Real Zen
Zen can be reflected in many ways, seen in many arts, but it has a starting point, a center. Pure Zazen. Just sitting. There are lots of sources to chose from — none of which can actually give you Zen — and I’m no expert, but here are a couple of introductory texts and a couple of books that show practice in modern America:
Real Zen
Zen can be reflected in many ways, seen in many arts, but it has a starting point, a center. Pure Zazen. Just sitting. There are lots of sources to chose from — none of which can actually give you Zen — and I’m no expert, but here are a couple of introductory texts and a couple of books that show practice in modern America:
Zen Buddhism is a way and a view of life which does not belong to any of the formal categories of modern Western thought. It is not religion or philosophy; it is not a psychology or a type of science. It is an example of what is known in India and China as a “way of liberation,” and is similar in this respect to Taoism, Vedanta, and Yoga. As will soon be obvious, a way of liberation can have no positive definition. It has to be suggested by saying what it is not, somewhat as a sculptor reveals an image by the act of removing pieces of stone from a block.
An ideal introduction for Westerners. Written by an Englishman who spent the time in Japan to really know Zen, first published in 1957 and in print since. It's divided into two parts, Background and History, then Principles and Practice.
We cannot get to the core of it by reading but with the help of Zen storeis, tales of Zen masters, quotes from Zen texts and a description of Zen teaching methods we can perhaps get some insight into its essence.
One of the many little ‘lite’ Zen books that cover similar ground as The Way of Zen, this edition is particularly clear and full of further sources of reference.
My dog doesn’t worry about the meaning of life She may worry if she doesn’t get her breakfast, but she doesn’t sit around worrying about whether she will get fulfilled or loberated or enlightened. As long as she gets some food and a little affection, her life is fine. But we human beings are not like dogs.
Zen, beautifully placed into modern American real life by the Third Dharma heir of Hakuyu Maezumi Roshi of the Zen Center of Los Angeles (told you she was real). Shows how to live each moment to the fullest. A favourite book of mine.
A natural part of being human is to try to achieve a variety of satisfactions through the efforts of daily life. To have a spirutual life does not mean to deny these satisfactions. However, our main emphasis should be on our effort, not its results. The results of our effort come and go, but our effort is always here. So we should know what we are doing with our effort.
Personal story of an IBM design engineer who became abbot of Kannon do, a Zen meditation center in California. Here he shares 30 years of balancing a corporate career with Zen. Carrying water, chopping wood and facilitating meetings.
Nobody understands Zen; nobody can explain it; writing books about it is effrontery and impertinence. In fact, Zen is itself a kind of impudence.
R. H. Blyth
Do not believe what you have heard. Do not believe in tradition because it is handed down many generations. Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times. Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage. Do not believe in conjecture. Do not believe in authority or teachers or elders. But after careful observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason, and it will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it.
Buddha
The most instructive experiences are those of everyday life.
Friedrich Nietzsche
The Tao that is coded in words is dead. The teachings of the Tao are so precious and important that they cannot be revealed in the written word.
Shui-ch'ing Tzu
He who speaks doesn't know; he who knows doesn't speak.
Tao Te Ching
The Way isn’t something that can be put into words. You have to practice before you can understand. You can’t force things, including practice. Understanding is something that happens naturally. It’s different for everyone. The main thing is to reduce your desires and quiet your mind.
Hsueh-tou Chih-chien
I later came to realize through my research that what I was experiencing is called, in the ancient literature, a spontaneous samadhi experience, to use the Sanskrit language word for it. This means that you can perceive the synthesis of things, but you experience their interconnectedness at a deep emotional level. It's very profound, life changing.
Edgar Mitchell
Sixth man to walk on the Moon.
