What, exactly, is Zen? This is a broad question. The origin of the word, however, is very clear. Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism in which a focus is placed upon self-investigation into one’s true nature. This investigation is made by way of a variety of teachings and practices. Zazen, a particular style of sitting meditation, is a centerpiece of these practices.
Of course, Zen has come to mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For now, the best way for us to address the question is to consider what Zen means in the context of the lessons contained in this website. In addition to some Buddhist teachings, I rely upon a vast array of principles from philosophy, psychology and eastern philosophies and religions. It is not my goal to give you a new religion. It is my goal to help you to increasingly realize what I would consider to be a Zen mindset. In order to understand how we might go about doing this, let’s take a page out of the Zen playbook.
Zen teachings are often faced with the challenge of having to describe abstract ideas and experiences that can sometimes be hard to put a finger on. In order to do this, Zen often uses negation as a tool to provide context and meaning. Let’s begin to discover what Zen means to us by considering some examples of what Zen isn’t.
Understanding and avoiding cliches
There are touches of Zen popping up everywhere in our culture. If we are feeling overworked, we might express the desire to bring more balance into life. If a particular situation becomes off-putting or unsettling, we might speak of getting centered. The idea of getting present or living in the now has become increasingly prevalent. All of these ideas hint at a deep seated, instinctual desire to obtain the type of peace which Zen promises. However, such ideas lack the structure and commitment that is required to obtain genuine and lasting peace.
Zen is not about moments of situational presence. Zen is most certainly not about blissing out. At the other extreme, Zen is not about obtaining any sorts of spiritual or supernatural powers. Zen encourages us to reduce and simplify, but it is not about getting rid of all of our possessions and living in a cave. Rather, Zen encourages us to let go of the strong attachment that we have to our possessions, our stations in life and our identities. In doing so, we might be surprised to discover what is really important to us.
Perhaps the biggest misconception is that we will somehow, eventually, rid ourselves of all thoughts and emotions. Unfortunately, anyone who pursues this goal will quickly become discouraged and disappointed. Zen is not about completely ridding ourselves of thought and emotions. We are not looking to become some sort of thoughtless, emotionless machine. Our identities get entangled with our thoughts and emotions. We are looking to create a bit of room between us and them. We are seeking a way to encourage them to lessen the grip that they hold on us.
Life is our greatest teacher
Along these same lines, Zen encourages us to pursue this transformation within the context of our lives as they already are. Zen is about an acceptance of the way things are now. So our efforts are not made toward creating some kind of perfect and peaceful life in which we will finally be able to kick back and enjoy peace. Zen tells us that peace is always available. Acceptance of things as they are is a fundamental aspect of realizing that true, lasting peace. In this way, life’s challenges become opportunities for growth and transformation. With radical acceptance we may also come to realize that we wouldn’t have our lives be any other way.
Over time, if our commitment is steadfast and earnest, we will become familiar with the unique way in which Zen helps us to realize progress and transformation. We do not seek to become better people. Instead, we turn to our sometimes seemingly unrelated Zen practice, and we become better people, nonetheless. Zen does not tell us to go about trying to directly enact transformation. It teaches us how to properly position ourselves, to open up and make ourselves readily available. Instead of enacting transformation, we are transformed. Zen is not about training ourselves to initiate individual little moments of comfort and peace. It is, ultimately, about discovering how to lift the veil and open the door to the availability of a true and lasting peace, which is always there waiting for us.
Mindfully redirecting awareness
When it comes right down to it, Zen, as taught in these lessons, is really about our perception and awareness. First we become familiar with how we have been directing our awareness. Then we become comfortable with a new method of directing that awareness. Beneath all of our emotions, good or bad, there is an underlying distress. A goal of the teachings is to explore the nature of that distress. We can learn to identify that distress and direct our awareness firmly, yet momentarily, upon it. We can come to know the powerful transformative effect of doing so.
As far as we are concerned, Zen is less about spirituality and more about working with the mind. There is an element of faith involved, but it is not about faith in a particular deity. It is about faith in the indirect, yet transformative power of the teachings and practices. We must have faith that allowing ourselves to become more open and accepting of things as they are gives us access to our truest and wisest selves. We must trust the power of letting go and allowing. There is an intelligence encoded in our instincts.
We must see that all of our vying, our contending, our doing, has led to continual disappointment. We must have faith that there is progress to be realized when we learn to get out of the way. Most of us have lived our lives based upon certain assumptions and reflexive responses. Another goal of Zen training is to encourage us to reconsider those things that we have always assumed to be true and to adjust our reflexive responses accordingly.
Why do I need any of this?
In conclusion, I would like to take a brief excerpt from the opening of my upcoming book. This is a quote from my book which contains a quote from another author, so things, perhaps, are about to get a bit meta.
“An altogether reasonable question one may ask before going forward is, ‘Why do I need Zen philosophy in my life?’ To answer this question I turn to the great Joseph Campbell. In the documentary The Power of Myth, which focuses on conversations with him concerning the topic of mythology, his area of expertise, he was asked a similar question, ‘Why do I need myth?’ His response was, ‘Go on, live your life. It’s a good life. You don’t need this. I don’t believe in being interested in subjects because they’re said to be important or interesting. I believe in being caught by it somehow or other. But you may find that with an introduction this subject will catch you. And so, what can it do for you when it does catch you?’”
So here we have it, an opportunity for something exciting and life changing. If Zen catches you then it can bring new meaning and purpose to life. For me, it is what gets me out of bed in the morning. On the one hand, Zen offers an open invitation, and there is little to lose if one wishes to begin an initial exploration. On the other hand, if it catches you, Zen is a genie that, once freed, is hard to put back in the bottle.
Questions or feedback? Contact me directly.
