Learn what zen means in slang. What does it mean to “get Zen”? Brief essence of the teaching

What is Zen? From the fusion of Vedic and Taoist spiritual streams, a unique movement was born, distinguished by extraordinary liveliness, naturalness, beauty and paradox - Zen (Chan) Buddhism. Another (official) name is the Heart of Buddha (Chinese Fo Xin); can also be translated as Buddha Mind. Zen is defined in the system of spiritual teachings as a movement in Buddhism of the Mahayana tradition, brought to China by the monk Bodhidharma, who came from India, and spread in the Far East (Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan). Bodhidharma settled in the Shaolin Monastery, considered today the cradle of Chinese Chan Buddhism. Historically, Zen is the result of the development of two ancient cultures: China and India, and it is more Chinese than Indian in character. Zen (Japanese "meditation") is a creative state, the highest flowering, purity and constant elation of spirit, it is continuous meditation. It follows from Taoism, according to which the basis of the world order is the Tao (true path). The task of the Zen student is to find this path and strictly follow it, for the Zen man, wherever he goes, always moves towards his Higher Self, towards the Source of Being, towards the source of saturation. From the 12th century, Zen spread to Japan and received truly creative development there. Subsequently, the traditions of Japanese Zen and Chinese Chan developed largely independently - and now, while maintaining a single essence, they have acquired their own characteristic features. Japanese Zen is represented by several schools - Rinzai (Chinese: Linji), Soto (Chinese: Caodong) and Obaku (Chinese: Huangbo). Zen is not a religion, a philosophy, or a science; does not imply belief in the existence of any god; does not deal with the problem of the existence of God and, according to D.T. Suzuki, Zen is neither theistic nor atheistic. Zen does not seek the meaning of life, it is practical, it only describes the conditions for the existence of suffering and indicates a way to overcome it. The central idea of Zen is simple and amazing: every being has the nature of an awakened Buddha, the goal of life is to know this nature, to know one's own true nature and, therefore, to know oneself. Zen is related to Taoism, Vedanta and Yoga. It is surprisingly in tune with modern psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The famous psychoanalyst and philosopher E. Fromm in his book “Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis” wrote this: “...Zen is the art of immersion in the essence of human existence; it is the path leading from slavery to freedom; Zen releases the natural energy of a person; it protects a person from madness and deformation of himself; he encourages a person to realize his abilities to love and be happy." Zen Buddhism practices direct (without anything unnatural or external) coming into contact with one’s inner world, that is, spiritual self-development based on the inclusion of the potential of the individual’s mental activity in the process of systematic training of the mind. It is natural that many people are not ready or interested in spiritual practice. But even if there is no formed intention to practice Zen as a spiritual discipline, you can bring a sense of Zen into your daily life to become much freer and happier. The two main types of regular Zen practice are sitting meditation (zazen) and simple physical labor. They are aimed at calming and unifying the mind. When the mind becomes calm, ignorance and worry decrease. Then, in clear silence, the practitioner is able to see his own nature. However, sitting meditation is not a training in patience or anything else, but is essentially “sitting just like that.” In general, the concept of “just like that,” “suchness” (tathata) of action is one of the basic concepts of Zen Buddhism. One of the names of Buddha in Buddhism: “Thus coming” (Tathagata) - one who comes and goes just like that. Zazen - meditation in the "lotus" position - requires, on the one hand, extreme concentration of consciousness, and on the other, the ability not to think about any specific problem. “Just sit” and, not paying attention to any single thing in particular, perceive everything around you as a whole, down to the smallest details, knowing about their presence in the same way as you know about the presence of your own ears, without seeing them. It is believed that Zen cannot be taught. You can only indicate the direction of the path to achieve personal enlightenment (satori) kensho. All people initially have the capacity for enlightenment; the task of a Zen practitioner is only to realize it. Enlightenment always comes suddenly, like a flash of lightning; it knows no parts or divisions, so it cannot be perceived gradually. The Japanese verb "satoru" (Japanese??) means "to realize", and one can only realize with the help of a certain "sixth sense", which in Chan is called "no-mind" (wu-xin). “No-mind” is an inactive consciousness that is not separated from the surrounding world. It is this kind of consciousness that is practiced in meditation, which is why meditation is so important in Zen Buddhism. There is no such thing as enlightenment that one can have. That's why Zen teachers ("masters") often say not to "achieve enlightenment" but to "see your own nature." Enlightenment is not a state. This is a way of seeing. The path to seeing one’s own nature is different for everyone, since everyone is in their own conditions, with their own baggage of experience and ideas. That is why they say that in Zen there is no definite path, there is no one definite entrance. These words should also help the practitioner not to replace his awareness with the mechanical execution of some practice or idea. According to general Buddhist ideas, there are three root poisons from which all suffering and delusion arise: ignorance of one’s nature (cloudness of the mind, dullness, confusion, anxiety); disgust (to the “unpleasant”, the idea of something as an independent “evil”, generally rigid views); attachment (to something pleasant - unquenchable thirst, clinging). Therefore, awakening is promoted by: calming the mind; liberation from rigid views; liberation from attachments. In Zen, the main attention on the path to achieving satori is paid not only (and not so much) to the Holy Scriptures and sutras, but to direct comprehension of reality based on intuitive penetration into one’s own nature (meditation). According to Zen, any person can achieve satori already in this incarnation, emerging from the endless cycle of birth and death (samsara). In Zen there is an expression: “Samsara is nirvana,” which expresses this idea that enlightenment is achievable in any incarnation. Four key differences of Zen: A special teaching without sacred texts. Lack of unconditional authority of words and written signs. Transmission by direct reference to reality - in a special way from heart to heart. The need to awaken through awareness of one's own true nature. Many early Chan teachers demonstratively burned sutra texts and sacred images in order to eradicate attachment to a letter, image, or symbol in their students. One could not even talk about teaching Zen because it cannot be taught through symbols. According to tradition, this is a special transmission of the awakened consciousness from the heart of the teacher to the heart of the student without relying on written signs - the transmission in a different way of what cannot be expressed by speech - “direct indication”, a certain non-verbal method of communication, without which the Buddhist experience could never pass from generation to generation. Zen itself is a kind of “seal of the mind (heart)”, which is not found in the scriptures, since it is “not based on letters and words.” A unique textual phenomenon of Zen are koans: parables-riddles that do not have a logical answer. This is a kind of paradox, absurd for the ordinary mind, which, having become an object of contemplation, seems to stimulate awakening, removes the mind of the listener from the balance of habitual, everyday logic and makes it possible to realize higher values (see. “101 stories of Zen”, “Bones and Flesh of Zen”, etc.). Zen does not accept extreme asceticism: human desires should not be suppressed, but deeply realized. In fact, daily activities, things you enjoy doing, can become meditation - but with one condition: to be completely present in what you are doing. And under no circumstances should you be distracted from this - be it work, a glass of beer, making love or sleeping until lunch. Any hobby can be a way to understand your true nature. This turns life itself in every manifestation into a work of art. The entire Zen tradition is built on the transmission of teachings using various “tricks”: any available and, it would seem, the most inappropriate things for this, secular and other activities, such as brewing tea (tea ceremonies), theatrical performance, playing the flute, the art of ikebana , composition. The same goes for martial arts. Martial arts were first combined with Zen in the Chinese Buddhist monastery of Shaolin as gymnastics to develop the body, and then also as a way to strengthen the spirit of fearlessness. The martial arts of the East are precisely arts, a way of developing the “spiritual abilities of a samurai,” the implementation of the “Way” (“Tao” or “Do”), the path of war, the sword, the arrow. Bushido, the famous "Way of the Samurai" - a set of rules and norms for the "true", "ideal" warrior was developed in Japan for centuries and absorbed most of the provisions of Zen Buddhism, especially the ideas of strict self-control and indifference to death. In a combat situation, a warrior has no time for reasoning; the situation changes so quickly that a logical analysis of the enemy’s actions and planning one’s own will inevitably lead to defeat. The mind is too slow to follow such a technical action as a blow that lasts a fraction of a second. A pure consciousness, unclouded by unnecessary thoughts, like a mirror, reflects any changes in the surrounding space and allows the fighter to react spontaneously, uncontrivedly. It is also very important during a fight to have no fear, like any other emotion. Zen ethics is to treat anything neither good nor bad. Just be an observer, a witness. Zen aesthetics includes a number of separate areas: the rock garden; iaijutsu and kenjutsu (sword arts); kyudo (archery); calligraphy; tea ceremony, etc. The influence of Zen is difficult to overestimate; modern culture is filled with Zen philosophy (literature, art, cinema). The principles of Zen are reflected in the works of G. Hesse, J. Salinger, J. Kerouac, R. Zelazny, in the poetry of G. Snyder and A. Ginsberg, in the painting of V. Van Gogh and A. Matisse, in the music of G. Mahler and J. Cage, in the philosophy of A. Schweitzer, in the works on psychology of K.G. . Jung and E. Fromm and many, many others. In the 60s The "Zen boom" swept many American universities and gave a certain color to the beatnik movement. Many psychotherapeutic schools have experienced the influence of Zen - such as Gestalt therapy and the founder Fritz Perls himself, as well as famous trainings such as ECT. John Enright, who worked in Gestalt with Perls for many years, directly wrote in his book “Gestalt Leading to Enlightenment” that he considers the main goal of Gestalt therapy to be mini-satori - the achievement of a special insight or catharsis, after which most old problems dissolve. A person does a lot in his life unconsciously, automatically. It’s as if he’s not living, but sleeping. You need to be attentive to every action, every moment of this life, be able to concentrate in the moment “here and now” and observe. This observation reveals the true beauty of the world. Life turns into something meaningful, unique and infinitely beautiful. Anyone can meditate. All you need is desire. Correct meditation gives at least an amazing feeling of lightness, clarity, peace and heightened senses. Anyone who really decided to reveal the deepest secrets of life will need diligence and patience...

