First of all what is meant by the newly coined word “larping”? Before we get into that we need to understand what does LARP stand for? This is not too difficult (thanks Google). It means Live Action Role Playing. In a fantasy game the player eventually tries to physically act out the role of his character. So the person who is larping is pretending to be a special character they strongly identify with.
“Zen larping" then, is when someone pretends to be a Zen master. He or she might even go so far as to make robes, study koans including the recorded sayings of a Zen master like Joshu. But mainly Zen larpers are found on forums like Reddit and others who are playing out a fantasy about Zen they have (this might also include playing the part of a Tibetan Lama).
While larping is harmless, it can also turn into a form of self-deception when it comes to Zen because the goal to which Zen strives, which is very difficult, is the same awakening as the Buddha attained or in Japanese, kensho. A larper has to be severely deluded to imagine that they have the slightest idea what the Buddha realized and that it can be imitated and externalized into some kind of odd behavior.
Zen, I must say, lends itself to being larped especially if one imagines that Zen is wearing robes, chanting, and living in the moment or doing everything with super awareness. That is just a lot of rubbish, to say the least.
While it is easy to recognize larpers in costumes playing knights, for example, or samurai, to the extent that one sees themselves as a Zennist without having had kensho that person has entered the world of fantasy live action role playing and this extends to the Zen institution itself. Admittedly, larping is akin to acting but one in which the actor gradually forgets they are actors. They become so absorbed in their fantasy character, as is everyone around them, who serve to reinforce this strange drama.
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