Introduction to Zen Living

 

 Hello and thank you for visiting Zen Living

 Please understand I would never try to convince you of something you don’t feel comfortable with. Because you may or may not have your religious philosophy and belief system in place, and whether you do or do not, it is not my design to change that. If you feel you need to change your religious views, then that is entirely up to you. That’s not what this is about, it has nothing to do with religion, but it is spiritually Zen.

Zen is a part of everyone and everything regardless of whether you are aware of it or not. Zen can have many meanings for many people and Zen is also used for many reasons.

 There are formal Zen schools of thought and training as well as several styles of teaching.  It is also a constant learning process and the philosophy supporting Zen learning is the more you learn the more you will benefit from its training.

 Hmm…I guess that is also Zen.

Whether you attend a Zen school or seek private instruction from a Zen master the primary emphasis is on awakening, finding your inner strength, and enlightenment.

By engaging in some of the fundamental processes of Zen, like meditation and relaxation techniques, you may find that you have more positive energy in your life as well.

Zen influences the dark side of our daily lives. Some would say that negative issues like fear, anger, self limiting beliefs, stress, and failure are not Zen qualities.

I agree to a certain extent because these are negative qualities that you don’t want, however I submit to you that Zen does in fact influence them.

As I reflect on my Zen teachings, and the philosophies I learned from my masters, the single most important thing in all of creation is balance or Yin Yang.

 Zen can positively influence key areas of your life. These influence Zen and personal finances, physical ailments through the aging process, and sleeping habits, to name a few.

Zen has an influence on your surroundings, your home, your work place, and your world.

You will discover the benefits of having a Zen approach to life and how it can have a positive influence on your relationships, your self confidence, happiness, forgiveness, spirituality, and love.

So as you can see Zen and Yin Yang are very hard at work in your life whether you are aware of it or not.

 

 

Zen Origins

 Tao is a word that loosely translated means the way.  Around 528 A.D. Bodhidharma said that Zen is much like Tao in that it really is difficult to explain if it can be explained at all.

 Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who introduced Zen in China and he began training monks of the Shaolin Temple. He lived in the early fifth century and is considered the father of Zen Buddhism. The history of Bodhidharma is infused with legend and it is somewhat sketchy. Indian history claims he is the third son of a Tamil Pallava King from Kanchipuram, however, the Japanese believe he came from Persia.

 There are a few historical accounts that over the centuries have become legend and are very popular in the Zen teachings to this day. According to the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall, Bodhidharma has been identified as the twenty-eighth Patriarch of Buddhism in an unbroken linage that goes all the way back to the Buddha himself.

 I like what he said in that Zen really depends on your own personal intuition and your own personal view. He goes on to say that, “not dependent on the written word, transmission apart from the scriptures, directly point at one’s heart, seeing one’s nature, becoming Buddha.”

  So if you take into serious consideration the quote from this great teacher and master, you will start to realize that Zen is really an attitude and a philosophy on how you can live your life, and I very much like this point of view. One of the biggest reasons why I like this view point is because it allows you, me, and everyone else to achieve a calm, nonjudgmental, and peaceful life in relationship with a higher being.

Zen is about creating more awareness of everything around you including yourself and others. Zen is also about living in the moment. Sometimes living in the moment is not an easy thing to do, but the more effort you put into it, the easier it will become.

 There is a paradox that is very much a part of Zen. Actually that’s a good thing because sometimes a paradox can be so profound that your mind will begin to consider more than what goes on in your daily life. In some ways it picks up where the rational mind leaves off and increases your ability to become more intuitive. When your intuition takes over you may find truths that you had not discovered before because they had no place in logic or rationality.

 When you are aware of yourself and mindful regarding the way of Zen you begin to realize that the rudimentary beginning of Zen is very simple; focus on being in the here and now, enjoy each moment of your life as much as you can, and meditate on this action often.

Of course there are additional philosophies you may wish to incorporate into your daily Zen practice such as caring, forgiveness, and gratitude and those choices are purely up to you, however, I would encourage you to include all three and any others you feel necessary to help you along the path to a Zen life.