From the merger Vedic And Taoist spiritual flows, a unique flow was born, distinguished by extraordinary liveliness, naturalness, beauty and paradoxicality - Zen (Chan)-Buddhism. Another (official) name is Buddha's Heart(whale. Fo Xin); can also be translated as Buddha Mind. Zen determined in the system spiritual teachings like the current in Buddhism traditions Mahayana, brought to China by the monk Bodhidharma, who came from India, and became widespread in the Far East (Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan). Bodhidharma settled in a monastery Shaolin, considered today the cradle of Chinese Chan Buddhism. Historically, Zen is the result of the development of two ancient cultures: China and India, and it is more Chinese than Indian in character. Zen (Japanese "meditation") is a creative state, the highest flowering, purity and constant elation of spirit, it is continuous meditation. Follows from Taoism, according to which the basis of world order is Tao (true path). The task of the Zen student is to find this path and strictly follow it, for the Zen man, wherever he goes, always moves towards his goal. To the Higher Self, To To the Source of Being, to the source of saturation.

From the 12th century, Zen spread to Japan and received truly creative development there. Subsequently, the traditions of Japanese Zen and Chinese Chan developed largely independently - and now, while maintaining a single essence, they have acquired their own characteristic features. Japanese Zen is represented by several schools - Rinzai(whale. Linji), Soto(whale. Caodong) And Obaku(whale. Huangbo).

Zen is not a religion, a philosophy, or a science; does not imply belief in the existence of any god; does not deal with the problem of the existence of God and, according to D.T. Suzuki, Zen is neither theistic nor atheistic. Zen does not seek the meaning of life, it is practical, it only describes the conditions for the existence of suffering and indicates a way to overcome it. The central idea of Zen is simple and amazing: every being has the nature of an awakened one. Buddha, the purpose of life is to know this nature, to know one’s own true nature and, therefore, to know oneself.

