Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: Big Mind is a Big Load of Horse Shit
Although there are scam artists out there calling themselves Buddhist teachers, they are the exception, not the rule. Most people who put out their shingle as a Buddhist teacher are at the very least sincere and well-meaning, and at best the kind of people who go entirely unrecognized during their lifetimes but will be regarded as saints and foreseers of the future of mankind by generations as yet unborn. Go find one and make friends.
Im usually not specific when I write about the rare scams disguised as Buddhism because when you point fingers at someone you always get into trouble. Today, though, Im going to point fingers, knowing full well there will be a backlash for having taken a stand against wealthy, well-connected and powerful people who will not like what I have to say. You can take what Im about to say however you like, but at the very least I want to make it clear that, although the people I'm going to talk about here call themselves Buddhists in the Soto school of the Zen tradition just like I do, I do not support their methods nor do I want to be perceived as having anything at all to do with them. If you find what I say about Zen interesting and want to learn more, please do not go to these guys to teach you. What they teach is not Buddhism in any way shape or form, and I'll explain why.
Dennis Merzel, who calls himself Genpo Roshi, has developed a system he calls Big Mind. And yes, the little is part of the name. According to the Roshi, by using this technique, "you will have in one day before lunch actually the clarity and experience that a Zen master has. But Zen is seen as the school of sudden enlightenment. And we're just making sure it remains sudden." Ken Wilber, in his foreword to Genpo Roshis forthcoming book on Big Mind says, In Zen, this realization of ones True Nature, or Ultimate Reality, is called kensho or satori (seeing into ones True Nature, or discovering Big Mind and Big Heart). It often takes five years or more of extremely difficult practice (I know, Ive done it) in order for a profound satori to occur. With the Big Mind Process, a genuine kensho can occur in about an hourseriously. Once you get it, you can do it virtually any time you wish, and almost instantaneously.
This is, of course, pure horseshit. Clowns like these can con folks into parting with large sums of money theres a $150 suggested donation to attend a Big Mind seminar to hear them spout drivel like this because there is so little understanding of what kensho or satori Enlightenment, in other words actually is. In fact, there is so much confusion on the subject that I tend to reject the words entirely. If what Genpo Roshi is selling is Enlightenment, I want no part of Enlightenment.
What do you imagine happens to a dude who gets a wild tripped-out dissociative experience in an afternoon and has some other guy whos supposed to be a Spiritual Master interpret that experience for him as Enlightenment just like Buddhas? How does the dude feel about the Master who he thinks gave him this great gift? Does he owe the Master something now? And will the dude do pretty much anything the Master asks him to just so the Master will keep on confirming the dudes Enlightenment? What if the dude does something the Master doesnt like and the Master starts telling everyone the dude isnt Enlightened anymore? Does the dudes Enlightenment even exist without the Masters confirmation? Thats the key question. And, for bonus points, having just parted with a hundred-and-fifty smackers is the dude a.) more or b.) less likely to admit hes been ripped off? Answers on a postcard, please.
People love to be told they can get a big pay off with no real investment and Genpo really packs em in wherever he goes. But when was the last time you got something for nothing?
In the furious paced, get it done yesterday world we live in the idea of In-And-Out Enlightenment sounds pretty appealing. But do you really think someone who weasels you in with an appeal to your hunger for big experiences right away so you can get it done with and move on to the next thing really has anything at all of value to offer? It is this very hunger for big experiences that Buddhist practice real practice as opposed to Big Mind is intended to root out.
You cannot suck a piano into your nose through a straw and you cannot get Enlightened in an hour. Never. No way. No how. Fergeddaboudit! Enlightenment the very word makes me cringe at this point is a process that necessarily involves maturation over time. Just like a little kid cant become a grown-up in an hour no matter how hard she wishes for it, neither can you have the experience of a Zen Master before lunchtime. The very idea is patently absurd. It would be like someone telling you that you could develop biceps like Arnold in an afternoon or be able to shoot hoops against Michael Jordan after a days b-ball lessons. It is not going to happen. Ever. To anyone. Under any circumstances. Period.
Buddhist practice is difficult and takes a lot of time, effort and energy. I know no one likes hearing that. But tough titty if you dont. There are no shortcuts. There are no easy ways to circumvent the pain and difficulty of practice any more than there are ways to develop Arny-style guns without working out for years.
I do not doubt that Genpo has developed a technique that will give you some kind of tripped out experience in an afternoon. But tripped out experiences you get in an afternoon have no place in Buddhism. Everything I said previously about supposedly drug induced Enlightenment experiences goes double for Big Mind.
If you think Enlightenment is something someone can give you in a big hurry for $150, you deserve your Genpo Roshis and their slimy ilk. But if you're ready to face up to reality, the real practice is there and the real teachers are more plentiful than you imagine.
Brad Warner may never work in the Zen business again after this. But he is the author of Hardcore Zen and the forthcoming Sit Down and Shut Up!. He maintains a blog about Buddhist stuff. If you're in Southern California and you want to try some Zazen for yourself, he has a group that meets every Saturday in Santa Monica.
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