Life as a Verb
We get lost in our heads, trying to pin down what things are. Our fear of death and change leads us to want the security of the known. In this article, we look at the Zen concept of dynamic living-of life as a verb.
Zen for the Holidays - 10 Tips
“How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else.” ~ R. Buckminster Fuller
Nothing ups the ante for family drama better than ‘going Home for the Holidays.’ (You really need to see the movie…)
Typically, past dramas are minimized as people play the ‘this year it will be different’ game. People expect Normal Rockwell gatherings, when “those gathered ’round” more closely resemble the Bunkers.
There are ways to change the game, but only if you decide to end the old game, AND replace it with something Zen.
10 Quick Examples of Zen Living
10 simple ideas for active Zen Living. Being present takes force of will and determination. Here are a few suggestions to make the process clearer.
A Life Appreciated: Taking Time to Reflect
The art of appreciation is seldom practiced. I suspect this is so because appreciation actually contradicts our belief about how much is ‘wrong’ with life. It is difficult to be appreciative when most people are caught in a loop—trying to make the world, and others, behave. And of course, this seldom if ever works.
Appreciation exists in the here and now. It is an approach to the ‘is-ness’ of life. It only happens when I suspend judgement so as to be present with what ‘is.’ In a sense, appreciation is a meditation and a reflection—a way of telling ones life-story with gratitude.
Celebrate Your Life
On killing the Buddha. - This means ‘being with’ myself as I am, without judgement. I am how I am. And as I go there, I realize that, if I do not cling to the idea that I will be this way ‘forever,’ how I am shifts as time goes by. If I do not invest in my ‘tale of woe,’ I pass through it… until the next time.
The joy of non-duality
All interpretations are the same. Sensory data comes in, and you interpret it and give it a meaning. In other words, if you see a box, and say, “It’s a small box,” the “real” part is the box. Small is relative, as it means, “Small, compared to…” The box does not have “small” as a characteristic—it is not a part of its nature. Small (red, rough, etc.) are descriptors you have added. The same is so for your internal interpretations. (Nice, cold, angry, bad, good, fat, smart, stupid, etc.) Interpretations made in your head about someone are not ‘true.’ They’re just your stories.
Zen Based, Present Living
