Zen Filter

Zen Buddhist websites, news, and discussion

Monday, October 17, 2005

this zen life: some unlearning to be done

Good Zen blog. This excerpt from a recent post echoes some of the questions raised on the Zen Marketing posts here on Zen Filter. This word "Zen" sure is getting a lot of mileage these days:

i've been thinking about my concepts of things and how they get in my way. the first is my concept of what zen is. the idea of zen has gotten into my consciousness complete with images, definitions, connotations, even its own decorating style. it has come to mean some kind of calm, blissful state. there seem to be associations with slowness (as in if you are a zen buddhist, perhaps you walk slowly?) also some associations with being happy, patient, and loving. certainly never, ever angry. trader joe's even makes a line of cleaning products called 'trader zen.' they are really good, but i'm not sure what is zen about them. they smell good? is zen supposed to smell good?



3 Comments:

Blogger woundedduck said...

Hell yeah!

11:12 AM  
Blogger shyloh's poetry said...

Zen just is. Nice post.

8:39 AM  
Blogger xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx said...

ah... Beginners mind...

Knowledge gets in the way of direct experience. Thats why in Zen they say that it is harder for the learned man to grasp Zen, than the unlearned man.

If you're seeing concepts, thoughts & ideas for what they are... that 'tomorrow' exists nowhere except our thinking, for example, then you're starting to see the difference between fantasy & reality..

I liked your post though; it reminded me of insights during my first intensive Vipassana retreat.

11:35 PM  

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