Zen is related Taoism, Vedanta And yoga. It is surprisingly in tune with modern psychotherapy And psychoanalysis, Famous psychoanalyst And philosopher E. Fromm in his book “Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis” he wrote: "...Zen is the art of immersion in the essence of human existence; it is the path leading from slavery to freedom; Zen releases the natural energy of man; it protects man from madness and deformation of himself; it encourages man to realize his abilities to love and be happy."

Zen Buddhism practices direct (without anything unnatural or external) coming into contact with one’s inner world, that is, spiritual self-development based on the inclusion of the potential of the individual’s mental activity in the process of systematic training of the mind. It is natural that many people are not ready or interested in spiritual practice. But even if there is no formed intentions By practicing Zen as a spiritual discipline, you can bring a sense of Zen into your daily life to become much freer and happier.

The two main types of regular Zen practice are sitting meditation ( zazen) and simple physical labor. They are aimed at calming and unifying the mind. When the mind becomes calm, ignorance and worry decrease. Then, in clear silence, the practitioner is able to see his own nature. However, sitting meditation is not a training in patience or anything else, but is essentially “sitting just like that.”

In general, the concept of “just like that”, “suchness” ( tathata) action is one of the basic concepts of Zen Buddhism. One of the names of Buddha in Buddhism: “Thus Coming” ( Tathagata) - someone who comes and goes just like that.

Zazen — meditation V lotus position“requires, on the one hand, the utmost concentration of consciousness, on the other, the ability not to think about any specific problem. “Just sit” and, without paying attention to any one thing in particular, perceive everything around you as a whole, down to the smallest detail, knowing about their presence in the same way as you know about the presence of your own ears without seeing them.

It is believed that Zen cannot be taught. You can only indicate the direction of the path to achieve personal enlightenment ( satori) kensho. All people initially have the capacity for enlightenment; the task of a Zen practitioner is only to realize it. Enlightenment always comes suddenly, like a flash of lightning; it knows no parts or divisions, so it cannot be perceived gradually. The Japanese verb "satoru" (Japanese??) means "to realize", and one can only realize with the help of a certain "sixth sense", which in Chan is called "no-mind" (wu-xin).

“No-mind” is an inactive consciousness that is not separated from the surrounding world. It is this kind of consciousness that is practiced in meditation, which is why meditation is so important in Zen Buddhism. There is no such thing as enlightenment that one can have. That's why zen masters ("masters") more often they say not “to achieve enlightenment”, but “to see one’s own nature.” Enlightenment is not a state. It is a way of seeing. The path to seeing one’s own nature is different for everyone, since everyone is in their own conditions, with their own baggage of experience and ideas. Therefore, they say that in Zen there is no specific path, there is no one specific entrance. These words should also help the practitioner not to replace his awareness with the mechanical execution of some practice or idea.

According to general Buddhist ideas, there are three root poisons from which all suffering and delusion arise:

ignorance of one's nature (cloudness of mind, dullness, confusion, restlessness);
disgust (to the “unpleasant”, the idea of something as an independent “evil”, generally rigid views);
attachment (to something pleasant - unquenchable thirst, clinging).

Therefore, awakening is promoted by:

calming the mind;
liberation from rigid views;
liberation from attachments.

In Zen, the main focus on the path to achieving satori is not only (and not so much) scriptures, And sutras, but to direct comprehension of reality based on intuitive penetration into one’s own nature ( meditation). According to Zen, any person can achieve satori already in this incarnation, emerging from the endless cycle of birth and death ( samsara). There is an expression in Zen: " Samsara is nirvana", which expresses this idea about the attainability of enlightenment in any incarnation.

Four Key Differences of Zen:

A special teaching without sacred texts.
Lack of unconditional authority of words and written signs.
Transmission by direct reference to reality - in a special way from heart to heart.
The need to awaken through awareness of one's own true nature.

Many early Chan teachers demonstratively burned sutra texts and sacred images in order to eradicate attachment to a letter, image, or symbol in their students. One could not even talk about teaching Zen because it cannot be taught through symbols. According to tradition, this is a special transmission of the awakened consciousness from the heart of the teacher to the heart of the student without relying on written signs - the transmission in a different way of what cannot be expressed by speech - "direct instruction", some non-verbal method of communication, without which the Buddhist experience could never pass from generation to generation. Zen itself is a certain " seal of the mind (heart)", which is not found in the scriptures because it is "not based on letters and words."

