laughs at the infighting and those sorts of things and i could never imagine him getting all bent out of shape about some blog comments.
Aaron
huffy
Its so "Zen" to say goofy things in response to blog comments, just to show how aloof and calm and blissed out you are all the time. Nothing gets you riled.
Then why read comments or blogs at all? The very reading of these things shows you care.
You aint fooling me, mr. blissed out goofy comment man.
g
Hey Dan,
I'm not a troll but there are some parallels between how I tend to write and how trolls write, in that I tend to say things in very arrogant, distorted ways. Because I do, for whatever reason, get annoyed and feel like being nasty.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply to my trollike comments.
I read Harcore Zen and really enjoyed it. I even corresponded with Brad a couple of times about a particular question I had with something he wrote.
I dont dislike Brad. What bothers me in regards to his bloggin and comments is that he goes back and forth a lot and says differing things.
I can be critical of some of his views and opinions, cant I?? Its the internet! I've been on here a long time and I was reading his articles before this blog.
So i'm not just Mr. Johny Come Lately. I find him to be a really interesting writer.
But I think he may be somewhat disingenuous in regards to his motives for doing certain things. I frankly dont understand his getting up in arms about comments on his blog or Gudos. I think he should be judged on his stupid opinions the same was I am judged on my stupid opinions.
And i find his latest opinions on bloggin etc. to be stupid and they strike me as the comments of someone who is pretty caught up in a lot of petty BS.
Again, just like me!
Aaron
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I like what Karen said. First off, there's nothing wrong with critiquing Brad, certainly since he has no problem critiquing and being dismissive of others. So dont feel so quickly defensive of the guy; he's gonna be fine!
Secondly, i think its an important point, this idea of Zen masters being just like us.
I could say they are both "just like us" but also very much not like us. And I happen to KNOW that some of these blog commentors have gained most of their information about Zen through reading and almost no real contact with Zen Masters of any kind.
Why is this distinction important?
Its NOT!! These comments are just a way for all of us to pass the time--dont worry, i get it, so please dont keep telling me to bliss out and be less huffy. I am bored, people--i know this already.
Back to the point.
Why are Brad's actions (aka words) being picked apart? Because anyone who has had PRACTICAL experience with a "zen master" (someone who appears enlightened) will tell you that these folks ARE in fact different from ordinary bumbling fools.
They are alert, they pay attention, they tend to be light hearted and clear sighted. They tend to laugh a lot and not worry about what others think. Do you worry when an 8 year old makes fun of you or gets mad at you? What about a hundred 8 year olds?
When I am in the presence of my "guru" for lack of a better term, i feel like that 8 year old. How silly my bickering, my questions, my panic attacks, etc.
Brad seems like just another 8 year old to me. He is still primarily concerned with what others think, say and do. This is suspicious.
If you dont allow yourself to question authority, you will be duped.
-g
If someone states an opinion or idea, it's funny how others label that as some permenent quality or the complete truth of that person.(I do this all the time) Alot of the time I say things that I don't even mean or say things in a certain mood that I would disagree with the next day. I'm sure we all do such things from time to time. Maybe if you think a person is "enlightened" and they act contrary to your standards of what an "enlightened being" is, I can see where people might get all critical. And one must be pretty "enlightened" to know what such standards of "enlightment" are.
But I feel what we say can never hit the truth exactly. I also feel what other people might say about me can never hit my truth exactly. So are opinions of other and their comments, whether good or bad, can never really hit the truth of the matter such as the comments themselves. But I think they can help guide us to truth, therefor have value. Reality is action. Action is change. What you say one moment might be completely oppisite in what you say the next moment and still be correct( or incorrect) because the situation has changed.
