Zen

Awakening is the path to enlightenment and inner freedom. In this respect, it shares a common stance with Yoga. The state of "enlightenment," the goal of Zen, is defined as a sudden awakening and realization of the nature of one's own being.

This is something one cannot attain through a savior or worship, but through one's own efforts. The Zen teacher "Roshi" is not a master, but merely a guide. Enlightenment can be achieved by directing one's consciousness to the inner world; the key is meditation. In other words, enlightenment is the opening of the "eye of the heart"; one gains such a perspective that one realizes one's own nature, attains pure being, heightened consciousness, and transcends duality. Zen teachings and practices aim to enable one to attain the nature of one's own being after a period of intense meditation—that is, to attain a being untainted by the muck of the world and ignorance—in other words, to attain heightened consciousness. The state of awareness at the moment of attainment is called awakening or enlightenment, "Kensho, Satori." According to a Zen teacher, "Regardless of religion and name, true sages, saints, and prophets are beings who have attained this state." The most significant differences in Zen compared to other schools of Buddhism are as follows:

• Zen prioritizes the experience of enlightenment.

• According to Zen teachings, performing religious rituals provides no benefit on the path to enlightenment.

• According to Zen teachings, learning any teaching at a purely theoretical level is of no benefit on the path to enlightenment.

• In Zen, theoretical knowledge that has not been applied in the soul and has not left a mark on consciousness is not considered knowledge. Theoretical knowledge becomes true knowledge only when it leaves an impression on the soul.

• Another very distinctive characteristic is the social solidarity aspect of humanity's spiritual development. Those on the path of enlightenment (Bodhisattvas) vow not to depart from worldly life until they have guided the last living being on earth to inner freedom and enlightenment.

The mind meticulously analyzes what it perceives, molds it, evaluates it, and forms opinions and judgments based on it. In contrast, the Zen approach is to perceive and notice simply, abandoning all thought and thought, and thus perceive reality directly; it removes the mind from the way so that it cannot distort reality through thought. Only then do we perceive the world in its "suchness." In fact, everything is pure and simple when perceived without the mind. Therefore, Zen values ​​personal and direct experience and simple understanding; it disregards clichéd, stereotyped sayings and sacred scriptures, and for this reason, it is also known as "teaching without teaching." Personal experience should not be confused with the ego. If the ego comes between us and reality, we recognize it and push it aside, for the ego is obstructive.

Zen is our daily activities. We observe and integrate our environment and the work we do. Meanwhile, we find ourselves engaged in the activity of perceiving and often generating minds. In this way, our work holds a mirror up to us, revealing ourselves. Every activity in which we engage in a state of integration or unity offers us the opportunity to know ourselves, revealing our emotions and moods.

Zazen, in the Zen Buddhist tradition, is the path to achieving mindlessness—that is, a state of pure perception. In this practice, which means "sitting Zen," one sits and observes what is happening in silence. The observer monitors their own breathing, emotions, and thoughts, as they do any other stimuli, without interfering with them. This attitude finds meaning when it is maintained in other areas of life. Whether at work or at rest, with others or alone, regardless of the circumstances, remaining alert and aware opens the path to inner freedom. This is the attitude of all Zen arts.

ZEN TECHNIQUES

There are two main techniques in Zen.

1. Z A Z E N

The ritualistic sitting style of Zen Buddhism is called Zazen. It is a technique primarily employed by followers of the "Soto" school, and its literal meaning is "sitting meditation." Unlike some forms of meditation, it is based not on contemplation but on alertness and intense awareness.

According to Zen Buddhism, the reality of the world is superficial and misleading. Beings are not permanent, but dissolve into a vast void. The entities you perceive as concrete realities, including yourself, gain meaning only through this void. This void is not nothingness, but a creative and transformative void. Although still, it is the one that gives birth to all movement. Therefore, when seeking the foundation of being, and therefore the answer to existence, one must engage with that void. Therefore, during this search, after sitting with the back and head erect, all movements are stopped, and fidgeting is minimized as much as possible. Thoughts passing through the mind are not suppressed; on the contrary, their flow is observed without interfering. Attention is concentrated on the present moment, particularly by following the breath. Meanwhile, the stimulation of the sense organs is unhindered, and the incoming stimulus is perceived and released.

Zazen is the shortest, yet most difficult, path to awakening and enlightenment.

During zazen, breathing, when followed naturally, slows down and deepens spontaneously, the sensitivity of the sense organs increases, the body releases unnecessary tension, changes occur in brain activity, and the mind is freed from the burden of thoughts. Zazen eliminates the negative effects of excessive mental and physical stress, calms the nerves, regulates breathing, increases the ability to concentrate, and opens and clarifies the mind.

Zazen is not, in fact, a method that enables people living in a state of ignorance (avidya) to achieve liberation; in short, it is about embodying the perfection that exists within every person at every moment.

In daily life, Zazen should not be practiced to overpower other activities, because Zazen is only one of the activities of Zen, and no daily activity is excluded from Zen. Furthermore, no Zen activity pursues a goal. That's why it's said, "Zen is your daily life." You should include Zazen in your daily life in moderation, avoiding excessive sitting time (fifty minutes at most without getting up). If you pay attention to this, you will inevitably encounter the expected benefits of Zazen. Then, Zen will become your path to well-being and peace.

2. USE OF KOAN

This technique is based on question-and-answer dialogue, often accompanied by various poetic riddles (mysteries) called "koans," such as "you look but you can't see, you listen but you can't hear, you use endlessly."

Koans facilitate the learning of essential and profound knowledge or truths. In the words of a Zen follower, this leads to sudden intuitive enlightenment and the discovery of the Buddha within, transcending the separation between reason and non-reason.

In the question-and-answer teaching method (Mondo) employed by Zen teachers, the student meditates on the Koan until they discover the answer through a sudden illumination.

In this way, the Zen follower progresses toward their goal through sudden and intermittent realizations, reminiscent of a flame that suddenly flares up or a lightning bolt that suddenly disappears.