Unique textual phenomena of Zen are koans: parables-riddles that do not have a logical answer. This is a kind of paradox, absurd for the ordinary mind, which, having become an object of contemplation, seems to stimulate awakening, removes the mind of the listener from the balance of habitual, everyday logic and makes it possible to realize higher values (see. "101 Zen Stories"", "Bones and Flesh of Zen" and etc.).

Zen does not accept extreme asceticism: human desires should not be suppressed, but deeply realized. In fact, daily activities, things you enjoy doing, can become meditation - but with one condition: to be completely present in what you are doing. And under no circumstances should you be distracted from this - be it work, a glass of beer, making love or sleeping until lunch. Any hobby can be a way to understand your true nature. This turns life itself in every manifestation into a work of art.

The entire Zen tradition is built on the transmission of teachings using various “tricks”: any available and, it would seem, the most inappropriate things for this, secular and other activities, such as brewing tea ( tea ceremonies), theater performance, flute playing, art ikebana, composition. The same applies to martial arts. Martial arts were first combined with Zen in the Chinese Buddhist monastery of Shaolin as gymnastics to develop the body, and then also as a way to strengthen the spirit of fearlessness. Martial arts of the East are precisely arts, a way of developing “spiritual abilities” samurai", implementation of the "Path" (" Tao" or " before"), paths of war, swords, arrows. Bushido, the famous “Way of the Samurai” - a set of rules and norms for the “true”, “ideal” warrior was developed in Japan over centuries and incorporated most of the tenets of Zen Buddhism, especially the ideas of strict self-control and indifference to death. In a combat situation, a warrior has no time for reasoning; the situation changes so quickly that a logical analysis of the enemy’s actions and planning one’s own will inevitably lead to defeat. The mind is too slow to follow such a technical action as a blow that lasts a fraction of a second. A pure consciousness, unclouded by unnecessary thoughts, like a mirror, reflects any changes in the surrounding space and allows the fighter to react spontaneously, uncontrivedly. It is also very important during a fight to have no fear, like any other emotion.

Zen ethics- not to treat something either good or bad. Just be an observer, a witness.

Zen aesthetics includes a number of separate areas: rock garden; Iaijutsu and kenjutsu(sword arts) ; kyudo(archery) ; calligraphy; tea ceremony, etc.

The influence of Zen is difficult to overestimate; modern culture is filled with Zen philosophy (literature, art, cinema). The principles of Zen are reflected in the works of G. Hesse, J. Salinger, J. Kerouac, R. Zelazny, in the poetry of G. Snyder and A. Ginsberg, in the painting of W. Van Gogh and A. Matisse, in the music of G. Mahler and J. Cage, in the philosophy of A. Schweitzer, in works on psychology K.G. cabin boy And E. Fromm and many, many others. In the 60s The "Zen boom" swept many American universities and gave a certain color to the beatnik movement.

Many people have been influenced by Zen psychotherapeutic schools- such as gestalt therapy and the founder himself Fritz Perls, also known trainings such as ECT. John Enright, who worked in Gestalt with Perls for many years, in his book “Gestalt Leading to Enlightenment” directly wrote that he considers the main goal of Gestalt therapy to be mini-satori - the achievement of a special insight or catharsis, after which most old problems dissolve.

A person does a lot in his life unconsciously, automatically. It’s as if he’s not living, but sleeping. You need to be attentive to every action, every moment of this life, be able to concentrate in the moment “here and now” and observe. This observation reveals the true beauty of the world. Life turns into something meaningful, unique and infinitely beautiful. Anyone can meditate. All you need is desire. Correct meditation gives at least an amazing feeling of lightness, clarity, peace and heightened senses. Anyone who really decided to reveal the deepest secrets of life will need diligence and patience...

Every person who begins their acquaintance with Buddhism should know the answer to the question of what Zen is. This concept forms a strong personality, capable of a reasonable analysis of one’s actions and contemplation of them from the outside. The goal of this process should be the truth.

