I've never formally studied Buddhism, but I read, and still have on a shelf, heavily tabbed, next to my "Portable Curmudgeon", a copy of "The Little Zen Companion." It is a small text of one page historical episodes and short quotes.
Samples:
"Zen is your everyday thought." -Chao-chou
"What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?"-Bertolt Brecht
"Unformed people delight in the gaudy and in novelty. Cooked people delight in the ordinary."-Zen saying
"Every day is a good day."-Yun-men
I never got into meditation because I had heard stories about people losing track and having a day or more disappear. Time is the only valuable commodity anyone has and it should not be squandered. That and I'm too lazy and undisciplined.
My (admittedly uneducated) interpretation of the Zen philosophy is that -Life is suffering, try not to think about it. If you've found Nirvana, it won't hurt any more.- As above, I'd rather not lose bits of my life any faster than real time. Sometimes it happens, like when I was in flow, designing at work. Sometimes days just evaporated.
"Act without doing, work without effort."-Tao Te Ching
I'd never claim enlightenment, but sometimes I think it just means finally getting the joke. I really like Ecclesiastes. At least the first parts, before the preacher starts to pander.
Samples:
"Zen is your everyday thought." -Chao-chou
"What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?"-Bertolt Brecht
"Unformed people delight in the gaudy and in novelty. Cooked people delight in the ordinary."-Zen saying
"Every day is a good day."-Yun-men
I never got into meditation because I had heard stories about people losing track and having a day or more disappear. Time is the only valuable commodity anyone has and it should not be squandered. That and I'm too lazy and undisciplined.
My (admittedly uneducated) interpretation of the Zen philosophy is that -Life is suffering, try not to think about it. If you've found Nirvana, it won't hurt any more.- As above, I'd rather not lose bits of my life any faster than real time. Sometimes it happens, like when I was in flow, designing at work. Sometimes days just evaporated.
"Act without doing, work without effort."-Tao Te Ching
I'd never claim enlightenment, but sometimes I think it just means finally getting the joke. I really like Ecclesiastes. At least the first parts, before the preacher starts to pander.
So how, exactly, does God know that She's NOT a brain in a vat? 
