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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pawsplay" data-source="post: 4921604" data-attributes="member: 15538">You are certainly entitled to your reading, but I think what you just posted clearly showed the contrast between Law (conventionality, close-mindedness, obediance) and the ethos of Zen (unconventionality, wide-mindedness, lack of attachment). Many Zen parables tell of a teacher doing something shocking that is nonetheless aimed at generating enlightenment. Some koans are basically jokes aimed to breaking down the ego.Here is a fun Zen story. An old monk and a young monk are travelling to a village. They meet a young woman on the bank of a river. The river has flooded and she asks the monks to help her across. Without hesitation, the older monk raises her up onto his shoulders and carries her across. The young monk, somewhat aghast, follows behind. The young woman thanks the old monk and goes on her way. The two monks continue walking. After some time, the young monk finally asks, "Master, as we are monks, how is it that you would allow yourself to touch the flesh of a woman, knowing it might waken temptation in you?" The old monk replies, "Young master, I left that woman by the bank of the river. Why is it that you are still carrying her?" It's a beautiful story, and it has many characteristic elements. We have the old monk acting in an unexpected fasion. We have a young monk with vanity in his belief that he is wise. What appears to be a very clear cut rule is broken, but then a more important principle is elucidated. In his striving for detachment, the young monk has become attached to detachment. We see that the old monk's actions were motivated by an intuitive, natural logic based on compassion and awareness, whereas the young monk is motivated by his concern for spiritual achievement. So, that aside, lest we get too far afield into religion...The younger monk would be acting in a fashion exemplifying LN (keeping his discipline, and not behaving with any particularl altruism or selfishness, simply in accord with his personal precepts), whereas the older monk would be acting in a fashion consistent with CG (breaking all the rules, but to a productive and helpful end), although we can assume such an enlightened soul is probably Neutral (but generally rather pleasant, if you are not a thick-headed Zen student).</blockquote>

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