Zen - what is it?

Buddhism has several key principles, such as faith, self-determination, and respect for nature. Most Buddhist schools have a general understanding of what Zen energy is. They believe that it is revealed in such aspects as:

Knowledge and wisdom transmitted not in writing, but from teacher to student during personal communication.
The mystery of Tao - the nameless source of existence of earth and sky.
Denial of efforts to understand Zen: it is believed that the more one tries to understand it, the faster it moves away from consciousness.
Many ways to experience Zen: Throughout human history, Zen has been passed on completely unconsciously from person to person through emotions, touch, jokes.

What is Zen Buddhism?

Zen Buddhism is the most important school of East Asian Buddhism, the formation of which was completed in China in the 5th-6th centuries. In his homeland, as well as in Vietnam and Korea, it remains the most popular monastic form of religion to this day. Daen Buddhism is an ever-changing belief that has three branches:

« Intellectual Zen"- a philosophy of life that has moved as far as possible from religion and has become popular among artists, philosophers and scientists.
Psychedelic Zen- a doctrine that involves using drugs to expand the boundaries of consciousness.
Beatnik direction– it is known among young people due to its simplified rules that promote moral and sexual freedom.

How is Zen Buddhism different from Budjima?

The desire to achieve Zen means a willingness to sacrifice oneself on the path to it - for example, to show meekness and humility in front of a teacher. Zen Buddhism insists on adherence to a system of rules by the student, when the classical direction does not require any worship and testing in the name of religion. Zen is similar to a technique that is suitable for people who do not want to spend a lot of time on the religious component of the teaching.

Zen and Tao

Both directions originated from the same teaching, so the differences between them are minimal. No one can express the Tao in words, because it expresses the naturalness of human existence. The Zen state is absolutely real, but it can be described absolutely precisely. This knowledge is stored in the main books of the teaching - the works of sages who comment on koans and sutras.

Zen Buddhism - Basic Ideas

The depth and power of this teaching is amazing, especially if a person is just beginning to become acquainted with it. It is not possible to fully understand what Zen means if we deny the fact that emptiness is the real essence and goal of enlightenment. This teaching is based on the nature of the mind, which cannot be expressed in words, but can be realized. Its main principles:

By nature, every person is equal to the Buddha and he can discover the enlightening basis within himself.
The state of satori can only be achieved through complete peace.
Receiving a response from your own, which is inside a person.

Zen Buddhism Koans

Koans are short instructive stories or dialogues similar to the suras of the Koran. They reveal the essence of the questions that arise for both beginners and experienced religious followers. Zen koans were created with the goal of giving a psychological boost to the student and motivating him. The value of each of these stories is revealed in his decision:

The master asks the student a koan for which he must find the correct answer. Every statement is made with the intention of causing contradiction in the inexperienced follower of Buddhism.
Being in a meditative or close to it state, the student achieves satori - enlightenment.
In a state of samadhi (the unity of knowledge and the knower), a person understands what real Zen is. Many find it relatable with a sense of catharsis.

Zen meditation

Meditation is a special psycho-physical state of a person, which is easiest to achieve in an atmosphere of deepest silence and concentration. In Buddhist monasteries there was no need for preliminary preparation for immersion in it, because community members initially protected themselves from all temptations. The monks, answering the question of what Zen meditation is, say that it is a feeling of pure consciousness without content. You can achieve it by performing the following sequence of actions:

First you need to sit on the floor, facing the wall, placing a pillow or a blanket folded in several layers under your buttocks. Its thickness should not prevent you from taking a comfortable, stable position. Clothes for meditation should be loose so as not to restrict movement.
For a comfortable fit, it is recommended to take or half lotus.
You should close your eyes and abstract yourself from problems and thoughts.
When emptiness replaces mental noise, a feeling of incomparable relaxation and contentment will appear.

What does it mean to “get Zen”?