 Zen Master Professor Masunaga Reiho explains in his book, “Zen for Daily Living,” that defining Zen is a difficult thing to do. To create a definition of Zen is to limit it in some way and when you try to turn it into a concept that can be explained, you basically create an abstract from all that Zen is and end up with a small part of the big picture, and not a true representation of what Zen really is.

 Master Reiho goes on to say that “Zen is rooted in the deepest life flow. It is not bound by words, laws, sutras, and doctrine. It does not depend on the teachings of the Buddhist scriptures as it focuses and permeates to the very inherent nature of man, and this is called becoming the Buddha.”

 Master Reiho says “from the very beginning Zen emphasizes human dignity. The important aspect is the experience of Zen.”

 A student asked the master, “what is Zen?” and the master replied, “Zen is Zen.”

 Zen has very close ties and is deeply rooted in the martial arts and other Asian sports. I was privileged to live in Japan for a couple of years during my mid twenties. It was here I began my training in the martial arts and I found many influences of Zen in Judo, Karate, and Kendo. I studied and practiced Shotokan Karate, an orthodox Japanese style that originated in Okinawa. The development of Karate in Japan is called Shorinji Kempo and Bodhidharma is considered to be the creator. A close parallel to formal Zen training is a formal program of study in all styles of martial arts; there is always a master and a student.

 

 Zen Schools of Thought

 In Japan the school of Mahayana Buddhism teaches the philosophy of Zen by focusing on feelings and concentrating on the value of meditation and the school’s ultimate goal is achieving enlightenment.

 According to this school, to achieve enlightenment, the student must become completely involved and have direct experience with the teachings of Buddha. The philosophy of this school goes way beyond rules, laws, or doctrine.

 The student will generally have to dedicate his entire life to the pursuit of enlightenment and acquire an understanding through sitting meditation called Zazen and intense studying with a master.

To become a master of Zen to this degree requires the most serious of commitments and dedication and I feel quite sure that there a very few people in the world ready to pursue this type of lifestyle.

Zen is a large part of everything I do and who I am but I am not ready, nor do I feel I will ever be ready to dedicate my life in pursuit of such a higher quest.

Through my own dedication to martial arts, meditation, and Yoga I feel that I am creating an increase in self awareness and the pursuit of a happier lifestyle leading to my own achievement of enlightenment.

 Zen meditation is one of the most effective ways I have to found to reduce and avoid stress as well as a most effective way to relax.

All programs about Zen do have a common thread and that is basically to learn more about you, who you are, and what type of person you want to be.

Some programs focus on making your strengths stronger and working on your weaknesses. Some programs focus on helping you think in a whole new way and how you can feel good about who you are.

My hope is that you will take away from these conversations something, a philosophy perhaps, or an awareness, that will enable you to open your eyes and see the wonders around you, and quite possibly help you live a life of peace and happiness.

 

 Balance Yin Yang

 One of the basic philosophical principles is recognizing that everything in the universe is composed of two energy forces that oppose each other, and yet somehow complement each other.

 These two great energetic forces in Far Eastern philosophy are widely known as Yin and Yang. Yin, the female, is associated with water and represents the earth. Yang, the male, is associated with fire and represents heaven.

 Hence, terms of endearment and respect like Mother Nature, Mother Earth, and Heavenly Father, and Father Time.

 When the two primary forces of Yin and Yang unite, the water energy of the earth and the fire energy of heaven, the result is the responsibility of all of creation.

 Sometimes it appears that when you are trying to solve a problem, the negative influences are stronger than the positive and balance does not seem to exist; but it does.

 I have a black belt in Hapkido, an old Korean martial art that is fundamentally based on joint locking and pressure point techniques, and the one thing my master taught me long ago is that for every technique there is a counter technique, and this is also true in daily life.

Even though I may not be aware of the influence of Yin and Yang, it is always present in all facets of everyday life. I make it my business to recognize it and perhaps gain an understanding.

