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Knowing -vs Not knowing.

buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
edited March 2006 in Buddhism Basics
I saw this quote of ZM's on Fede's signature.
"The thing is to see directly. If you see then you know. If you know, there is no need for belief. This is why the Dharma is a matter of, 'Come and see.' Not, 'Come and believe.' "
ZenMonk_Genryu

I was reminded of a thread I put out that talked about believing versus knowing.

The thread was about a book that I had read and how the author had posted the picture below. He was saying that a person could look at this picture - and "think" they knew what it is. Or they could be told what it is.

But until you come to the point where you KNOW what it is - everything is so unsure and you could probably be talked into anything.

But when you KNOW what it is - you're sure, confident and cannot be made to believe anything else.

-bf

Comments

  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited March 2006
    I don't get your point BF, everyone knows it's a Greenhouse gas producing, five stage, Nitrogenous plant material digester.

    Please explain.

    Xray
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited March 2006
    smarty-pants.

    -bf
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited March 2006
    Huh?

    I can't see it, it's too big. I'm frustrated.

    Brigid
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited March 2006
    Oh. A cow.

    (I have this nifty extension in my context menu that lets me do all sorts of stuff to images, that I forgot all about. So I zoomed out and it became very clear.)

    I thought that's what Xray was saying but I still had to see it for myself.

    Brigid
  • MagwangMagwang Veteran
    edited March 2006
    Brigid! You spoiled it!
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited March 2006
    yes...I was hoping to have a bit longer to figure it out....:sadc: :D
  • _BeautifulSpringtime_BeautifulSpringtime Veteran
    edited March 2006
    I must quote the great sages - Bill S Preston esq. and Ted Theodore Logan:
    (whilst looking through the 'yellow pages of time' Bill comes across a very profound Socrates [or so-crates, as they call him] quote...)

    BILL: It says here that 'The only true knowledge comes from knowing that you know nothing'... (congused look on his face)

    TED: That's US dude!

    BILL: Oh yeah!! (big smiles!)

    Classic moment.
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited March 2006
    Magwang wrote:
    Brigid! You spoiled it!


    XRAY spoiled it first!

    (sorry)

    Brigid
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited March 2006
    Brigid wrote:
    Huh?

    I can't see it, it's too big. I'm frustrated.

    Brigid

    I've never had this problem. :bawling:
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited March 2006
    :skeptical

    Big raspberry to you B.

    :crazy:
  • KnightofBuddhaKnightofBuddha
    edited March 2006
    I think this might be from Steve Hagen. I read a book by him last year called Buddhism: Plain and Simple

    He talked about knowing and believing. I should read it again.
  • zenmonk_genryuzenmonk_genryu
    edited March 2006
    The picture is the same one that he used, and to tell the truth, I didn't see the cow until that pic was posted on here.
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited March 2006
    Now that I think about it, it might have been Steven Batchelor...

    -bf
  • sharpiegirlsharpiegirl
    edited March 2006
    That picture was used in a teachers' conference I attended a few years back. It was to prove that what a teacher tries to teach, transfer or whatever to a child doesn't mean that the student will see it that way. It's all perception and experience.
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