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Zen the word and the practice
Jan. 30th, 2016 11:54 amThe word Zen has taken on so many meanings. There is the original, which is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition. There is the urban dictionary top definition which is One way to think of zen is this: a total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. Zen is a way of being. It also is a state of mind. Zen involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts.
If you go on to the Internet, there are a lot of articles entitled “Zen and” that I blame Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for the whole trend although it is really good book and probably how a majority of people in the United States look at Zen.
It has become a word that has taken on its own life that, considering the word, is not incongruous to the word itself.
It has been stated that anyone can do anything for twenty minutes. I have no idea why twenty minutes is the optimum time but it seems to be the gold standard for doing something. Apparently in some forms of Buddhism there is a practice where you are given a task to do and twenty minutes to do just that and nothing else. Once the bell is rung, you stop no matter where you are in the task and move onto your next assignment.
I have seen things like 20 minute work-outs, 20 minute organization, and many more.
That time frame works for me for the most part but not all the time. There are times that I get into a flow and keep going until the task is done. And other times I find myself clock watching and trying to keep myself doing what I set out to do.
We talk about achieving a Zen-like state where you are in the groove and move effortlessly through an activity. It is an interesting place to get to and I have felt that while working on art or writing or even cleaning. Mindful and unmindful at the same time. Doing rather than thinking. Or at least that is how I see it.
I have studied Zen Buddhism since I first found out about it back in my teen-age years. I find the practices very settling. I would say that I am a student and no more than that. I have found my way to cut through the noise and find the center. I still study it and other religions/beliefs of the world. Sort of a passion of mine that started with reading myths and legends and then reading where those myths came from.
I have found myself drifting from being mindful recently. Being sick actually reminded me of what I have been missing in being mindful. The chaos in my brain is reflected in my life where I cannot seem to pick something up and just do it. This is putting me in a worst state of mind as I have been beating myself up mentally that I am not dealing with things and it becomes a downward spiral towards depression and doesn’t help anyone.
I am back to thinking about Zen and reading more about it along with rereading things that have helped me in the past. I am trying to get back to the mindfulness that has helped me so many times in the past to get out of the spiral.
I know what I need to do, now I just need to do it. Rather Zen in that I think.
I am grateful for all that I have learned about Zen over the years.
If you go on to the Internet, there are a lot of articles entitled “Zen and” that I blame Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for the whole trend although it is really good book and probably how a majority of people in the United States look at Zen.
It has become a word that has taken on its own life that, considering the word, is not incongruous to the word itself.
It has been stated that anyone can do anything for twenty minutes. I have no idea why twenty minutes is the optimum time but it seems to be the gold standard for doing something. Apparently in some forms of Buddhism there is a practice where you are given a task to do and twenty minutes to do just that and nothing else. Once the bell is rung, you stop no matter where you are in the task and move onto your next assignment.
I have seen things like 20 minute work-outs, 20 minute organization, and many more.
That time frame works for me for the most part but not all the time. There are times that I get into a flow and keep going until the task is done. And other times I find myself clock watching and trying to keep myself doing what I set out to do.
We talk about achieving a Zen-like state where you are in the groove and move effortlessly through an activity. It is an interesting place to get to and I have felt that while working on art or writing or even cleaning. Mindful and unmindful at the same time. Doing rather than thinking. Or at least that is how I see it.
I have studied Zen Buddhism since I first found out about it back in my teen-age years. I find the practices very settling. I would say that I am a student and no more than that. I have found my way to cut through the noise and find the center. I still study it and other religions/beliefs of the world. Sort of a passion of mine that started with reading myths and legends and then reading where those myths came from.
I have found myself drifting from being mindful recently. Being sick actually reminded me of what I have been missing in being mindful. The chaos in my brain is reflected in my life where I cannot seem to pick something up and just do it. This is putting me in a worst state of mind as I have been beating myself up mentally that I am not dealing with things and it becomes a downward spiral towards depression and doesn’t help anyone.
I am back to thinking about Zen and reading more about it along with rereading things that have helped me in the past. I am trying to get back to the mindfulness that has helped me so many times in the past to get out of the spiral.
I know what I need to do, now I just need to do it. Rather Zen in that I think.
I am grateful for all that I have learned about Zen over the years.
