Since its arrival in the West, the practice of Zen has taken a rich variety of forms, ranging from the most traditional to the most iconoclastic. At one end of the spectrum there is formal Zen, with its incense, bows, and chants. At the other, there is “bare-bones” Zen, void of liturgy, hierarchy, or lineage. [...]
Archive for February, 2010
53. A fundamental perplexity
Posted in 1, tagged ball of doubt, ichigo ichie, norman fischer, roshi philip kapleau, thich nhat hanh, what is this on 18 February 2010 | 2 Comments »
52. Looking deeply
Posted in 1, tagged Merton, not dependent on words and letters, not-knowing, personal helicon, seamus heaney, thich nhat hanh on 1 February 2010 | 2 Comments »
According to the fifth-century Indian sage Bodhidharma, one of the founders of the Zen tradition, Zen is a mode of inquiry “not dependent on words and letters.” It is a practice of direct seeing, based on direct experience. Language in general and conceptual language in particular can come between our minds and the realities of [...]