Anyone who wants to find an answer to a question that interests him turns to this eastern technique, usually in despair. He seeks to experience Zen after exhausting simple solutions to the dilemma. For some, this process is a kind of fast with abstinence from food, relationships with the opposite sex and active work. Most Buddhists adhere to more traditional ways of realizing the subtle matter of Zen:

Following the advice of the first teachers of Buddhism. They recommended remaining calm even in difficult situations and renouncing life's troubles.
Finding the source of evil. If a religious person is overcome by a series of failures and problems, then he must look for the cause of the vicissitudes of fate in himself or his enemies.
Crossing the boundaries of classical thinking. The rules of Zen say that a person is too accustomed to the benefits of civilization to know his essence. He needs to get out of his comfort zone to hear the voice of his soul.

Zen Buddhism - books

Each religious school and method of scientific knowledge has its own literary works that allow even inexperienced beginners to understand its concept. Zen philosophy also involves familiarity with a whole library of books, which includes:

A group of authors with comments by Alexei Maslov “Classical Zen Texts”. One book includes the works of the first teachers of Chan Buddhism, which touch on all spheres of human life - both in ancient times and in modern life in Asian countries.
Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind". It reveals the content of conversations between an experienced mentor and his American students. Shunryu managed not only to understand what Zen is, but also to learn to focus on the main goals.
Won Kew-Kit, Zen Encyclopedia. The book is devoted to the difficulties of understanding existence, the simplest understanding of its laws and concepts. The path of Zen, according to the author, ends with the mystical experience of experiencing the Absolute - a flash of comprehension outside of time and space.
Thich Nhat Hanh, "Zen Keys". The work of the Japanese author contains exclusively commentaries on the sutras and koans of southern Buddhism.
Miyamoto Musashi, "The Book of Five Rings". Warrior Musashi 300 years ago wrote a monograph on managing the state, people and one’s own emotions. The medieval fencer considered himself a Zen teacher, so the book is written in the format of a conversation with student readers.

So, Zen - what is it in simple words. For the inexperienced, of course, the first thing that comes to mind is Buddhist teaching... But no. Zen, which we will now discuss, is actually an intellectual network base. It will collect data about the pages you visit in order to offer you news based on your interests. The main feature is that your attention will be provided not only with information from the sites you visit, but also posts on similar topics from portals where you have never been. Not limited to just your favorite resources, he will constantly throw up something new about what interests you.

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Zen Yandex - what is it in simple words. This topic interests many beginners. News posts are displayed in the feed in the form of cards with headlines and thematic pictures. To see more news, scroll up. If you want to read some news, click on the card. The post you are interested in will open in a new tab.

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Rate posts. If you liked this or that post, like it. And, on the contrary, put a dislike so that you are shown less information on this specific topic. Zen takes statistics into account and will perform distributions more accurately in the future.

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Among other things, if you want to try yourself as an author, you yourself have a chance to earn money. If Zen Readers are interested in your articles, Yandex will pay you for your publications. So you can rest assured that you won’t have to pay any money to use the service.

What is Zen? It is both what a person is, his true essence, expressed outward moment by moment, and what he does, the practice of self-discipline through which it becomes possible to experience the joy of existence. This is not a belief system to be accepted. There is no dogma or doctrine in this spiritual practice. Zen is the experience of what is sometimes called the highest reality or the absolute, and at the same time it cannot be separated from the ordinary, the relative. This direct experience is available to everyone by birthright. The practice of "zazen" - meditation - allows you to realize the unambiguous, bright, complex nature of all life hidden from worldly eyes.

The Birth of Buddhism

It was this path to awareness that was demonstrated to people more than two and a half thousand years ago by the Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama, who gained fame under the name The word “Buddha” has the simplest meaning - “awakened”. The great teaching of the Indian prince is that every person is capable of awakening, that fundamentally everyone is a Buddha - Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, secular.

With this flexible and consistent attitude towards different cultures and beliefs along the way, Buddhism has embraced all the countries of Asia. In China, it merged with Taoism and evolved into “chan,” a Chinese concept of meditation that evolved into “Zen” in Japanese. Over the past decades, Zen Buddhism has been integrated into Western culture. As the famous historian Arnold Toynbee said, one of the most significant events of the twentieth century was the journey of Zen Buddhism from east to west.

