Zen Buddhism

I read something on a temple wall in Kyoto and it literally made me stop in my tracks. It was beautiful, and something I have long tried to put into words. I’ve been to all kinds of churches, schools, and monuments but this… this was something that cut to the heart of it. It crystallized beautifully what I had always sensed. It read,

Everything you have taken for granted is, upon reflection, unbelievably wonderful.

It’s a gem, pure and elemental... a fundamental truth of sentience. And that was my introduction to Zen Buddhism. Zen is not nearly as rigid as a formal religion or even life philosophy for that matter. So what is it? What are it's "truths"? Well, quite literally, you have to find that for yourself. What enlightens someone else will not open up the universe for you. Though there are some interesting stories, like the infamous flower sermon. This is where the Buddha held up a single flower for his sermon before a confused silent crowd and one monk achieved enlightenment. Or one anecdote where a monk got frustrated with being a monk and ran off to live in a village hut. He was sweeping his floor and a pebble hit some bamboo on the floor making a strong pure tone against silence.. and you guessed it, universal truth.

Yeah it sounds a little corny or cheesy but maybe not. I remember this one thing I read somewhere that sticks out.

If you don't expect to find truth here, where else do you expect to find it?

Anyway, in Zen there is no one book or set of guiding material that has been passed down through the ages. What material there is is even contradictory! Instead, Zen is seen as fundamental wisdom about the universe that can ONLY be personally experienced. A Zen master cannot “tell” you the answer. It is said that he can only point his finger at the moon, but would hope you do not mistake his finger for the moon! It is very different from western ideas. God for instance is seen more as the sum of the universe and it’s laws than a separate entity. So the point is no to think about the divinity of a can of coke, in fact that is to miss the point entirely. Zen temples are places to talk about zen but nothing really special. They would say to set up an alter to a flower if you wish... or the entrance to the temple is at the brook. It sounds mystical but it's whole aim is very different for most western religions. The whole purpose of zen as with buddhism is to achieve peace with yourself and the natural world. I think even the Buddhha himself said "You will not be punished for your anger but by it".

So what the heck is Zen? Well, it’s really hard to say, but here a few words that get the point of it.

Since it is all too clear

It takes time to grasp it.

When you understand that it's foolish to look for fire with fire,

The meal is already cooked.

-Wu-men