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Lessons from Zen Buddhism

“You don’t preach Zen. Neither do you learn it.”
~Zen Saying~

Large Meditating Japanese Garden Buddha Statue — Meditating Japanese Garden Buddha Statue

Zen Buddhism is a philosophy emphasizing that enlightenment and Nirvana are reached through deep meditation, intuition and spiritual contemplation, rather than ritual worship or study of scriptures. This new version of Buddhism developed into two schools of thought. One Zen belief is that attaining enlightenment is a gradual process, with the help of daily meditation and spiritual devotion. The other Zen notion is that enlightenment comes in an instant; a sudden understanding of one’s existing inner-Buddha. The intrinsic concept of Zen Buddhism is that everyone takes their own individual path to reach spiritual bliss and contentment.
Throughout history, many Zen-masters have emerged to teach students through storytelling with anecdotes based on interpretations of Buddhist perspective. These stories emphasize a spiritual awakening and push the mind into new ways of thinking and reflecting on life. Many Zen stories are inter-woven with Buddhist philosophies, such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

The Four Noble Truths:

Life means suffering
The origin of suffering is attachment
The end of suffering is attainable
There is a path to end suffering

The Eightfold Path:

Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Lotus Sculpture would like to share a collection of short stories, mostly Zen and Taoist tales, to awaken the spirit and bring peace of mind. The beauty of the simplicity behind the messages can be interpreted in many ways – the lessons you take from them are a reflection of who you are.

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” –The ~Buddha~

Zen Story –Sounds of Silence
Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks. By nightfall on the first day, the candle began to flicker and then went out. The first monk said, “Oh, no! The candle is out.” The second monk said, “Aren’t we not suppose to talk?” The third monk said, “Why must you two break the silence?” The fourth monk laughed and said, “Ha! I’m the only one who didn’t speak.”
“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” –Taoist Saying

Zen Story –It Will Pass
A Student went to his meditation teacher and said, “My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I’m constantly falling asleep. It’s just horrible!”
“It will pass,” the teacher said matter-of-factly.
A week later, the student came back to his teacher. “My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It’s just so wonderful!”
“It will pass,” the teacher said matter-of-factly.
”Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.” –Zen Master Dogen

Optimize Your Environment

For many people, their living environment is simply a place to lay their head at night and go to between the hustle and bustle of daily life or for others merely a storage compartment for all their many possessions. But what many people don’t realize is that our personal homes and spaces are often a reflection of ourselves and our internal states. The way you maintain and care for your home can speak wonders for how you are feeling inside. If your personal space is cluttered, crammed, or overwhelming, it might suggest some internal struggle, or even perhaps infiltrate stress into your life.

Taking some time to organize, purge the unnecessary, and add some personal touches to your home can alleviate stresses and become a calming presence in your life. Buddhist principles stress simplicity. Although minimalism is encouraged, I believe that our homes should be regarded as a sanctuary of sorts; a safe place where we can unwind and be surrounded with things that make us joyful. Take away all the unnecessary things and replace them with a few objects that make you happy. If art is medium of relief for you, create a space just for painting. The same goes for music, crafts, writing, or whatever it is you like to do to bring yourself ease and contentment.

P1010543 — 10″ Teaching Gandhara Buddha Statue by Lotus Sculpture $115

If spirituality is important to you, create a space for meditation or private reflection. Someplace quiet, simple, and away from the chaos that may be your household on a daily basis. Even consider bringing a meditative tool into your life, a teaching Buddha Statue, to help with your focus and as a constant reminder of the necessity for practice.

As William Morris once said,

“If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

Fill Up Your Karmic Piggy Bank

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.”
Buddha

Many Americans are at least minutely familiar with the concept of Karma. We all learn in grade school about the universal laws of cause and effect or more accurately termed, Newton’s Laws of Motion: to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction. The concept of Karma is very similarly defined but relating to our awareness rather than simply physical matter. Karma is the broad universal concept of cause and effect or action and reaction, which governs all consciousness. This means that everything we do, think, say, or encourage others to do produces either positive or negative karma. The karma that we produce both effects this lifetime, and our lifetimes to come.

