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What is Zen?
It is a commonly mistaken notion that Buddhists see the Buddha as especially divine. There is a school or two that does, but in fact the majority of Buddhist sects are almost agnostic as it regards deities. Zen would be one of these. There are two branches of thought in Buddhism. One is that enlightenment…
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Zen Practice
Ever see Zen art? They use simple ink and they refuse to draw from memory. They seek to trap the sense impression, so the images are very impressionistic. Suggesting the image of say a bird, because in fact as we move about in our normal consciousness, how vividly does anything register on us? Usually not very, and…
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Enlightenment
There are stories where the Zen master says something, and the student is said to be ‘enlightened’. In that moment the words didn’t matter as much as the students thinking, and what will do that for any student differs. This is why you see the symbol of the dorje or lighting bolt in Buddhism, because…
Category: Zen
“There once was this Zen master sitting on a small stone bench, studying his small Japanese rock garden…
“There are only five rocks in the master’s garden. Each was chosen for its individual perfection, as well as its unique relationship to the other stones. One day a visitor comes to the garden. The visitor steps slowly around the tiny space, contemplating the rake-grooved gravel and the stones. Eventually the visitor turns to the Zen master and exclaims, “It is perfect.” The Zen master shakes his head solemnly and says, “No, it will be perfect when there are only three stones.” Yvon Chouinard