But stopping for a few seconds a day, and enjoying the moment, that’s something everyone can do.
That’s not realistic unless you’re a Monk. I say most because you’re probably way too busy to enjoy every moment. Just makes sure you enjoy most moments of your day. Actually, you don’t need to be the first person who does anything. You don’t need to be the youngest person to climb Everest. Look, you don’t have to do groundbreaking things to live a meaningful life. “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” This quote from Thích Nhất Hạnh, a Vietnamese Zen Monk, says it all: I still like to listen to music because that easily moves to the background. These days, I completely focus on the task at hand: Running, lifting weights, my muscles, the way I breathe, etc. I’ve stopped doing things like listening to audiobooks and podcasts when you’re working on something important, or when you’re exercising.Įver since I quit that type of multitasking behavior, my workouts have improved drastically. I’ve recently learned to do one thing at a time. One note: Meditation doesn’t work when you try to do six thousand things at the same time. Make sure you’re one with your body, clear your mind, and do it regularly. Sitting meditation, yoga, running, strength training - you can MAKE it work for you. I’ve found it doesn’t matter what type of activity you use. The most important thing about meditation is this: Practice being in the moment. So I’ve turned running and strength training into my meditation. I’ve tried sitting meditation in the past. The most important part of a Zen monk’s life is meditation.
So I’ve made a list of 5 Zen lessons I’ve found practical and easily applicable to modern-day life. I’ll leave that to the pseudo intellectualists of this world.Īll I know is that many of the Zen teachings are very useful for living a peaceful and happy life. To be honest, I also don’t care what is what and who invented certain ideas. Buddhism, Taoism, Zen - they share many of the same ideas. What I’ve found is that it’s not a smart thing to get hung up on definitions, movements, and groups. Over the past few years, I’ve read more about Zen and everything that’s related to it. You still have to do what you’re meant to do. Nothing changes once you achieve something. You can replace enlightenment with any life goal. My interpretation is that no matter what happens in your life you must keep doing your task. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” - Wu Li “Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. Phil Jackson also mentions a Zen quote in his book Eleven Rings (which is about the championship runs of the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers): When I found out about that, I wanted to learn more about Zen. I started reading more about Zen when I learned that legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson is very into Zen and used the concepts to coach Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.Īnd especially Kobe, a person who I have immense respect for, embraced Zen principles. It’s not a religion, belief, or piece of knowledge.
What is Zen, actually? To be honest, I don’t know. When I tell my friends, colleagues, and people I work with that I like reading about Zen Buddhism, they often make remarks like: “When are you going to grow your hair, walk around bare feet, and talk about yoga all day?”
#I need some zen time full#
And Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism, is full of practical wisdom. I love practical advice that you can immediately apply to your life.
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