ZEN MIRACLES
(FINDING PEACE IN AN INSANE WORLD)
“A young shoot has borne
Beautiful flowers
Growing upon an aged plum tree”
Basho
We all want life to be miraculous, and it is. We pray for miracles, seek miracles, listen to stories about miracles, and think miracles will happen someday in the future, or happened thousands of years ago. So few realize that the great miracle is happening in our lives, right now. Zen is simply the practice of seeing the miracle that is right in front of our eyes, giving thanks and rejoicing.
As we seek more and more success, money, skills, friendship, the great miracle of Life itself can go undetected. Many live their precious days in misery, feeling like beggars, losers, bringing resentment to the great feast of life.
Zen practice is dedicated to our being able to become aware of the gifts and miracles we receive daily, removing the veils that cloud us from the moment we open our eyes. These veils turn friends into enemies, joy into suffering and heaven itself into hell. This is not the fault of anything outside ourselves. It is simply the nature of the deluded mind.
Until the deluded mind is recognized for what it is, we are not able to know who we are, what we are receiving, or to give thanks wholeheartedly.
What Is Zen Practice
Henry Miller has said that “The only real miracle is to stand still.”
As we turn away from the chaos of life and enter the still center within, the true miracle of life itself becomes apparent and available to all. It is truly needed these days. Zazen is a practice which helps us do this. It is not a replacement for anything else. It is simply part of the miracle that is here now, ready and waiting for us all.
Seeking The Answer
Centuries ago, a physician, faced daily with death and suffering, sought out the guidance of a famous Zen Master, living quietly, inaccessible, in a mountain hut. The physician climbed the mountain, searched for the hut, and after many days, found him raking leaves at the side of his tiny house. The teacher did not look up when the student arrived, but kept raking slowly.
“I have come to understand the essence of Zen,” the physician proclaimed.
The Zen Master looked up for a moment, his eyes piercing the student.
“Go home and be kind to your patients,” the Master replied. “That is Zen.”
Laura, a mother in her mid-forties who had always led a life of good health, woke up one day to find herself ill. She initially discounted it for a passing virus, but weeks passed and it remained. Her moods became uncontrollable, and finally her balance was off and her eyes swollen. After visiting a number of doctors, she was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder. She was put on medication and told she might or might now get better. Months more passed with no improvement. Desperate, she tried acupuncture, herbs and a host of other alternative remedies, and yet her condition remained unchanged.
One afternoon a friend offered to teach her Zen meditation. Laura felt she had nothing to lose and followed the basic instructions.
“It felt good,” she said, “but not spectacular. Bells didn’t go off. I didn’t get high.” Nevertheless, something drew her back to the meditation cushion, and she decided, from that point on, to spend time each day sitting.
Within six months of steady Zen practice, Laura’s eyes became normal, her moods steadied, she became balanced again. When now asked about Zen, she says, “I have no idea what it is. It’s nothing special, has simply saved my life.”
Go Home And Be Kind To Others
There are so many ideas of what it means to be kind. In many cases, these are simply ideas, beliefs, injunctions. Even when we give or receive this kind of kindness, there is often something missing, a sense of hollowness appears. Zen practice explores the true nature of kindness, to others and oneself.
True kindness, from the Zen perspective, arises in the moment with what is truly needed. It includes the willingness and ability to be fully present for whatever arises, to see and hear what is in front of our eyes. To really meet the other. That can be difficult for the deluded mind, which prefers fantasies, ideas and illusions to what is actually happening right here. However, once we receive a delicious taste of the true moment, and what it asks of us, it is hard to go back to fantasies again.
Working with a Zen Master is the expression of another form of kindness as well. A Zen Master will prod, kick, yell, cajole, reject, love and shove you into realizing that no one else has your truth. They certainly do not. To find the answers to your life questions, you must look within. Nothing less will do. Nothing more is needed.
Just find and honor the head on your own shoulders, the heart that’s beating right now inside of you. Turn the search around, discover and trust what you find within.
“Don’t put a head on your head,
What’s wrong with your own head anyway?”
BIO: Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.d. is an author, speaker, psychologist and long term Zen practitioner. Her work integrates the teachings of East and West and focuses upon how to live them in our everyday lives. This article is based upon her book, Zen Miracle, (Finding Peace In An Insane World). She offers talks, workshops and a weekly podcast, Zen Wisdom for Your Everyday Life. Her YouTube channel is DrBrendaShoshanna. Reach her at topspeaker@yahoo.co
m