Zen is not a dictionary or a thesaurus word. I looked there first and was astonished at how few words starting with Z there are in those books. In my Webster's New Explorer Large Print Dictionary - New Edition Completely Revised and Updated - More than 40,000 entries Created in Coorperation with the Editors of Mirriam-Webster there are only, and exactly, 36 words starting with 'Z . One word is just 'Z', and I don't think that is a word. (It's only a letter, for gosh sakes, Webster!) Out of those 36 words, there is only one I didn't know the meaning of and it is 'zeitgeist'. Isn't that a great word? It means "a general spirit of the era." I like that word. I'm going to have to think up ways to use it so I won't forget it.
I found 'Zen' in my old 1964 Encyclopedia Brittanica - in the last book naturally. The explanation of Zen starts off - "Zen (Ch'an in Chinese, abbreviated from ch'an-na, a transcribed form of dhyana in Sanskrit) is a school of Buddhism claiming to transmit the spirit or essence of Buddhism." Oh.---
I should have stopped reading right there. The article went on and on to explain the subject in terms derived from Chinese, Indian, and Japanese. When I finished the article, with my eyes almost crossed from trying to decipher the tiny size 7 font, I decided I should read about the life of Buddha and Buddhism itself, and decide for myself a good description of Zen. Or not. Maybe I'll just keep on thinking of it as a peaceful, almost hypnotic.feeling, I can acquire from staring fixedly at a beautiful thing for a long time.
I intended to clean the shed this afternoon. I want to dig out the nice heavy dark green material stored out somewhere in a box in the shed. It will make good winter curtains. They will help keep cold drafts out. I want to make them, and then buy some kind of bright trimming to sew on the borders, and I need to measure how much to buy when I go to town with Jane on Dec. 17th. Dark green curtains with bright border trimming will make a pretty frame for my little Christmas tree.
But here I am pondering the meaning of Zen instead of cleaning the shed. It is all Tonia the tree hugger's fault. She is a talented photographer and friend on Gather, and she has entered a lovely picture she took and named 'Floating" in a contest at 8020 Media of the JPG magazine. She sent out a mass mailing, with her apologies, asking her Gather friends to look it up and give her a positive vote. There is money in it for her if she wins. You have to go through a formality of joining the outfit, but it was fairly painless and well worth it.
The topic of the contest is Zen, and there are many lovely pictures to be seen. Tonia's was by far the best, and I was enthusiastic about voting for her picture. It is of a beautiful maple leaf in autumn colors floating lightly on a perfectly placid body of water. Perfect Zen by any definition. Perfect peace. I urge you to take a couple of minutes to take a look at it and give Tonia a positive vote.
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Comments: 17
... and that is a zen moment. Still, full, and complete.
My understandings come in bursts of light
Illuminating an expanse of imaginal plane.
My theories come in synchronicities and
instinctual leaps.
My truth comes in different shapes and sizes.
It is not free, but fluctuates
in tone and price.
Pretty butterflies may morph
into pre-archaic beasts
of mechanical flight
then fission into visions
throughout time and space
or coalesce into a perfect face.
Is there Truth?
A million tiny fire flies dance.
Packing up my picnic
I head on home to dream.
On my way
a willow tree
swaying magestically over open water
opens to a glimpse
of the frozen moon.
(c) Feb.17, 2006 Laurie Corzett
Somehow this story connected with me on some non verbal level, and I never finished the book, because I seem to have figured out what Zen is all about with that story.
About the word zeitgiest - I'm sorry to say its German sound is authentic and may refer only to the spirit of the times when the Nazis were in power. Too bad. It's tainted for further use as far as I'm concerned.
William - I think you've got it! Still seems very Zen-like to me.
Hi flit -Thanks for stopping by.
I don't know much about achieving the state of Zen, but Tonia's photo captures perfect stillness, and the atmosphere of the autumn leaf being supported by the great mass of water it gently rests upon, she got my vote. I hope you are well my friend and keeping warm, love from all.
Darcey.