Quote:
Originally Posted by Rain95
Everything is a teacher based system. We learn from ourselves, others, and internal and external things from the moment we are born. We never stop learning from "teachers." I would not define Zen in that way though, it limits what it really is.
Let's see how web dictionaries defines that word:
Zen
zen/Submit
noun
a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition.
Definition of Zen
1 : a Japanese sect of Mahayana Buddhism that aims at enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation
2 or zen : a state of calm attentiveness in which one's actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Zen
That's better than defining it as a teacher based system. Every religion is a teacher based system. What they teach is very different.
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Yes they all have teachers, and mostly they are given great importance, but really students make teachers and vice versa in the social arrangement (sangha), so the novice is equally important.