I have been studying the oriental worldly wisdom of Zen Buddhism for over 30 years. I thought I had a basic understanding of Zen. Yet, when I visit the library and browse through a couple of Zen books by some Western authors, I got confused.
It could be that certain quotes by ancient thinkers was interpreted out of context. It could be that central meaning of a few key Chinese words was lost when translated into English. It could be that certain authors got stuck with the religious context and lost sight of daily meaning of this worldly wisdom. Whatever it is, the confusions and debates about "What is Zen" prompted me pen a few words to describe my take.
The Chinese character of Zen, 禅, pronounced as "Chán" in China and later as "Zen" in Japan, stands for a `mind' that is `singular'. Simply put, Zen is a way to unleash human potential through single-minded focus. The secret methods of Zen were discovered by the Buddhist Kungfu Masters in the ancient Shaolin Temple in China. But Zen itself is not a sect of Buddhism or any religion. Instead, it should be considered a breakthrough in the science of the human mind. Zen is about focusing the mind like a laser beam cutting through carbon steel to reach the core. This thought process is also known as enlightenment or awakening to realities that are clear and simple. At Zenway.com Wealth Management, we try to re-focus and re-sharpen our money mind so we can penetrate the clouds over Wall Street and capitalize on the disparities between perceptions and realities.
In my opinion, Zen is an enlightened state of mind attained when a single-minded focus is directed at doing the most basic things extraordinarily well. There is no mystery about it. You can feel it every day in everything you do. You can experience it when you walk, eat, read, and even sleep, if you do it the right way.
Brian Zen, CFA
http://www.zenway.com
Wealth Management • Tax Planning • Estate Strategies
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