zaira
19-07-2007, 06:55 AM
Although Zen developed in the heart of one of the oldest traditions known to humanity - Buddhism - it is neither a religion nor a philosophy. Master Deshimaru said it is "the religion before religion," meaning that the practise of Zen awakens the natural human religious spirit, without relying on dogma. Zen is the essence of true religion. Zen is beyond religion and philosophy, beyond all systems and ideologies, beyond all the 'isms'. It speaks directly to the human heart. It is the living experience and the creative force before all formalism. The essence of its message has universal significance. Zen is at the root of self-knowledge, beyond the differences of systems, values, nations or races. Zen is difficult to talk about, because language separates and makes a division in the reality of what is. And so Zen is not transmitted through writings, but rather from person to person, from master to disciple, from one soul to another. All social or physical sciences observe the human race from a particular angle. But the sum of all these viewpoints will never reconstitute a living human being, because human life is beyond all possible analysis. This 'beyond' is life, and it is Zen. And so Master Deshimaru said, "If you want to give Zen another name, call it life." Zen practice is not special, mysterious, or esoteric. It is not separate from the world and everyday life. Zen is nothing other than the return to the normal condition of body and mind. ............... And some of us need to be reminded of that fact.