when hyon gak sunim spoke to the zen group many nites ago, he mentionned a trip that he had taken to the south, home of the bible belt. he mentionned that many christians did not understand what he spoke about- what compassion meant, how to listen and how to absorb. some people called the master blasphemous and said that he would rot in hell.
then, when i saw seven years in tibet, i saw chinese devastate the tibetans for no good reason. even when the chinese visited the tibetans, they ruined the sand painting and noted that religion is poison.

why? i don’t understand why religion infuriates people so much? yes, the crusades were fought over religion and many people die in the name of god. i can see why groups are pissed at such religious people. by why the tibetans? or the buddhists? what have they done for others to be so infuriated by them? why do christians despise buddhists? or more particlarly, those practicing zen? none of zen’s views even conflict with christianity yet it is a threat?

as far as i can tell, zen buddhism does not cause a threat to any other religion. in many ways, it would be an excellent enrichment to most western religions. but, like one western religion views another, western religions view zen as a threat and a blasphemy. but what is blasphemy? i always thought that it was something against god… i don’t see zen as beeing against god, rather pro-you. if you want to use god as one of your “toys,” go for it- it may help you. maybe that’s the problem- god should not be a toy… i guess christianity allows you to reach nirvana without anything but belief… religion confuses me…