04-14-2012, 12:00 AM
dreamgirl wrote:Gonzo I love your post. I also love steak and wine. Perhaps blending these two paths together is what is needed. How do we use this abstract knowledge of Nagualism with the concrete practices and knowledge of Zen? This is what I am interested in, this is what I am trying to do.
First, some caveats. I don't consider the basic teachings of don Juan to be abstract. By the basic teachings I refer to exercises aimed at increasing awareness of self and of one's relations with others and with the earth. In regard Zen, there are many different interpretations of Zen, from the rather mechanized ritualistic with uniforms, monasteries, lineages, and diplomas of a sort, to what I prefer to call Essential Zen which is more akin to the teachings of don Juan, in that the aim is the discovery of the true self.
It would be a bit of a task to point out the similarities. IMO, however, the essence of dJ's teachings is within the first four books, and the essence of the Zen I prefer may be found within the three volumes of "The Blue Cliff Record" translated by Thomas and JC Cleary.
First, some caveats. I don't consider the basic teachings of don Juan to be abstract. By the basic teachings I refer to exercises aimed at increasing awareness of self and of one's relations with others and with the earth. In regard Zen, there are many different interpretations of Zen, from the rather mechanized ritualistic with uniforms, monasteries, lineages, and diplomas of a sort, to what I prefer to call Essential Zen which is more akin to the teachings of don Juan, in that the aim is the discovery of the true self.
It would be a bit of a task to point out the similarities. IMO, however, the essence of dJ's teachings is within the first four books, and the essence of the Zen I prefer may be found within the three volumes of "The Blue Cliff Record" translated by Thomas and JC Cleary.