Comment by Ariyas108 on 16/02/2025 at 11:09 UTC

8 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)

View submission: Conflicted about Zen Buddhism in general

However, whenever I delve into the more, shal I say “technical” side of things, I seem to find that buddhists (including zen), are on a quest to come up with the most detailed analyses

Zen would call that “conceptual proliferation” and it’s not something you’re supposed to practice doing, but really the opposite.

Replies

Comment by cityfeller at 16/02/2025 at 14:56 UTC

3 upvotes, 0 direct replies

By “secondary proliferation,” you mean the secondary thinking that comes about after the initial suffering occurs. This is the essence of dukkha.

Pain, discomfort, and annoyance are an unavoidable part of life, but dukkha is not because we create it ourselves and can choose not to. The OP is creating this kind of suffering for himself and doesn’t fully realize it. If he did, he could stop it rather than spiral into negativity and depression.

Comment by seii7 at 16/02/2025 at 11:24 UTC

4 upvotes, 1 direct replies

I mean, the “basic” original teachings of Buddha are kinda complicated and most definitely detailed. Things such as the 12 links, the 5 aggregates, etc. Not to mention how these were elaborated upon later.