The Zen of Jen

 

(Jen is an online pen pal I met at Brian Hine's fine site, Church of the Churchless.

https://hinessight.blogs.com/church_of_the_churchless/

Jen commented here a few days ago elegantly about Existentialism and Buddhism, and so I asked her if I could repost those citations and if she wouldn't mind adding some thoughts.

Jen's straightforward  and sensible approach to her own mindfulness practice, and the philosophy behind it is very attractive. Anyone can adopt this personal philosophy, even if they choose to hold other religious or anti-religious views as well.  I hope this is the first of many posts our local Zenmaster Jen will create for all of us here at Atheist and Believer.)

 

 I often wonder if I am an atheist, or simply have existential views. I try to practice mindfulness, living with awareness and in the moment, the Zen buddhist way...

“The aim of mindfulness is to know suffering fully. It entails paying calm, unflinching attention to whatever impacts the organism, be it the song of a lark or the scream of a child, the bubbling of a playful idea or a twinge in the lower back. You attend not just to the outward stimuli themselves, but equally to%+20your inward reactions to them. You do not condemn what you see as your failings or applaud what you regard as success. You notice things come, you notice them go. Over time, the practice becomes less a self-conscious exercise in meditation done at fixed periods each day and more a sensibility that infuses one’s awareness at all times.” 
― Stephen Batchelor, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

“The origin of the conflict, frustration, and anxiety we experience does not lie in the nature of the world itself but in our distorted conceptions of the world.” 
― Stephen Batchelor, Alone with Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism

“Evasion of the unadorned immediacy of life is a+s deep-seated as it is relentless. Even with the ardent desire to be aware and alert in the present moment, the mind flings us into tawdry and tiresome elaborations of past and future. This craving to be otherwise, to be elsewhere, permeates the body, feeling, perceptions, will - consciousness itself. It is like the background radiation from the big bang of birth, the aftershock of having erupted into existence.” 
― Stephen Batchelor, Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening

“To embrace suffering culminates in greater empathy, the capacity to feel what it is like for the other to suffer, which is the ground for unsentimental compassion and love.” 
― Stephen Batchelor,%+20Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

 

I live a very quiet life and have my own space it is quite easy to watch my thoughts and emotions and its a continuing practice of mine.

 

Living in the moment is about letting go of the past and catching oneself and bringing back one's thoughts to peace and love and presence, a constant struggle with the mind but a very worthy practice imo.

 

As you've probably noticed I do like to look up quotes to find something that resonates with me, its like talking to myself, a little lesson which lifts my spirit for the day...

 

"When we discover that the truth is already in us, we are all at once our original selves." 

Dogen

 

I became interested in Existentialism when I came across this video about existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre - his book "Being and Nothingness"- a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.

Sartre in Ten Minutes (9:59)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ba3kvofvyg

 

Existentialism meets Buddhism

 

A good portion of my writing focuses on Eastern practices such as mindfulness, and how they can improve one’s life. Another topic I focus on is existential philosophy and how beliefs derived from that school can also make life more fulfilling. In this post, I’d like to discuss similarities between the two.

 

I was struck recently by how the two philosophies, born of different worlds, came to many of the same conclusions. Existential philosophy is a Western idea, originating in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Buddhism is much older, said to have originated in the fifth century B.C.E. Despite their disparate origins and development, there are several striking similarities.

 

Being in the moment: Heidegger, a famous existential writer, wrote a book translated as “mindfulness”. He talks about Being, living in the moment, throughout his writing. Buddhism, as well as other Eastern philosophies (Taoism, for instance) also focus on the importance of immersion in the moment. As I’ve written a dozen times, empirical studies indicate the benefits of mindfulness for everything from physical ailments to mental health disorders. Mindfulness is essential to both philosophies, as it leads to the power to change, which is discussed next.

 

Individuals can change: To put it existentially, existence precedes essence. Essence is the idea of a finished product, where existence suggests becoming, being, and the ability to take control over one’s life. In Buddhism and other Eastern thought, the idea is that nothing exists except in the moment. Though some sects of Buddhism believe one possess a “Buddha Nature”, it is almost impossible to realize it for extended periods. In both philosophies, the idea is to “become”.

