What is Zen?

[Lorenzo]

What is Zen?

[Lorenzo]

"Zen" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character "chan," which is in turn the Chinese translation from the Indian Sanskrit term "dhyana," which means meditation.

[Lorenzo]

Zen is more of an attitude than a belief.

[Lorenzo]

Zen is the peace that comes from being one with an entity other than yourself.

[Lorenzo]

Zen means being aware of your oneness with the world and everything in it.

[Lorenzo]

Zen means living in the present and experiencing reality fully.

[Lorenzo]

Zen means being free of the distractions and illusory conflicts of the material world.

[Lorenzo]

Zen means being in the flow of the universe.

[Lorenzo]

Zen means experiencing fully the present, and delighting in the basic miracle of life itself.

[Lorenzo]

Paradox is a part of Zen and the teaching of Zen. A paradox nudges your mind into a direction other than the routine. It helps you disengage the rational mind and free up the intuition. It also points to a truth that cannot be rationally derived through the use of logic. Therefore:

Zen is nothing and yet everything.

Zen is both empty and full.

Zen encompasses all and is encompassed by all.

Zen is the beginning and the end.

[Lorenzo]

Reference:
http://www.taoism.net/articles/what_zen.htm