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Zen is the Japanese
translation of the Sanskrit word
meaning meditation. Zen
is based on the practice of
transcendent
virtues with the most widely
used being generosity, moral
training, patient endurance,
energy or effort,
meditation, and
wisdom.
Ultimately, Zen
Buddhism offers
practitioners ways to heal their
hearts and minds and connect
with the world.
* * *
When asked "What is Zen?"
a Zen master replied,
"Your ordinary, everyday life."
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The Birth and the Essence of Zen
Zen is a school of Mahayana
Buddhism, which developed in
China in the 6th and 7th
centuries from the meeting of
Dhyana Buddhism and
Taoism. Zen stresses the
prime importance of the
enlightenment experience and the
uselessness of ritual religious
practices and intellectual
analysis of doctrine for the
attainment of liberation (enlightenment).
Zen stands out as a voice of
sanity. It is a different way of
seeing the world, based on
rediscovering who we truly are
and who we have always been, and
at the same time revealing our
true essence. It is a set of
teachings and practices directed
towards self-realization and
finally to complete awakening
(enlightenment).
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Zen Way of Thinking
Zen way of thinking about the
world is based first of all on
clarity and preciseness of
images, as opposed to the
Western approach based on formal
logics. The secret of Zen
philosophy is that it can be
expressed not only through words
and writings, but also through
arts, paintings,
calligraphy, customs, and
ceremonies (e.g. tea ceremony is
also some kind of philosophy).
“Zen is not some kind of
excitement, but concentration on
our usual everyday routine.”
~ Shunryu Suzuki
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Zen Meditation
Zen teaches the practice of
zazen, sitting in
meditative absorption as the
shortest, but also the steepest,
way to awakening.
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Sitting
peacefully doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows
all by itself. |
Zen proverb |
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The Essential Nature
of Zen
A special
transmission outside the orthodox teaching
Nondependence on
sacred writings
Direct pointing to
the human heart
Realization of
one's own nature and becoming a Buddha |
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4 Main Zen Principles
① The denial of the
ego
② The focus on interconnectedness in the universe
③ The recognition of attachment as a source of suffering
④ The realization that human
perception is faulty |
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The
Circle of Continuous Perfection
as a symbol of Zen
In
Zen, the circle represents the
process of continuous
perfection, leading to a self,
but at a higher level.
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This process has neither
beginning nor end. The
practitioner follows a long path
around the circumference of the
circle, which ultimately leads
back to the starting point, but
now enriched by the experience
of the journey. Essentially,
this is an ascending spiral of
perfection, and each Zen circle
is a turn of this spiral.
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The "self" in Zen is
simultaneously the cause of the
journey, the goal of the
journey, the path, the fruit of
the journey, the question, and
the answer. In Zen, the "self"
is understood as self-knowledge,
the recognition of our essential
nature, which is ultimately
identified with "emptiness," the
infinite potential from which
all existence arises.
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Zen Paintings
Zen artists try to see the 'catness'
in the cat, the 'dogness' in the
dog, and the 'treeness' in the
tree. In Zen,
even the most mundane objects
are worthy of wonder and
admiration if you stop,
remove the blinders, and
look around with the gaze of
someone willing to be amazed and
constantly make new discoveries.
And the greatest miracle of all
is the very fact of our
existence.
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Haiku
and
Koiku
Haiku is a traditional form of
Japanese poetry that emphasizes
brevity, nature, and a moment of
insight or emotion.
Koiku are modern single-phrase
prose poems of free meter, but
reminiscent of haiku in their
spirit of developing the
reader's understanding. →
Examples
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Two
Japans – Bright and Brutal
When you begin to study
Japan's past, you get the feeling there are not one, but
two Japans.
One Japan is wise and
bright. It is dominated by a striving for
harmony, Zen, and the desire for continuous
improvement of oneself and everything around (Kaizen).
There they sacredly honor traditions and compose
haiku.
The other Japan is
criminal and brutal...
More
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ZEN PARABLE
A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly,
“I am devoted to studying your martial system. How long will it
take me to master it?”
The teacher’s reply was casual, “10 years.”
Impatiently, the student answered, “But I want to master it
faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice every
day, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take
then?”
The teacher thought for a moment and replied, “20 years.”
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Zen Is Both a Practical and Spiritual
Path |
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Practical
because:
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Spiritual
because:
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Key Ideas of Zen |
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True
enlightenment comes suddenly. Special preparations may be
necessary, but it' actually comes through experience.
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Action can be achieved by
inaction, where the result is achieved by "Not-Me"
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Enlightenment and experience are
closely connected, while books, texts and theory don't open the way
to nirvana.
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True wizard lives in every person
and every thing. The man does not need to seek recluse or to be an
ascetic to achieve enlightenment
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Can Zen Be Defined?
Zen, like life, defies exact definition, but
its essence in the experience, moment by moment, of your own existence - a
natural, spontaneous encounter, unclouded by the suppositions and
expectations that come between you and reality. Zen is a paring down of life
until you see it as it really is, free from your illusions; it is a mental
divestment of yourself until you recognize your true nature.1
Your Wise and Compassionate
Friend
Because it is refreshingly free from dogma, Zen
can help you to lead richer, less anxious, more compassionate and ultimately
more effective life. It teaches you to acknowledge your emotions, lay
negativity to rest, and answer fundamental questions about your own being,
and about life, death and what lies beyond. "Zen is like a wise a
compassionate friend: humorous and enigmatic, challenging yet supportive,
old as the hills yet young as a new day, even present around us yet located
deep inside ourselves. That wise and compassionate friend is none other than
our own true nature."1
Enlightenment
If someone is determined to
reach
enlightenment, what is the most essential method he can practice?
‘The most essential method, which includes all
other methods, is beholding the mind.
But how can one method include all others?.
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References and Resources:
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Learn Zen Meditation, David Fontana
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The Rider Encyclopaedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion, Rider
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Zen at Work, Les Kaye
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