Tuesday, September 26, 2006
ZEN – An Opinion of What It Is.
ZEN – An Opinion of What It Is.
Lately a number of people have been asking me about ZEN. I think this is because my friends know that I have been involved with Zen in one form or another since the late 60”s when my introduction to Zen came through the work Alan Watts and later the art of Leonard Cohen.
One hears a lot of comments these days like “Oh that is so Zen”. It appears that at least the mythology of Zen has entered the popular consciousness. Whether the understanding of what ZEN is and is not has also entered the public consciousness and is more debatable.
Sometimes the best way of defining something is to define what it is not. ZEN is definitely not a religion: I think it is debatable whether one could even call it a philosophy. For centuries it has been regarded as an offshoot of Buddhism and usually referred to as Zen-Buddhism.
During the last 30 years the North American branches of Zen have begun to leave off the attachment of Buddhism and Zen has become a stand alone word to describe a set of techniques for coping with daily life and for more effectively living in the “Now”. Part of the reason that Zen is no longer necessarily described as an offshoot of Buddhism is that it has slowly picked up more western emphasis on equality, democracy and social justice, through it’s European and later North American influences
Even 20 years ago the majority of Zen practioners where still following the old Buddhist concept of Masters and students and that the only way to pass on the understanding of Zen was through direct transmission from master to student. This passing on was part of an unbroken lineage going back through centuries of Master and student relationships. It was not uncommon to see Zen practioners in eastern robes and it was not uncommon to see Zen monasteries.
This concept of Masters and disciples, robes and monasteries did not tend to sit well with many Western values and modes of learning. Other eastern values like the need to study Zen in monasteries or in groups run by Zenmasters also where less acceptable to many in the west. Slowly more and more practioners broke away from the old forms and began to learn Zen techniques in a more equalitarian and individualist manner. To many of us the title of Zenmaster became an inside joke. Once one reached the level of understanding Zen sufficiently to become a Zenmaster one also understood that Zen was a practice that could never become completely mastered and hence the title of Zenmaster was a contradiction in terms. NewZen became a stand-alone title for a set of techniques and methods that people from any religion (or no religion) could use equally well in day-to-day living.
That is not to say that there are no longer people who insist on the titles of Zen-Buddhism or even Zenmaster, there are still many who do. However a growing number of people believe that Zen principles and techniques could and should be used in everyday life. This group began to see living in a cave in endless meditation or living in monasteries in endless study were escapes from life rather than a necessity. Many now believed that Zen could only be practiced and effectively utilized in real life and in the real world and not in isolation from our society. These new Zen practioners tended to be people who were very involved in trying to better our society and were very committed to many Western values as well as Eastern techniques.
It should not have been a surprise to anyone that when East meets West neither would dominate but rather a new blending would emerge. History often shows us that when an idea runs into another idea a blend or new form comes out of the collision. (Thesis – Antithesis = Synthesis).
If you want to learn more about the New Zen I will be hosting a six-session small group seminar on the basics of Zen every Tuesday beginning the first Tuesday in April This is an introductory level for those who have little or no knowledge of Zen. It is open only to those who truly want to learn to apply Zen techniques in everyday life and in ways that have a meaningful impact on themselves and on society.
Lately a number of people have been asking me about ZEN. I think this is because my friends know that I have been involved with Zen in one form or another since the late 60”s when my introduction to Zen came through the work Alan Watts and later the art of Leonard Cohen.
One hears a lot of comments these days like “Oh that is so Zen”. It appears that at least the mythology of Zen has entered the popular consciousness. Whether the understanding of what ZEN is and is not has also entered the public consciousness and is more debatable.
Sometimes the best way of defining something is to define what it is not. ZEN is definitely not a religion: I think it is debatable whether one could even call it a philosophy. For centuries it has been regarded as an offshoot of Buddhism and usually referred to as Zen-Buddhism.
During the last 30 years the North American branches of Zen have begun to leave off the attachment of Buddhism and Zen has become a stand alone word to describe a set of techniques for coping with daily life and for more effectively living in the “Now”. Part of the reason that Zen is no longer necessarily described as an offshoot of Buddhism is that it has slowly picked up more western emphasis on equality, democracy and social justice, through it’s European and later North American influences
Even 20 years ago the majority of Zen practioners where still following the old Buddhist concept of Masters and students and that the only way to pass on the understanding of Zen was through direct transmission from master to student. This passing on was part of an unbroken lineage going back through centuries of Master and student relationships. It was not uncommon to see Zen practioners in eastern robes and it was not uncommon to see Zen monasteries.
This concept of Masters and disciples, robes and monasteries did not tend to sit well with many Western values and modes of learning. Other eastern values like the need to study Zen in monasteries or in groups run by Zenmasters also where less acceptable to many in the west. Slowly more and more practioners broke away from the old forms and began to learn Zen techniques in a more equalitarian and individualist manner. To many of us the title of Zenmaster became an inside joke. Once one reached the level of understanding Zen sufficiently to become a Zenmaster one also understood that Zen was a practice that could never become completely mastered and hence the title of Zenmaster was a contradiction in terms. NewZen became a stand-alone title for a set of techniques and methods that people from any religion (or no religion) could use equally well in day-to-day living.
That is not to say that there are no longer people who insist on the titles of Zen-Buddhism or even Zenmaster, there are still many who do. However a growing number of people believe that Zen principles and techniques could and should be used in everyday life. This group began to see living in a cave in endless meditation or living in monasteries in endless study were escapes from life rather than a necessity. Many now believed that Zen could only be practiced and effectively utilized in real life and in the real world and not in isolation from our society. These new Zen practioners tended to be people who were very involved in trying to better our society and were very committed to many Western values as well as Eastern techniques.
It should not have been a surprise to anyone that when East meets West neither would dominate but rather a new blending would emerge. History often shows us that when an idea runs into another idea a blend or new form comes out of the collision. (Thesis – Antithesis = Synthesis).
If you want to learn more about the New Zen I will be hosting a six-session small group seminar on the basics of Zen every Tuesday beginning the first Tuesday in April This is an introductory level for those who have little or no knowledge of Zen. It is open only to those who truly want to learn to apply Zen techniques in everyday life and in ways that have a meaningful impact on themselves and on society.
