A slightly less obvious question.

[SotiCoto]

Once again... please humour me here...

But why all the references to "Zen" when it seems for all intents and purposes that Ozy / his father are actually refering to more purist Taoism (complete with the Bagua symbolism and the one Tao Te Ching reference)?

Technically, for it to be Zen... wouldn't it require more than just punning on Taoist concepts and actually require some sort of references to Maharana practice, Bodhisattvas and all that?


O'course I'm just being fussy since Zen is the meeting line between Maharana Buddhism and Taoism... and I also happen to be on a Taoism "meeting line".

... But then what is on the other side of my "meeting line" is Nihilism, which is a rather different direction. To me, all doing is not-doing.

[IceDragon]

I want to know why Ozy and Millie walk on two legs? Foxes walk on four legs! And dragons do not exist! Why are there dragons?

[gen200]

I want to know why Ozy and Millie walk on two legs? Foxes walk on four legs! And dragons do not exist! Why are there dragons?

I like you.

[Luke B.]

Technically, for it to be Zen... wouldn't it require more than just punning on Taoist concepts and actually require some sort of references to Maharana practice, Bodhisattvas and all that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen

[Dr. Doog]

DCS admitted to not actually having a proper and full understanding of zen in his old comics, and we all sort of had the consensus that the references to zen in OM and "om-brand".

I guess this was all three years ago, before all of your time.

(PS all of your time are belong to DC)

[SotiCoto]

I want to know why Ozy and Millie walk on two legs? Foxes walk on four legs! And dragons do not exist! Why are there dragons?

Those aspects don't make any implication to be mirroring reality... do they?
Though now you mention it, and seeing the very image used at the top of this page... it makes me wonder why such things allegedly inhabit the very world we live in.... and why the characters make reference to humans in a world where no humans are shown.

In any case though... there is a difference between things being fantastical and being misrepresented.

I merely wanted to know if they were expressed that way deliberately or otherwise. Sarcasm doesn't help anyone here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen

I had that page open while I was making the post, thanks. I don't need redirecting back to it... thanks.

[Tum0spoo]

I think this was in one of the other books... Paraphrasing DCS, "If my concept of zen was wrong, I think someone would have corrected me by now, though maybe not since that wouldn't be very zen."
(sorry for the botched quote)

[SotiCoto]

I think this was in one of the other books... Paraphrasing DCS, "If my concept of zen was wrong, I think someone would have corrected me by now, though maybe not since that wouldn't be very zen."
(sorry for the botched quote)

I think I'd need to see the quote in its original form before I started passing random judgement on what you just said... =P ...

Anyhow... The Simp seems to be functioning on some kind of common public opinion of what Zen might be... so its hardly any kind of major dilemma.

[Bocaj Claw]

Sarcasm doesn't help anyone here.

Oh, I disagree.

[Tom Flapwell]

the characters make reference to humans in a world where no humans are shown.

The only time that humans were mentioned was an early episode in which Ozy addressed the audience. We also saw a couple humanoid fairies in an early dream sequence, but I don't count them.

You may be referring to the use of celebrity names. Those presumably refer to anthro versions of corresponding celebs.

[Muninn]

David has said (as others have mentioned) that his references to zen are based on common western perceptions of it. If this has changed since he said it, I don't know.

You may be referring to the use of celebrity names. Those presumably refer to anthro versions of corresponding celebs.

They certainly do. Remember when Llewellyn was running for president and he went on the Larry Owl show?

[Dr. Doog]

and Barbara Walrus.

[SotiCoto]

Maybe I shouldn't necro threads... but if I don't then I'll always feel like certain things weren't brought to closure...

Honestly... I feel sorry for people who never question things. Not sure why really. I guess I just assume that they don't spend much time processing things in their minds.


Irrespective... the whole of this, I suppose, could be attributed to coincidence alone. Eastern philosophies and religions are so intertwined that potentially any such line of thought could be attributed to almost any of them without being totally off-kilter...

^_^

[Hanging Tree]

I think it would be a funny joke if Lleweyn revealed he actually knows nothing about zen and has just been making up everything he has been teaching Ozy on the subject.

[SotiCoto]

I think it would be a funny joke if Lleweyn revealed he actually knows nothing about zen and has just been making up everything he has been teaching Ozy on the subject.

He'd be lying... or else just extremely coincidental.

Afterall... to be fair, most of what he has labelled as "Zen" is to some extent advocated BY Zen... albeit through being the influence of native Taoism on what was originally just another form of Maharana Buddhism.


As a random related point... I tend to regularly use the word "Zenning" as a verb to describe the act of maintaining a state of blissful calm in the face of adversity.