(There is of course not one kind of \u2018meditation\u2019. There are many, which are very different from each other.)<\/p>\n
7500 kamikaze pilots flying towards death and destruction<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Doesn\u2019t sound very \u2018Zen\u2019?<\/p>\n
Think again. At that time, Zen-masters deeply encouraged this.<\/p>\n
Also needs to be said: long afterwards, actually a few weeks after 9\/11, the Japanese Zen-world has officially deeply apologized.<\/p>\n
A more general problem: how can a meditation-based philosophy (\u2018Zen\u2019 literally means \u2018meditation\u2019) lead to such un<\/strong>-ethical behavior?<\/p>\n
Notably, Buddhism in general mostly sees ethics (sila) as apart from meditation (dyana \/ Chan \/ Zen). It\u2019s nice that it puts \u2018sila\u2019 before<\/em> \u2018dyana\u2019\u2026 at least in most cases, most sub-traditions.<\/p>\n
But I would rather see sila within<\/u><\/em> dyana:<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
performing meditation as the essence of ethics. That would make ethics a necessary condition for meditation. Not instrumentally but intrinsically. Otherwise it would fall apart.<\/p>\n
Thus, to the point:<\/p>\n
Meditation needs to be ethical<\/u> this way!<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Fortunately \u2013 probably not coincidentally \u2013 within AURELIS \ud83d\ude0a :<\/p>\n
\n
- Ethics is about openness and depth. [See: \u2018Five Aurelian Values<\/a>\u2019]<\/li>\n
- Meditation IS openness and depth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Of course, this still doesn\u2019t say what<\/em> to do.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Logical: it\u2019s not an ethics of do\u2019s and don\u2019ts. It\u2019s not one of what<\/em> but of how<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Which is like putting love as an end-value above all else. Not a bad idea… and not a new one. According to a saying by St. Augustine (354-430, furthermore not my favorite theologian): \u201cLove and do what you will.\u201d Meaning that if you love truly, then you will do no wrong by nature. No further ethics of do\u2019s and don\u2019ts is required.<\/p>\n
Translated to our case:<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
if your meditation falls into<\/em> an ethics that by nature lets you do good things, no further ethics is needed.<\/p>\n
=> The more you meditate this way, the more you grow as an ethical being.<\/p>\n
Problem solved?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It might be so in an ideal situation. Reality is always vague, diverse\u2026But it seems like a nice direction.<\/p>\n
The intention is clear:<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
To open oneself in a way that also opens oneself to others.<\/p>\n
To respect oneself in a way that also invites oneself to respect others.<\/p>\n
To grow in a way that one overlaps with others.<\/p>\n
PLUS:<\/p>\n
To deeply diminish one\u2019s suffering in a way that one also better understands how to diminish the suffering of others [see \u2018Morality Is the Relief of Suffering<\/a>\u2019].<\/p>\n
To be good while doing good by doing well.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
All in one movement.<\/p>\n
Then what about the WW-II Zen-masters?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Forever, they are an admonishment not to take things lightly!<\/p>\n