There was this twitter thread which seems very related. Someone bought a clicker counter to train themselves to notice joy and used this to reach the jhanas, and Mark Lippman replied with a warning against this kind of clicker practice, for causing “sharp, tangled karma”.
I practice Zen.
Any recommendations for starting Zen (e.g. books, retreat recordings)? Is this one of the practices where having a teacher is essential?
Any recommendations for starting Zen (e.g. books, retreat recordings)? Is this one of the practices where having a teacher is essential?
Yes, Zen requires a teacher. One of the founding principles of Zen is that transmission of the dharma happens mind-to-mind, outside the scriptures (or in modern terms, you learn it from doing it under the instruction of a teacher and as part of a community, not from reading about it). That said, there are many good introductory books to Zen practice. My favorites to recommend are:
Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hogan
Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck (disclaimer: Joko is the root teacher of the lineage I practice within)
Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida (I wrote a review of it here)
There was this twitter thread which seems very related. Someone bought a clicker counter to train themselves to notice joy and used this to reach the jhanas, and Mark Lippman replied with a warning against this kind of clicker practice, for causing “sharp, tangled karma”.
Any recommendations for starting Zen (e.g. books, retreat recordings)? Is this one of the practices where having a teacher is essential?
Yes, Zen requires a teacher. One of the founding principles of Zen is that transmission of the dharma happens mind-to-mind, outside the scriptures (or in modern terms, you learn it from doing it under the instruction of a teacher and as part of a community, not from reading about it). That said, there are many good introductory books to Zen practice. My favorites to recommend are:
Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hogan
Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck (disclaimer: Joko is the root teacher of the lineage I practice within)
Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida (I wrote a review of it here)