30 SECOND ENLIGHTENMENT

Zen, from its foundation in China of the 6th Century A.D., has always been more than a religion. It is an intriguing system of principles and practices designed to give each individual the experience of eternity in a split second, the knowledge of divinity in every living thing.

Instant enlightenment?  It's not hard to attain- and it's impossible to avoid. Want to find out Why And How? Dive straight into the weekly zentraveler newsletter for the answers. Zen can be broken down to two words...not necessarily so. Zen is the Japanese word for "religious meditation" that is distantly related to Sanskrit, of similar meaning. In English, the word came to designate a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism that was established fully by the 12th century after a couple of earlier incarnations in China.

The school of thought emphasizes self-discipline and the attainment of sudden enlightenment (called Satori, in Zen Buddhism) through meditation on nonlogical paradoxes; it is not focused on the practice of good deeds, rites and ceremonies, or worship like other religious schools of thought. Zen, from its foundation in China of the 6th Century A.D., has always been more than a religion. It is an intriguing system of principles and practices designed to give each individual the experience of eternity in a split second, the knowledge of divinity in every living thing.

A common form of personal Zen meditation is Zazen. Zazen involves sitting, usually erect with legs crossed and hands positioned together with palms up, and contemplating Koans, which are paradoxical statements or questions worded to force one to abandon reason and gain insight into a transcendent truth. A well-known example is: "When both hands are clapped, a sound is produced; listen to the sound of one hand clapping."

Zen can also refer to the calm attentiveness and attitude of acceptance experienced after, and perhaps during (but contemplating koans is likely rather exhausting, so calmness during is questionable) Zen meditation, and, in general, to a feeling or attitude similar to that of a person who seems to have had a "Zen" experience, as in "running is my Zen." A non-Buddhist in such a state might also be said to be "zen" or "very Zen" when feeling calm and relaxed, and things serene are often referred to as "Zen"—for instance, a rain forest on a non-rainy day can be Zen.

It is one thing to describe the factual history of this exotic strain of Buddhism. It’s quite another thing to successfully convey the crazy wisdom of the Zen masters, their zany sense of humor, and their uncanny ability to pass on the experience of enlightenment to their students.

The paradoxical teaching stories and style of the Zen master are  important keys to understanding Oriental art, literature, architecture, and attitudes towards life and death.

Want to hang in a cave for forty years listening to the running brook, want to spend your inheritance traveling through India and other religious meccas searching for the answer.  Want to grow a beard or have long hairy armpits.  Want to dress in yellow and go through the market begging for your daily meal.  Want to be whacked on the head with a hickory stick, join a cult for crazy sex or like every thing else in this speed driven instant gratification world… do you simply want to be enlightened in 30 seconds and that’s that!

This treatise on Zen Enlightenment takes all of the guess work out of being connected to a higher self.  Which by the way has always been with you since birth.  Before you start fidgeting around and making the sounds like a wounded cow in heat…om,  om, om, you need to empty your mind exactly the same as you would delete items on your computer.  With all of this media hype buzzing around in your head you have zero chance of being enlightened in this world.

So simply empty your mind of useless clutter and then you can get down to the business of 30 second enlightenment.

Choose a dark room with one flickering candle and concentrate on the flame until your mind draws a blank and within 30 seconds you will see a kaleidoscope of bright colors like shooting stars.  Now take 30 more seconds and concentrate on the one bright yellow lite and if your math is up to snuff that’s a total of 60 seconds which is a perfect koan in higher Zen instruction.  With your 60 second battery beaming strait up to the Universe you are connected and for all practical purposes an enlightened Homo sapien.  Now get a brown, red, orange and yellow outfit, write a book... and start spreading the word.

You didn’t think you were going to get a FREE RIDE TO ENLIGHTENMENT DID YOU ?

So there you have it!  Anyone who has 30 seconds to spare and a concentration level equal to an ant can change their destiny and walk away totally enlightened.  Caution when immigration asked your profession and you claim enlightenment you better be able to prove it or risk the loony bin or some serious jail time.  Most grasshoppers are already enlightened…so you can fast forward ahead grasshopper.

QUOTE: “Late one night a female Zen adept was carrying water in an old wooden bucket when she happened to glance across the surface of the water and saw the reflection of the moon. As she walked the bucket began to come apart and the bottom of the pail broke through, with the water suddenly disappearing into the soil beneath her feet and the moon’s reflection disappearing along with it. In that instant the young woman realized that the moon she had been looking at was just a reflection of the real thing…just as her whole life had been. She turned to look at the moon in all it’s silent glory, her mind was ripe, and that was it…Enlightenment.” No Moon, No water.

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Zen teaches that all humans have the capacity to attain enlightenment because we all have an inherent Buddha-nature; indeed, we are all already enlightened beings, but our true potential has been clouded by ignorance.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Your three miracles…might come in handy on the other side.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: You wanted enlightenment…you already had it now you need to know you are Enlighted and you can forget about all of the noise around you.  Well spent 30 seconds If I don’t say so myself. Practicing Zen is believed to have a calming effect on the mind and body, which not only helps one to lead a healthy life, but also to deal with various problems efficiently. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.

How can such a simple practice change the destiny of millions of people? Because of the infinite potential of the human heart and mind – the power of thought to direct change, and the power of love to conquer all.” —Daaji

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.  Follow the Zentraveler Newsletter often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one Newsletter For The Price of FREE?

ZENTRAVELER IS A PERSONAL NEWSLETTER, DESIGNED TO GIVE TRAVEL, HEALTH, WRITING AND HUMOR INCLUDING HELPFUL HINTS WITH A ZEN LIKE QUALITY