On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:59:41 -0800, Tim wrote:

snippity-snip

What makes a "Zen" different from any other buddhist?

Zen buddhists believe God is in everyone and it's totally up to the
individual to chip away the rough (ie non-God) parts. Confusan sp
and Taoist Buddhist writing are guides for finding salvation. Zen
Buddhist writtings are ment to confuse and misdirect the student so
he/she comes up with their own answers.

As an example, if you wished to learn how to dodge attacks other
Buddhists would train you in conditioning and techniques to avoid
various attacks.
Zen masters would simply surprize you and beat you with a stick untill
you figured out how to dodge the attacks yourself.

Mark E. Williams
PS...oversimplified but the basics are there.