ARCHIVE for Wednesday 26th December 2001 - Zen Buddhism

One group of people who won't be making new year's resolutions for 2002 are Zen Buddhists.

The only resolution that matters to them is to seek fulfillment in every moment of their lives, so they take each year as it comes...

The essence of Zen Buddhism, which is practised around the world, is a combination of the compassion of Buddhism and a respect for the natural rhythm of life taken from the Chinese religion, Taoism. The Zen philosophy is simple, according to author Roy Gillett: "It is not what you do, but your attitude to it that is important. Fear and anxiety make us inefficient. If you look over your shoulder, what do you do? Trip over."

What it amounts to is that when you try really hard to do something, the more difficult it becomes. You make yourself more self-conscious and less capable.

"The aim of Zen," explains Gillett, "is that the mind does not struggle, it sees." This open and nonjudgmental approach to life has its practical applications.

Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig became a cult classic in the 1970s applying this "mind and not the machine is the problem" philosophy.

It is this practical approach to life that has gained Zen much of its popularity. Traditionally it has shunned the more ritualistic approaches to life and developed a unique brand of poetry known as koans, aimed at breaking down our normal logical concepts about life.

Most famous of these is: What is the sound of one hand clapping? According to Gillett such conundrums "empty the mind instantly creating space in which to see solutions to everyday problems." If this all sound too difficult to grasp, getting a Zen perspective on life means "respecting everyone and everything without fear or favour and making sure you see the wood for the trees by keeping your mind open." And this could stop you making those resolutions that you won't keep, because you are trying too hard.

Zen For Modern Living by Roy Gillett is published by Caxton Press (£16.99). For more information contact roy.gillett@dial.pipex.com or call (UK) +44 (0)12766 83898

The essence of Zen
Zen has been around for centuries and its essence was distilled by the master, Chuang Tzu, over 2000 years ago: "The perfect man employs his mind as a mirror; it grasps nothing: it refuses nothing. It receives but it does not keep."

Mark Winter