Living A Zen-Inspired Life

Wholeness in a Divided World (2009) by Joshin Althouse Roshi

"The blizzard of the world
has crossed the threshold
and it has overturned
the order of the soul."

Leonard Cohen

I suppose we could all agree by now that the housing crisis is not the only bubble that is being burst in our world. As major world views are crumbling all around us how do we keep our sanity in the midst of this chaos and confusion? I hear of more and more people feeling pressure and stress in their work place. People are being laid off and losing their jobs. How are we going to make it through these kinds of cataclysmic changes? How do we muster the courage to stand for core values and wholeness in a divided world?

Trust (2006) by Joshin Althouse Roshi

"For the mind in harmony with the Tao all selfishness disappears.
With not even a trace of self-doubt, you can trust the universe completely.
All at once you are free, with nothing left to hold on to.
All is empty, brilliant, perfect in its own being."

from Mind of Absolute Trust

It is hard for us to trust. We've been let down by others, disappointed, and betrayed. We are vulnerable and our heart has been broken many times. So it's easy to contract and build a fortress against the cruelty and meaness of the world. We may cultivate a sophisticated cynicism that prides itself in our stubborness, determined to never allow anyone to make a fool out of us again.

Warriorship (2007) by Joshin Althouse Roshi

"The essence of warriorship, or the essence of human bravery, is refusing to give up on anyone or anything.

We can never say that we are simply falling to pieces or that anyone else is, and we can never say that about the world either."

Chogyam Trungpa

When speaking of heros, we have every right to be cynical. The heroes we idolize, such as Rambo or John Wayne help perpetuate the illusion of our innocence. Real soldiers have lost any trace of innocence, so they often feel alienated and disoriented upon returning to the homeland they fought and risked their lives to protect.

Perhaps it would help if we could appreciate heroes in the context of warriorship. Such traditions are common in many traditional cultures; they are also common in Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a part. In Zen we speak of such a warrior as a Bodhisattva which means "one with an awakened heart". Such Bodhisattva warriors have forged their sanity and generosity out of the crucible of their own misery and suffering. They have descended to confront their own fear and aggression. They emerge from this descent with an unconditional commitment to liberate and heal the suffering of all beings.