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View submission: Attaining the Unattainable: "Nothing to Attain" is NOT "Do Nothing Zen"
We live in a culture that pushes personal achievement through hard work and self control. It is hard for some of us to give up the idea that we have to do something weird with our brains in order to get enlightenment for ourselves. it is hard to accept that all 5 skandhas are empty. It is also hard to accept the idea that everything we do is supported by all the rest of existence. We want all the credit for our "achievements". Zen is very subtle and hard to understand for people with an "everyone for themselves" secular mindset.
The idea that by surrendering our identities as individuals during zazen is key sounds very foreign to our go-getter culture.
There's nothing here!