Thursday's Thoughts - July 19th, 2012

"The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves."

-Alan Watts

What is the meaning of Zen? What is the meaning of life? Philosophers, and Zen-seekers have argued this question since we have acquired the ability to communicate, yet we are now just as far from the answer as we were when we first began to argue the point. 

The only truth of life is that we are dying the moment that we are born. In all honesty, Zen Buddhism and Taoism have little to say about the true meaning of life, but it has a lot to say about the function of life. Zen teaches us we must seek to attain enlightenment and save all beings from suffering if it can be helped, but only if it helps assist those that suffer. 

Wisdom, and character are gained from suffering, it allows us to know our strengths and define our limits. So even suffering itself, has its worth and purpose. To embody this human function is to secure a mind that always asks, "How can I assist in making your life better?" This Zen-mind only concerns itself with the well-being of others, and since a majority of the human race has an issue with denying the self in favor of others, we have very few who have achieved the title Zen or Taoist Master.

All things arise due to causes and conditions, and these are constantly morphing and impermanent. We are born, we live, we die, and we live again, serving endlessly in the cosmic dance of ever-changing fate. The meaning of life can be found in us all, and the real question that you should be asking yourself is, "What is the meaning of your life?" It should be a question we inquire to inspire conversation, to get to know one another, to understand each others purpose. It can't be answered for you, not even by Buddha himself, but it can be experienced and understood.

Experience your life, and seek to understand it as it relates to you. Embrace it as you would your lover, and give to it with all the compassion that exist in this Universe. This world is what we make it, and your world can only be undone by another if you allow it.

Thursday's Thoughts - June 28th, 2012

Recently, a few of my readers got in contact with me and expressed interest in my thoughts on the quotes that I have posted for Serenity Sought. I explained to them that a majority of these quotes are provided by Zen and Taoist Masters, many of their teachings are for the beholder to analyze and learn from. A few of the quotes were actually intended to be heard before meditation in order to decipher their purpose internally.

Meditation is very sacred to me. It has helped me find balance when I felt I could barely stand, it is an amazing and personal tool. Amazing, because I have possessed this power all along and only in the last few years began to really understand its worth. Personal, due to the thoughts that come and go as gently as the breath that sustains them.

I took this knowledge home with me, and believe it or not, meditated on it. It occurred to me that my feeling of power, and my personal thoughts are irrelevant. The joy and exhilaration that I am capable of achieving was never mine to be possessed solely. All of these thoughts were laid down by men who have achieved far greater enlightenment than I may ever see. Without a doubt, I would never have began my search for the Tao had they hoarded their own personal thoughts and musings.

So on this day, of all days, I shall begin a weekly tradition of Thursday's Thoughts. Choosing a quote from men and women who have achieved understanding of Zen, or the Tao, I will then grant insight into my personal thoughts after my own meditation on the quote. I begin this tradition with you on the date in which I celebrate my birth by asking you to join in on the discussion. Your thoughts are as valid as my own.

"Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine" 

-Shunryu Suzuki

The ebb and flow of yin and yang encompasses all of life and its creation. Remember that yin is the positive energy, while yang is the negative. Being mindful of the self and understanding that the only control you possess is over yourself assists in the detachment of emotional conflict and confusion. Realize that emotions have their place, recognize them as they come.

Embrace the emotions that give you joy, while discarding those that bring you pain and sorrow. Realize that these negative emotions are not simply obstacles, they just are. It is your own perception that brings wroth to your internal energy. Simply perceiving, recognizing, and letting go will save you from a life of anguish and torment. Don't simply exist, be mindful of your existence.

It is you that sends ripples across the calmness of the lake, you are the intruder in the way of things. To stay still in the depths, to be mindful of the moment, this is what makes the ripples dissipate. When the disturbance passes serenity remains, and a clarity washes over its surface to reveal the mysteries hidden in the depths of the mind. Enlightenment can be achieved by anyone, and happiness embraced by everyone, yet you do not reach out and grasp these things. You must be still, and allow them to happen.

Acceptance that the triumphs could not exist without the disasters grants you peace in the knowledge that this too shall pass. This can only be achieved through the study of your own existence, concentrating on your own tasks. There is art in everything, from taking out the garbage to picking up a pen. Are you capable of seeing this art? Greatness is not achieved with bravado, but instead is achieved in the smallest of tasks. Recognize these tasks for their worth, find joy in their simpleness. Your purpose is seen through focus of the now, let this focus help you understand who you are.