When many people hear this they immediately think that this implies that our actions are not freely governed or that everything that happens to us is out of our control and already fated based on our past. But this is not the case. Karma should not be thought of as predestined fate, as we all act with free will creating our own destines. If we sow goodness in our lives we will reap goodness. We have the power to influence our Karmic piggy banks in a positive way with every kind gesture and thought. Although not all Karma is realized immediately or in this lifetime, it will come back to us in other lifetimes.

Through positive actions, unadulterated thoughts, prayer, mantras, and meditation we can all reconcile the influence of karma in this present life and turn our destinies for the better. Its never a bad time to remember to be kind unto others, or as our mothers always taught treat others the way you want to be treated. I believe the world could benefit from a lot more kindness. The next time you see someone struggling with a bag of groceries, lend a helping hand. The goodness you bring to the world every day will shine back on you. You can shape your future as you wish it.

Buddhism & the Environment: Show Loving-Kindness to All

Taking care of the earth and all its living creatures is an essential part of Buddhist practice. Within the vast array of Buddhist teachings, 3 relate directly to the exercise of taking care of our sacred planet. The first of these is what is referred to as ‘interdependent origination’ in which Buddhists believe that nothing on this earth has independent existence. All of earth’s creatures can be thought of as a thread on the same great tapestry of the universe and therefore intrinsically linked together. Our interactions keep the tapestry in a constant state of flux. So in essence whatever conditions happen to one, happen to all.

The second teaching is the First Precept, or ‘do not kill.’ This entails that we must not directly harm another living creature nor allow others to kill for us. This has enormous implications, as believers must make sure that every product they buy is produced or obtained without destruction of the environment. Obviously keeping track of everything would be an arduous task for any individual, so one must at least be mindful and not blatantly disregard the origins of purchases.

The last teaching is called ‘metta’ or showing loving-kindness towards every being. This means that we must show kindness even towards things we do not like or find trivial. As the metta sutta put it,

“As a mother would risk her life
to protect her child, her only child,
even so should one cultivate a limitless heart
with regard to all beings.”

e-buddha-a — 22″ Garden Lava Stone Buddha Statue in Wai Position by Lotus Sculpture $690

We should all put forth a better effort to be more mindful of our environments in order to help take care of our sacred earth. Even adopting simple practices such as recycling, planting a small vegetable patch, or riding a bike every once and a while instead of driving can make a big impact. And don’t forget to enjoy your environment. Keep your yard healthy and thriving while enjoying its beauty and tranquility.

Becoming In Touch with Ones Chakras Through Meditation

According to yogic traditions of both Buddhism and Hinduism, chakras are believed to be energy centers within the body. Each of the chakras corresponds to both an important part of our physical body as well as what is referred to as our ‘subtle body’ or spiritual body containing the universal force. Rooted in the Sanskrit word for ‘wheel’, the chakras are believed to be in an endless rotation of Shakti or the sacred force.

Located along a central channel, the chakras are spaced intermittently from the crown of the head to the base of the spine in correspondence with key areas of our bodies. Although the total number of chakras varies from teacher to teacher, many westerners define 7 major chakras: the root, the belly, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and ultimately crown. Each of these must remain healthy in order for good energy flow.

It is believed that if the chakras are not in balance with one another or are blocked, the universal force running between them will be slowed leaving one feeling unwoven, tired, stressed, and in cases susceptible to disease. A flowing balance between the chakras is vital to feeling an overall sense of health and well being.

Meditation can be used both to diagnose the health of our chakras as well as to heal and achieve balance within them. If you are currently feeling sluggish, tense, overwhelmed, or just plain overworked, your vital energies may be unbalanced. Try bringing meditation into your life as a healing power. There are many exercises and meditative techniques to help you once again achieve balance. Practice meditating at least once a day to promote relaxation. Start with small increments and work your way up in time as you become more skilled at keeping focus.

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