Engaged Zen
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning we are doing the Rio Grande Marathon Relay. Virtual Sangha members Kajo, Dai Shin, Jacob, Julie, and myself will each run a portion of the 26.2 miles. I am looking forward to this exercise.
My Little Honey, on the other hand, will be walking in the desert with her religious school kindergarten class, They are walking in Abraham's footsteps.
There are mystical elements to all religions. By mystical I mean the realization of the unity of time and space. Jews at Passover and other times, often in prayer, attain a oneness with time and space, we are slaves departing Egypt, and so forth. Zen Buddhists realize their Buddha-nature.
In Zen, this experience is a day to day experience. We practice to let go of our separation from others in both time and space so that we are immediate manifestations of the Infinite. Martin Buber calls this immersion; Shunryu Suzuki calls it things as it is. In the Christian tradition, monastics such as Merton wrote about authentic practice in Christianity as a union of God and man in this moment. Prayer must be action points Merton as he says "There is no such thing as a kind of prayer in which you do absolutely nothing. If you are doing nothing you are not praying. "
However, we do not need to be in a theistic tradition, no God idea is necessary, nor even desired to attain oneness. Our ideas of enlightenment, the Absolute, and so on, get in our way. Once attained, however, we must take a step and actualize ourselves in the world, otherwise we are just awakened shadows. Thus the sharp critique of quietism in the Zen tradition and the essential thrust of Mahayana practice as bodhisattvas.
In Clear Mind, we call this Engaged Zen. Its about the work of being a compassionate human being. The work is to be of assistance to all beings. Done with open eyes, our heart leads us. We keep in mind, however, that in Zen, heart and mind are one, so the heart does not lead us blindly, but rather with prayerful vow (sei gan) and skill (upaya).
As Virtual Sangha members, you might consider how your life is making a difference in our world. How can we do a better job? What needs our help?
I look forward to an enriching correspondence.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning we are doing the Rio Grande Marathon Relay. Virtual Sangha members Kajo, Dai Shin, Jacob, Julie, and myself will each run a portion of the 26.2 miles. I am looking forward to this exercise.
My Little Honey, on the other hand, will be walking in the desert with her religious school kindergarten class, They are walking in Abraham's footsteps.
There are mystical elements to all religions. By mystical I mean the realization of the unity of time and space. Jews at Passover and other times, often in prayer, attain a oneness with time and space, we are slaves departing Egypt, and so forth. Zen Buddhists realize their Buddha-nature.
In Zen, this experience is a day to day experience. We practice to let go of our separation from others in both time and space so that we are immediate manifestations of the Infinite. Martin Buber calls this immersion; Shunryu Suzuki calls it things as it is. In the Christian tradition, monastics such as Merton wrote about authentic practice in Christianity as a union of God and man in this moment. Prayer must be action points Merton as he says "There is no such thing as a kind of prayer in which you do absolutely nothing. If you are doing nothing you are not praying. "
However, we do not need to be in a theistic tradition, no God idea is necessary, nor even desired to attain oneness. Our ideas of enlightenment, the Absolute, and so on, get in our way. Once attained, however, we must take a step and actualize ourselves in the world, otherwise we are just awakened shadows. Thus the sharp critique of quietism in the Zen tradition and the essential thrust of Mahayana practice as bodhisattvas.
In Clear Mind, we call this Engaged Zen. Its about the work of being a compassionate human being. The work is to be of assistance to all beings. Done with open eyes, our heart leads us. We keep in mind, however, that in Zen, heart and mind are one, so the heart does not lead us blindly, but rather with prayerful vow (sei gan) and skill (upaya).
As Virtual Sangha members, you might consider how your life is making a difference in our world. How can we do a better job? What needs our help?
I look forward to an enriching correspondence.
Be well.