 

The inevitability of death: Though this is a more integral part of existential thought, (the fear of death and the need to face it permeates existentialism), Buddhism also focuses on meditating on one’s death. Being aware of death is central to Tibetan Buddhism, which spurred the famous, “Tibetan Book of the Dead”, and the more recent, “Tibetan Book of Living and Dying”. Yoga has a pose called, “Savasana”, which is translated as “corpse pose”. Though yoga is not Buddhist, it further demonstrates the fact that Eastern thought (in this case Hindu) has come to similar conclusions as western existentialism.

 

Suffering is part of life: What’s more, they both focus on how the view of suffering can be transformative. In Buddhism, suffering is addressed in the Four Noble Truths. Suffering is part of existence, and can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path. Some of this philosophy focuses on acceptance of what cannot be changed (see Acceptance: It Isn’t What You Think).

 

In existential thought, suffering can provide life meaning. Camus’ most famous essay focuses on “The Myth of Sysyphus”, and how even knowing his work is pointless and considered torture by the gods, he embraces his life. Camus ends his essay with the idea that, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart” (Camus, p.123).

 

Viktor Frankl, another existential writer, focuses on the meaning of suffering. When confronted with a patient who suffers because of the death of his wife, Frankl challenges the client’s meaning, pointing out that by bearing this suffering, he spares his wife the suffering of his death. In both of these existential writers’ views, the view of suffering alters its experience.

 

There are similarities between many philosophies and religions. Many focus on making your life happier and becoming a better person. The same is true for these two philosophies. In fact, I once read a book about how different philosophies can help one with mental health (Plato, Not Prozac). I am of the belief that for many mental health issues, a change of philosophy is the cure.

 

Copyright William Berry, 2017

 

"I think we have to trust ourselves in the darkness of not knowing. The God out of which we came and into which we go is an unknown God. It's the luminosity of that darkness and that unknowing that is, I think, the most human - and the most sacred - place of all." 

Sam Keen

 

Jen

Comments

[Jen]

Creativity and Thinking Outside the Box...

The boxes are the walls in your mind...

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.
– Erich Fromm

Learn your techniques well and be prepared to let them go when you touch the human soul.
– Carl Jung

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
– Eleanor Roosevelt

I discovered that searching can be as interesting as finding.
– Paulo Coelho

[Jen]

Life is an illusion a dream;
a bubble;
a shadow.
Nothing is permanent.
Nothing is worthy of anger or dispute.
Nothing.

Buddha

Every morning we are born again.
What we do today is
what matters most.

Buddha

Hang on to nothing,
as nothing truly is.

And this is true freedom ―
being free from the mind's desire
to control the uncontrollable.

To integrate this understanding into our lives,
you must inquire deeper into the temporary nature of being.
You must first see through life's illusion
before you can free yourself from its false drama.

Zen Thinking

[Jen]

There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.

It flows through all things,
inside and outside, and returns
to the origin of all things.

The Tao is great.
The universe is great.
Earth is great.
Man is great.
These are the four great powers.

Man follows the earth.
Earth follows the universe.
The universe follows the Tao.
The Tao follows only itself.

From The Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tzu

.........................

What is Tao...

Tao (pronounced "dao") means literally "the path" or "the way." It is a universal principle that underlies everything from the creation of galaxies to the interaction of human beings.

[Stillness]

Returning to the source is stillness,
which is the way of nature.
The way of nature is unchanging.
Knowing constancy is insight.

Lao Tzu

The quieter you become,
The more you are able to hear.

Rumi

Listen to silence.
It has so much to say.

Rumi

There is a way between voice and
presence where information flows.
In disciplined silence it opens
With wandering talk it closes.

Rumi

Posted by Jen

[Gratitude]

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers,
but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.
The curriculum is so much necessary raw material,
but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant
and for the soul of the child.

Carl Jung

Posted by Jen

[Searching]

We learn from many teachers and then we move on. Its an ongoing search to find who we really are. Why not have faith in one's own self?

Its not ego. Its a slow path of self recognition. A slow meandering path of searching, finding and honouring one's own powerful inner being.

................

Check yourself.
Sometimes you are the toxic person.
Sometimes you are the mean, negative
person you're looking to push away.
Sometimes the problem is you.
And that doesn't make you less worthy.
Keep on growing.
Keep on checking yourself.
Keep on motivating yourself.
Mistakes are opportunities.
Look at them, own them,
grow from them and move on.
Do better, be better.
You're human.
It's okay.

From: Higher Perspective quotes

Posted by Jen

[Nothingness]

Nothingness

You hide me in your cloak of Nothingness
Reflect my ghost in your glass of Being
I am nothing, yet appear: transparent dream
Where your Eternity briefly trembles

Rumi

To seek is to suffer.
To seek nothing is bliss.