I don't find it helpful to just agree with people to keep everything calm in peaceful. I also don't go out of my way to start trouble. I just say how I feel and try to hit the truth with words that can not express the truth. If people get all bent out of shape about it and cause a rukus then that is what happens. But sometimes the truth shatters are ideas of what we think is reality. I call it the Wrecking Ball of Reality. Truth sometimes get people in a huffy unpeaceful state because it's uncomfortable when are fake reality we have been holding on to for "security" has been ripped away from us. We may even build it back up or try to build another. But one never tastes reality or freedom doing that, they just live in their prison of ideas. Just my thoughts at this time.
I do think there is a diffrence between being disrespectful and stating some logic that may ruffle someones feathers. I always try to be respectful thought I may not always be respectful.
There is a big difference between calling someone names and making general claims that I know it all then pointing out some idea or logic that hits someone where they might not like to be hit or shines the light on something they don't want to see.
Okay so Brad calls people names and also acts like he knows it all. By the way, i have no problem with his style.
Whats good for the goose is good for the gander, no?
Dont hold everyone to different standards, people.
Me calling Brad fake and full of s--t is no different than things he has said about various people many times in his writing and his blog.
How about the well-intentioned Zen sangha he ridiculed on his blog, laughing at their intellectually ham-handed questions?
If you didnt read it, dont comment on it--but the fact is, he made a lot of disparaging remarks after speaking at this zen center. And admitted that he didnt say any of that to their faces, just went back and tore them apart on his blog.
Food for thought, friends...
g
Ginz- Actually, Brad mentioned that the questions from that paticular Zen center were good questions and that if they weren't good questions he would have not answered them. This is not defending, this is simply correcting.
Hmm...seems quite straightforward to me:
Brad isn't enlightened
Brad is sometimes full of shit
Brad sometimes says insightful things
Brad doesn't deny any of the above
So why get upset gniz?
One this that does sometimes piss me off is when other people defend Brad as if he could do or say no wrong or was omniscient or something - in other words they distort reality to fit a preconception of what they want Brad to be. I didn't see that happening here.
Brad is just Brad - a Zen priest who writes well and is quite funny, quite insightful and sometimes a bit of a jerk.
karen, no one has ever started a disagreement. not brad, not you or me. they just happen, and that is about all we can say on the subject. It’s that crazy old causality thang again. because mike cross seems at times to be mentally unstable does not necessarily mean that he is. there might be some other factors involved in his behavior. things that we know nothing about. because brad doesn't always seem to have that certain zen something that you think can "sense" doesn't mean a whole lot. your "sense" might not really exist or might have be off a little one day. so brad doesn't act the way you think he should act? I get that feeling too, about almost everyone. But unless he is doing a lot of harm we shouldn’t take much meaning in that. This format leads to easy misunderstandings. the more we talk the more contradictory we get. whenever we call brad or whoever out on a point, we should just do it with respect and kindness even if we "feel" we do not detect the same in them. I might even try doing this myself.
that kindness and respect part sounded really cheesy but was sincere. :)
Yes I've met such well-grounded people too - I know what you mean. If Brad doesn't seem to be that way should that upset us?
I wonder how many children these super calm and collected buddhists have running around their houses?
I wonder how many children these super calm and collected buddhists have running around their houses?
It's funny, really. Brad makes a rather innocuous post, and suddenly, everyone comes out of the woodwork, foaming at the mouth, to air their preconceived ideas about him (including me, of course--I've only made a handful of posts and some of them have been rather odd, indeed).
If you're praising Brad, you're really just praising yourself. If you're criticizing Brad, you're really just critizing yourself. I hope everyone realizes that what you have to say about Brad says more about youself than about Brad, right? Of course you do. You're all Zen folks and you all know that.
I agree that it is not good to always be 'nice' when it may be best not to be. We shouldn't fool ourselves or force ourselves to act in a way that runs against our true feelings, nor should we put on a show of niceness for others in the belief that if it looks like a Buddha, quacks like a Buddha than it is a Buddha. However, by paying attention to what we do and say and feel I think we may naturally act in more compassionate and less ego-filled ways.
But that is a Buddhist ideal. And if Brad doesn't completely match that ideal why get upset? Is it because we feel that Brad rejects this idea?
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