Zen evolved from Hindu teachings and yoga in India. Siddhartha awakened via his practice of meditation he had insight into The Middle Path and The 4 Noble Truths, including the 8 Upright Paths; thus his lineage of The Teaching began... The Buddha Dharma was born.
The Teaching traveled the Silk Road to China where Bodai Daruma revived a simple meditation practice of 'wall gazing'. His disciples created Chan Buddhism from what Bodai Daruma taught and what they knew of the world known as the Tao.
Dogen Zenji brought Chan to Japan as Shikantaza, or 'just precisely sitting'. He taught this as the root of all Buddhism. His disciples too brought in what they knew of the world, now known as Shinto, and created Soto Zen Buddhism.
Shaku Soen Roshi, Matsuoka Roshi, Sasaki Roshi, Harada Roshi, Maesumi Roshi, and others then brought Zen to America boiled it down to just what Americans needed, and American Zen was born.
Yoga + Shoriniji + Tao + Shinto - anything extra = Zen
Only what's needed to awaken = American Zen
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Living Life
In Zen, we are living in this life... In this very body. Not an illusion to escape from, but a reality to be lived in. An illuson only in the sense that it does not exist seperate from us, but in us and through us everything exists, particulary 'nothing' that by definition of everything, must be part of everything.
Zen is living reality as it is, as we find it, or how it finds us. Interlinked... Conjoined... interwoven... or usually we say not seperate. Not two, but not one... both, but neither. Both exist, but not seperate.
Ah, so we see the words again fall short; but words are like that. As anyone reading this already knows, the words can only point the way. All skilful means are just that, skilful means in living this daily life. As humans we sometimes fall short too, but we are still living!
So we live this life, in this body; joined with everyone and everything else. Living mindfully every moment of every day is Zen.
Zazen (seated meditation) is the practice, the main skilful means, for all Zen People. Zen People Walking, walk through this life... in a Zen Way.
Zen is living reality as it is, as we find it, or how it finds us. Interlinked... Conjoined... interwoven... or usually we say not seperate. Not two, but not one... both, but neither. Both exist, but not seperate.
Ah, so we see the words again fall short; but words are like that. As anyone reading this already knows, the words can only point the way. All skilful means are just that, skilful means in living this daily life. As humans we sometimes fall short too, but we are still living!
So we live this life, in this body; joined with everyone and everything else. Living mindfully every moment of every day is Zen.
Zazen (seated meditation) is the practice, the main skilful means, for all Zen People. Zen People Walking, walk through this life... in a Zen Way.
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