Bodhidharma

You are the universe,
expressing itself as a human
for a little while.

Eckhart Tolle

Posted by Jen

[Philosophy]

Excerpts from The Book of Mirdad (an allegorical book of philosophy by Lebanese author Mikha'il Na'ima)

Set no limits to yourselves.
Spread out until there are no regions where you are not.
Spread out until the whole world be wherever you may chance to be.
Spread out till you meet God wherever you meet yourselves.
.....
Refrain from speaking much.
Out of a thousand words uttered there may be one, and one only, that need in truth be uttered.
The rest but cloud the mind, and stuff the ear, and irk the tongue, and blind the ear as well.
How hard, oh, how hard it is to write the word that need in truth be written!
.....
You walkers on the Earth, how measure you the distances you walk with paces and with leagues?
Whether you saunter or gallop, are you not carried on by the speed of the Earth into the spaces and regions whither the Earth herself is carried?
.....
The wheel of time rotates, but its axis is ever at rest.
God is the axis of the wheel of Time. Though all things rotate about Him in Time and Space, yet is He always timeless and space-less and still...
In the axis all is peace. On the rim all is commotion. Where would you rather be?
I say to you, slip from the rim of Time into the axis and spare yourselves the nausea of motion.
Let Time revolve about you; but you revolve not with Time.
.....
What the non-yearner gains - or thinks he gains - in bulk the yearner gains in lightness of spirit and sweetness of understanding.
.....
Think not any effort wasted. Some seeds lie buried in the ground for many years, but quickly come to life when stirred by the breath of the first favouring season.
The seed of Truth is in all men and things. Your work is not to sow the Truth, but to prepare the favouring season for its springing up.
.....
When you rule your heart, what matters it to you who nominally rules your body?
When all the Universe is yours, what matters it who has dominion over this or that tract of the Earth?
.....
So does Unity unconscious of itself beget Duality, that through the friction and the opposition of Duality it may be made to understand its unity.
Not a punishment is Duality, but a process inherent in the nature of Unity and necessary for the unfolding of its divinity.
.....
To the simplest of men the Over-comer appears as the simplest of men. To the highly evolved he appears as one highly evolved.
But there are always sides of him which no man less than an Overcomer can ever feel and understand.
Hence his solitude and sense of being the world yet not of it.
.....
The more you possess, the more you are possessed. The less you possess, the less you are possessed.
Aye, be dispossessed of everything except your Faith, your Love, and your yearning for release through Holy Understanding.

Posted by Jen
.....

Beautiful words, beautiful music...
The Book of Mirdad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOz-yGMMoT8

[Jen]

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” 
― Albert Einstein

“It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

[Jen]

Hi Spence,

I am a mystic and a dreamer ... just felt like looking for some inspirational quotes ...

Sometimes life is about risking everything
for a dream no one can see but you.

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift
and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honours the servant
and has forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein

The most beautiful experience we can have
is the mysterious.
- Albert Einstein

All that you think
is rain is not.
Behind the veil
angels sometimes weep.
- Rumi

Consciousness sleeps in minerals,
dreams in plants,
wakes up in animals, and
becomes self-aware in humans.
- Rumi

[Spence Tepper]

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift
and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honours the servant
and has forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein

Beautiful. Thank you Jen.

It was when Einstein imagined riding on a beam of light that he saw some of the intimate details of how energy, matter and light function.

The Subjective can be a gateway to the objective. And vice versa. Objective things can stir the imagination when they resonate subconsciously with deeper things within.

[Jen]

Spence you do make me smile, nice reply! Once when I was floating on a moon beam I saw Einstein who called out to me from his beam of light and introduced himself and even knew my name!

Of course I had to look up Objective Poetry and Subjective Poetry, its what I do and what I learn from...

"Objective Poetry is impersonal and Subjective Poetry is Personal. In the former the focus of attention is something that is outward – a praiseworthy act, a thrilling occurrence, a beautiful sight; in the latter it is the poet himself: whatever the subject may be, his mind is centred on his own thoughts and feelings."

Well that makes sense to me, when I search for poems its the subjective poetry that attracts me, because I am all about my own thoughts and feelings, I am a dreamer of dreams ;)

[Jen]

I believe in everything until it's disproved.
So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons.
It all exists, even if it's in your mind.
Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real
as the here and now?
- John Lennon

The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion
... the tunnel is.