Unique worldview

Zen Buddhism is a focused and consistent spiritual practice through which a person gains the opportunity to realize: his “I” and all other people are one, the conditional and the unconditional happen simultaneously, the absolute and the relative are one and the same. From this awareness arises natural compassion and wisdom, a peaceful and intuitively correct reaction to any external circumstances. Zen is not a phenomenon; Buddhists do not even consider it a religion. When the Dalai Lama answered the question of what Buddhism is, he simply called kindness his religion.

Zen state

And yet, the state of Zen - what is it? Stop. Stop trying to comprehend with your mind what cannot be understood intellectually - simply because such depths are inaccessible to rational thinking. Just take a fully conscious breath. Taste it. Feel grateful that you are able to breathe. Now exhale - slowly, with understanding. Let go of all the air, feel the “nothingness”. Inhale with gratitude, exhale with love. Receiving and giving is what we do with every inhalation and exhalation. Zen is a transformative practice of breathing with full awareness of each moment, on a regular basis.

Know yourself

This simple but surprisingly deep spiritual practice allows you to free yourself from the shackles of the past and future, as well as from the prohibitions and barriers that people have placed for themselves. The main mistake of most ordinary people is that they consider these artificial restrictions to be the essence of their personality and unchanging individuality.

And really: who do you think you are? If you think deeply about this question, it turns into a koan - a meaningless phrase that promotes immersion in meditation and sounds like “who am I?” You will discover that the conditioned opinions and compulsive traits that society has come to think of as personality have no fixed substance.

Through consistent zazen, a person is able to free himself from self-declared individuality and find his true self - an open and confident being, unhampered by any obstacles, flowing with all that exists in every single moment. That is why it is absolutely natural for all people to take care of the environment, starting with their own actions: preventing the waste of the planet’s precious resources, realizing that every action has consequences. This awareness intuitively extends to the entire world around us. Zen Buddhists strive to live with consideration for everyone, integrity, reality; they want to free all sentient beings from suffering.

Four Noble Truths

By renouncing worldly life and sitting under a tree to meditate, Buddha achieved enlightenment. He formulated the teachings of Zen in accessible language in the form of four principles, or four noble truths.

First Truth: Life Means Suffering

Until the age of 29, Prince Siddhartha remained imprisoned within the four walls of his father's castle. When he first went out into the street, he saw four sights that left a deep imprint on his tender and naive soul. They were a newborn child, an old cripple, a sick man and a dead man.

The prince, who grew up in luxury and did not suspect the existence of death and grief outside the palace, was amazed by what he saw.

During meditation, he realized that life means suffering because people are imperfect. The world inhabited by people, accordingly, is also far from ideal. To understand Zen, this statement must be accepted.

The Buddha realized that throughout life, every person has to endure a lot of suffering - both physical and psychological - in the form of aging, illness, separation from loved ones, deprivation, unpleasant situations and people, grief and pain.

All these misfortunes haunt a person simply because he is subject to desires. If you manage to get the object of desire, you can experience joy or satisfaction, but it is very fleeting and quickly disappears. If pleasure lasts too long, it becomes monotonous and sooner or later gets boring.

Three truths about desires

Second Noble Truth: The root of suffering is attachment.

To avoid suffering, you need to realize what is its root cause. As the Buddha argued, the main cause of psycho-emotional experiences is the desire to possess (craving, thirst) and not to possess (rejection, aversion).

All people have desires. Since it is impossible to satisfy them all, people become irritated and angry, thereby only confirming their susceptibility to suffering.

Third Noble Truth: The end of suffering can be achieved.

According to the Buddha, the end of suffering can be achieved by regularly practicing non-attachment to desires. Freedom from torment clears the mind of worries and worries. In Sanskrit it is called nirvana.

Fourth Noble Truth: The path to the end of suffering must be walked.

Nirvana can be achieved by leading a balanced life. To do this, you need to follow the Eightfold Path, which is gradual self-improvement.