 Balance is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. Since Zen and balance share many of the same properties then you could say that Zen is everywhere and nowhere, it is everything and at the same time it is nothing, Zen is full and empty, and it is the beginning and the end.

I do agree that is quite a narrow view and rudimentary, but that is a good thing also, because it will allow you to add your philosophical beliefs and psychic makeup to the mix. When this happens you will have created your ideal meaning of what Zen means to you.

 There are some who would say that Zen, Tao, and Yin and Yang are baloney and they don’t really mean anything. That is absolutely fine because that is what is right for them. Clearly this type of individual is not ready for deeper spiritual development and that’s okay too because some things cannot be rushed and truthfully, they shouldn’t be.

Balance keeps me moving forward towards the meaning of life and for me that is the pursuit of happiness and joy.

 The relationship between Zen and balance is very important, but it is not so easy to state. It is not as simple as saying that the opposite of Zen is not Zen.

 The Yin and Yang of Zen is more complex. Zen, becoming Zen, being Zen, is a great way to live even though if someone were to ask, “what is Zen?” I may not be able to give a qualified answer.

 Just know that Zen and Yin Yang are always connected and once you achieve a certain level of understanding about this, you should be able to gain a better understanding about yourself and what Zen means to you.

The best that I can offer is to explain my philosophy on what Zen means to me and how it affects the Yin and Yang in my life.

 There is one area of our lives, your life, my life, everyone’s life actually, where we can see the principles of Yin Yang at work, and that’s our families. People come and people go, we feel the pleasure and the pain.

My family is fairly typical in most respects. Sometimes family members don’t get along or share the same points of view, and that’s okay, we still love and respect each other despite our shortcomings. We all have them.

 We have had our share of happy events and tragedy through the years and this is clearly the principle of Yin and Yang.

 

 

Zen and Impermanence

Zen encompasses everything in the Universe, you may meditate on it for a few minutes, or for hours on end, or for the rest of your life and still not fully understand its entire principles.

The reason is Zen has a huge magnitude of the principle of impermanence. You, your loved ones, your home, even the entire planet is impermanent.

 From a Zen point of view it is important to understand that holding on to things whatever they may be is why you suffer.

It’s not about letting go, it’s about not holding on in the first place, and being aware that change is a part of reality. If you can understand and appreciate this you will experience peace every day.

Today may not be as good or as bad as you think because there are so many things that can affect each day of your life.

In the world of Zen don’t forget there is also yin and yang and a balance that keeps both good and bad connected.

If things seem perfect to you, they’re not. If it seems like everything is a disaster, it isn’t. Every minute change occurs and at some point your day will change also.

The wisdom of Zen philosophy can help you to let go of all the things influenced by your ego and bring you peace and unlimited freedom in your life every day. This is called nonattachment and isn’t it interesting how the word ‘ego’ has the word ‘go’ in it?

Nonattachment is often misunderstood meaning not attached to all things physical but ultimately it is the realization of your true self that you are in the Universe and the Universe is in you.

So when you have an image of someone close to you in your mind and when that image changes problems occur and you are no longer free to accept them for who they are in that moment no matter what changes take place.

This doesn’t mean you stop caring for them, in fact it is quite the opposite, you know they won’t last forever so you appreciate them so much more.

In Zen philosophy nonattachment isn’t really about physical things or locations, it’s about the thoughts and ideas you have in your mind, and what you believe about yourself and the world around you.

All attachment, physical and nonphysical, starts with the ego. It is fostered through years of conditioning and it is not really a part of you at all.

Your ego is what convinces you that you’re a separate entity and disconnected from all things including the Universe.

It is important to understand that nonattachment is an attitude or state of mind. New attachments will always creep into your thoughts and sometimes you won’t even be aware of it.

So to realize nonattachment is to realize that you must go with the natural order and flow of all things and to respect the impermanence of all things that make up your life.

It is only by realizing and accepting the fact that your ego is an illusion created by your mind and by realizing this you may be able to seek the true path of Zen.