A thousand times we die in one life.
We crumble, break and tear apart
until the layers of illusion are burned away
and all that is left,
is the truth of who and what we really are.
- Teal Scott

Mirror is my best friend
because when I cry
it never laughs...
- Charlie Chaplin

[Jen]

Message to self...

It is important to be self-aware to
know why you do the things that you do.
Self awareness is the process of having a clear
perception of your personality,
including strengths and weaknesses,
thoughts, beliefs, motivation and emotions.

- psych-facts.tumblr.com

[Jen]

Zen is all about focus, where we put our attention. I like this quote...

"Zen is something words can never adequately define, and when we reach for it, it is gone, but when we’re still, it’s always there. In fact, it’s all around us, but if we search we won’t find it. If we pay enough attention, we realise the power within us and everyone else."

[Jen]

Twisted Quotes...

She is fire
and ice
and water
Fire makes her brighter than the stars
Ice protects her
and water cleans her mess
Only chaos
and twisted thoughts
Still you cannot tame a STORM
.....

I like people with depth,
I like people with emotion,
I like people with a strong mind,
an interesting mind,
a twisted mind,
and also someone that can make me smile.
.....

Scorpio
knows how dark and twisted
this world can be
that's why they are
always on alert.

A Scorpio always
knows what's going on around them
even if you tell them
half of the story.

[Seeking]

When you finally let go of who you believe yourself to be
and all concepts are abandoned entirely,
your beautiful presence of emptiness
can be realised at once.

Emptiness isn't the emptiness that one might imagine,
for in truth, it lacks no-thing.
To be empty is to be filled with
absolute and infinite potentiality,
which is the essential essence
of your true Self.

You are this emptiness;
an absolute presence of blissful nothingness.
Unbound and Free.

Zen Thinking

What the superior man seeks is in himself;
What the small man seeks is in others.
- Confucius

Posted by Jen

[Warrior]

The Warrior's Quest
An Inner Journey for personal meaning and fulfilment...

To open deeply,
as a genuine spiritual life requires,
we need tremendous courage
and strength,
a kind of warrior spirit.

Jack Kornfield

Only as a warrior can one withstand
the path of knowledge.
A warrior cannot complain or regret anything.
His life is an endless challenge,
and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad.
Challenges are simply challenges.

Carlos Castaneda

To achieve the mood of a warrior
is not a simple matter.
It is a revolution.
To regard the lion and the water rats
and our fellow men as equals
is a magnificent act
of a warrior's spirit.
It takes power to do that.

Carlos Castaneda

Be strong
when you are weak.
Be brave
when you are scared.
Be humble
when you are victorious.

The Wisdom Warrior

Posted by Jen

[Psychic Warrior]

Hi Spence,

Something strange happening on the Churchless site. I'm not going to post there or here any more. If you get any strange comments using the name 'Jen' its not from me. So annoying, but anyway you probably are a bit tired of me posting quotes all the time.

Cheers
From Jen

[Spence Tepper]

Hi Jen
No. I love your quotes. You speak to my soul.
Not sure who the other Jen is. They lack your confidence and spirit.

It shines through in every word and quote you choose. If you were a philosophy... The Zen of Jen, please consider me your disciple.

[Jen]

Disappointment Quotes

“Sometimes we expect more from others because we would be willing to do that much for them.”

“Disappointment is the nurse of wisdom.”

“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy.”

“Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”

“You can’t really disappoint yourself. You can do stupid stuff that can lead you to bad consequences, but knowing that you are who you are can ease the pain.”

“We are our own sculptors. We chisel away to create our life’s work but sit down in disappointment when a part is not properly done. Remember, it is a work in progress, there is still much to do.”

[Free Spirit]

Free Spirit Quotes

I know that no one is my judge.
I live according to my own conscience and value discernment
which is governed by The Great Spirit.

............................

O' Great Spirit
Help me always to speak the truth quietly,
to listen with an open mind
when others speak,
and to remember the peace
that may be found in silence.

Cherokee Prayer

............................

By being yourself,
You put something wonderful in the world
that was not there before.

............................

The Great Spirit Prayer

Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind, whose breath gives life to all the world. 

Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom. 

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. 

Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. 

Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. 

Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me. 

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. 

Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others. 

Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me. 

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy, Myself. 

Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. 

So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame. 

— translated by Chief Yellow Lark
............................

Posted by Jen