Living a life of Zen is about creating balance and harmony between the body, mind, and spirit. It is about how to control emotions and to think clearly before taking action. Zen is learning how to overcome the negative forces like fear, depression, anger, and anxiety. It is a philosophy deeply rooted in Spirituality and consist of giving of time and money to help someone out less fortunate without any thought of being paid back. Helping someone out and expecting something in return is not being Zen. Zen is forgiveness. Forgiveness on all levels and not harboring any ill feelings towards someone who has harmed you in the past.
Being thankful is another strong part of Zen philosophy and it is a very powerful. Being thankful plays a large and necessary part in the Law of Attraction. Being grateful for what you have in your life is a giant step toward happiness and self actualization or enlightenment.
I read a story about a holy man who lived in the Himalayan Mountains and claimed he could see the future and he was also training his students to do the same. A great philosopher said, “if you really want a challenge, you should get your students to see the present.”
Being in the here and now means taking responsibility for the conditions around you, experiencing the moment, and contributing to the improvement of health, love, and happiness.
I have talked before how Zen is being in the moment; it allows everything to be where they’re suppose to be and influences the experience of life. By practicing meditation on a regular and consistent basis, it will eventually lead to letting go of those life experiences and help you achieve Satori, as the Japanese call it, or awakening and understanding.
Alan Watts, a British philosopher and priest, wrote about Zen and said, “the perfection of Zen is to be perfectly and simply human. The difference of the adept in Zen from the ordinary run of men is that the latter are, in one way or another, at odds with their own humanity.”
Zen is exact in its meaning regarding spirituality. Do not confuse spirituality with anything else. Trying to be spiritual is not being spiritual. For example, when you are washing your car and thinking about anything of a religious nature then that is not spiritual. Spirituality is washing your car when you are washing your car. It is the experience or the act of doing something that is spiritual.
Lin Chi was a Zen master in the ninth century and he wrote, “there is no place in Buddhism for using effort. Just be ordinary and nothing special. Relieve your bowels, pass water, put on your clothes, and eat your food. When you are tired, go and lie down. Ignorant people may laugh at me, but the wise will understand.”
I mentioned before that Zen philosophy is deeply rooted in spirituality. To that end, you must realize that there is only spirituality. So if you say that one thing is more spiritual than another thing, then it is a false and a non-existent reality.
Improving yourself is how you grow and evolve. Practicing meditation and deep breathing will keep you centered in your thought and decision making processes. You will also find the more you meditate the more benefit you will receive. You will be able to meditate on any problem that overwhelms you and make a better decision on what to do about it.
The basic principle of living a life of Zen and meditation is to become free. Meditation can help you let go of negative energy that arises from emotions such as fear, hatred, anger, bigotry, rage, and prejudice. These negative emotions can take an otherwise healthy mind, and if not properly addressed, lead it down the path to the dark side.
Meditation and adopting a life of Zen can free your mind and spirit and if you allow it into all areas of your life, I think you will find the calmness, awareness, and peace of mind you’ve been looking for.
No comments:
Post a Comment