Eisha Sarkar Posted on Hello Wellness on Oct 19 2010 11:27PM
Much has been talked, discussed and debated about Zen. Is it religion, mysticism or philosophy? Is it an altered state or is the way to inner and global peace? Zen is all those things, and essentially, none of them. Though rooted in Buddhism, Zen is beyond doctrine.
Zen and Zazen
The Japanese word for Zen derives from the Chinese character ch’an which derives from the Sanskrit word dhyana or meditation. At the heart of Zen is zazen or seated meditation. The aim of zazen is just sitting, "opening the hand of thought". In Zen Buddhism, zazen is a meditative discipline practitioners perform to calm the body and the mind and experience insight into the nature of existence and thereby gain enlightenment (satori).
Zazen: How and when?
Articulated and perfected by Zen master Dogen Zenji (the founder of the Soto Lineage of Buddhism in Japan), zazen involves the emptying of the mind unlike other spiritual practices that use meditation that involve putting a thought or image into the mind. You can zazen any time of the day and as many times you want. Meditating early in the morning will energise you. Meditating before bedtime will help you wind down and process the events of the day, clearing your mind for a good night’s sleep. Meditating when you feel anxious or when you have so much going on in your life or in your mind that you can’t think straight will help you get a grip and will refresh you. A great time to zazen is in the middle of a busy or sluggish day. It’s amazing how much a 10-minute walking or quiet sitting zazen at lunch can calm you down or perk you up.
5 concepts of Zen you can use in your daily life
Zen is practical and allows you to attain well-being, happiness and even enlightenment, without pressurising you take up austere vows and a monastic life. You can be yourself and practice Zen daily by:
- Striving to be calm: It’s possible to be actively calm even during times of chaos. Practising to be both calmly active and actively calm at all times with a focused mind can increase your energy and enable you to complete your tasks more quickly. Through walking or sitting meditation, you train your mind to focus on everything, though nothing “in the moment,” with clarity and calmness.
- Living in the present: Let go of longings for the past or the discomfort in an uncertain future. The future is an illusion that will never come. Make each moment a choice for the present – an action, a thought, or a word that supports your ‘now’ and the world around you. Practise zazen to maintain openness to the ‘here’ and ‘now’, mindfully calm within the presence of “nothingness” without expectation.
- Accepting everyone: Hui-neng (676-713 AD), the true founder of Chinese Zen taught that we must return to our original self-nature, which is free from duality. Zen calls for blurring the lines between here and there, blue and yellow, round and square, plant and animal, mind and body, you and me. It is easy to love those who love you back, but to accept and love those whom you do not know and those who do not like you is to accept everyone for who they are.
- Showing loving-kindness: When the mind is at ease, it’s friendly and receptive to all, despite the circumstances. Loving-kindness is a tool to eliminate the negative in life. Everyday at work, you pass those who you do not know or collaborate with on a daily basis and you fail to acknowledge their presence and contributions. Consciously seek them out and pass on a kind hello. Help those who need help and support.
- Holding no grudges: Carrying around anger, hurt and resentment (which nearly always travel together) about something from the past spoils today and poisons tomorrow. Let go of the emotions and expectations. Take a walk outside, concentrating only on your movement and breathing to help calm you down and get some peace.
You cannot become a Zen master overnight. Like most things in the world you need practice to perfect the art of Zen. Go steady, go slow and breathe easy.
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