It is a warm sunny Sat. Not much in the way of a breeze. Lady Zen comes by Sisooks Tailor Shop, we meet there to head off for our Chan ( Zen) practice. We stop by the Kung Fu shool in back for a short talk with a couple of the senior students before heading off. This time we are more prepared for the trip so we thought…
As it turns out we got hung up in traffic, I missed the exit, we went the wrong direction after turning off at the next exit, so it was not a smooth a journey as we planned. However we arrived only about 10 min late. It was fortunate that we were not the only ones who arrived at that time. So the session basically started at that time.
A lot more details were covered about the practice after some review of the 2 weeks ago session. This time it was spoken in English with Chinese filler. We did a bit of “motion zen” with is just a few relaxing chi building drills, then more of the sitting Zen was explained. I found the phrase of “mediation is like a shower for your spirit” a graphic reference. We take a shower to clean our body from the grime of the world, we meditate to clean our spirit of it as well.
After a 10 min meditation there was a Q&A session, in both English and Chinese, with me filling in a few things in my limited Japanese for the Lady Z for clarity.
After that was over we sat for a bit a chatted. Shrxiong ( elder brother ) joined us and we spoke of misc concepts and questions on the practice. He explained fully a few misconceptions we both had about it and some comparisons to other “zen” practices and answered a few more of Lady Z’s questions also gave a few pointers and guides.
We received the hand outs for the second session and once again left feeling comfortable and like it was a well spent 1.5 hr.
Lady Zen after reading the material for the day felt even more pleased with this path of mediation practice. She is now even more encouraged to practice on her own. She has been monitoring her blood pressure regularly since starting the practice and even within the 2 weeks has noticed a reduction. It is encouraging to see recordable results even within a short time. To her it is not about enlightenment, it is about healing her body and spirit from the unbalancing effects of a woman aging cycle. A Zen master we met with in Japan said to us, that one can not become enlighten in this life, once you die, everything becomes clear. Meditation is about learning about yourself. I think there are forms or levels of enlightenment as there are levels of meditation.
If you are interested in meditation, the Zen philosophy I recommend checking into this path. If you meditate already, perhaps this will enhance your practice. It is not about robes, shave heads, sects, being or not being a Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslum, bells, chanting, incense or any of that. (it is also free) It is about balancing , Health, healing on the 3 levels of our being, Phyically, Mentally, Spiritually and helping others raise theirs, even if it is just by being around them with our own heighten chi emissions. The principals of Buddhism are there, but these are also the basic principals of all humane philosophy’s and religions. In the most basic terms as the saying goes,” We are the world”, we are not seperate from others, or the things of this universe. We share the same spirtual connection to life, with all life and elements.
Improve ourselves, improve the world…zen
Zen's Sekai I - by Land... 
Your Blogs are like chapters from a book that I look forward to having a quiet moment to read.
The story goes that Hung-jan, the Fifth patriarch of Zen/Chan Buddhism in China, realised that he was dying, and ordered that whoever could write a poem that best encapsulated the nature of Chan Buddhism would be the next Patriarch. With the office went the famous begging bowl of Guatama.
The foremost of his disciples was Shen-xiu, who composed the poem:
The body is a bodhi tree
The mind is like a mirror bright
Polish it with diligence
And let no dust adhere
Hung-jan was extremely happy, and said that whoever practiced this would surely reach enlightenment. The next night however, Hui-neng, at that time a lowly peasant rice-pounder, posted his poem next to it:
There is no bodhi tree
And no mirror bright standing
And since no thing exists
Where can the dust cling?
Hung-jan immediately realised the profundity of this poem and installed Hui-neng as the sixth patriarch of Chan Buddhism.
I heard that story, only a bit different. The same person Hu-neng wrote both peoms in the version I heard. The second was was after Hung-jan rejected him, which won himover completly, or somehting like that.
The phrase “…meditation is like a shower for your spirit” is a great analogy. Thanks for passing that on, I will remember that.
Thanks, Zen, not much more one can add.
My car sticker says “Peace in oneself – Peace in the world” in Thich Nhat Hahn’s calligraphy http://www.ccml.info/resources/images/peace_circle_logo.gif
You can only control your own attitude, but you can influence others.
I really like your slices of life. Thanks for sharing your meditations and reflections with us readers.
Zen is so beautiful – so many layers to ponder. Each Zen teacher I’ve had has been very different from the other, yet they’ve each added to my appreciation for Zen as a whole. I think it’s important to allow Zen wisdom itself to flow and take on its own form without putting a box around it to rigidly define it. That’s what has worked for me, anyway.
Will definitely be back to check out more.
Zen seekers in my circle have enjoyed this tool for waking up in a peaceful, well rested, state – the chimed alarm preserves that delicate Alpha state so you can meditate as you are waking up. The clock is the Zen Alarm Clock. Great tool for enhancing clarity upon waking. I discovered it a few months ago but it’s been around for a while.
Here’s more info: Zen Alarm Clock Benefits
Best,
Dharma G
Hmmm just a spam, and advert. I’ll let it stay just because it was smoothly done…maybe