- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Agnes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Perhaps we should go back to the basic to define what does Zen mean > to each of us?
Hi Agnes Thanks for the reminder, it's good to get back to basics once in a while. I think their are many ways to describe Zen, and both you and Ryunen have given some insightful versions of it. So if I may add my two cents' worth, I feel that Zen, in a nutshell, can simply mean "What am I?" The famous and poetic words of Dogen says it most succinctly: "To walk the Way is to know the self. To know the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things." ~ Dogen And as a Catholic, you would know that Jesus said, "Be still, and know that I am God." I interprete it to mean, "Meditate, to know our true essence." Just came across the following quote by Sogyal Rinpoche regarding meditation, so thought I put it up too: "The purpose of meditation is to awaken in us the skylike nature of mind, and to introduce us to that which we really are, our unchanging pure awareness that underlies the whole of life and death. In the stillness and silence of meditation, we glimpse and return to that deep inner nature that we so long ago lost sight of amid the busyness and distraction of our minds."~ Sogyal Rinpoche. > Do we have the same perception about what Zen is and how to apply > in daily life? "In the Zen experience, a certain unity happens, subject and object become one, and we come to realize our own self-nature. This self-nature cannot be seen, it cannot be touched, it cannot be heard. Because of these characteristics we refer to it as 'empty' - ( in Japanese, 'ku') - but its activities are infinite. So we say the Zen experience is the realization of the empty-infinitude of our self- nature or our essential nature, as it is often called." ~ Yamada Koun Roshi So I think to live a Zen life means moment to moment be in this experience of unity or oneness, where there exists also a certain compassionate responsiveness. But at the same time, it may be better not to want to live a Zen life or apply Zen in life, because this very desire to want to live a Zen life can become a hindrance. I think we should just keep to our practice(s), and if a Zen life happens, then so be it. And if it doesn't, then so be it too. In this way, at least our attitude is rather Zen and will help to improve the odds of a Zen experience. And it is said that whenever we practise any method wholeheartedly, whether Shikantaza, "Just Do it" or keeping a Kung An or Hua-tou, our 'original face' is already revealed to us, only that we do not recognize or realize it. So I think the key is PRACTICE. And it will be really good if you can find a Zen Master or Teacher to guide you and initiate you on some Zen practice(s). Best wishes wai ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZenForum/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
