The Secret Book of Zen E-Book

Jan Hendriksson

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Seitenzahl: 431

Beschreibung

For the first time, all the secrets of Zen Buddhism are revealed in this book. On the basis of this modern method developed by the author, you can master the Zen path faster than by the traditional methods, and to do this you need absolutely no teacher or master to attain satori, enlightenment and nirvana. In this book, the author combines the Eastern wisdom of Zen with Western psychology. In doing so, he systematically supports the reader along the Zen path to spiritual wholeness.

Leseprobe

The Secret Book of Zen

Background, Practice and Instructions

Jan Hendriksson

Translated from the German by Susanne Garmsen

Books on Demand

About this book

For the first time, all the secrets of Zen Buddhism are revealed in this book.

On the basis of this modern method developed by the author, you can master the Zen path faster than by the traditional methods, and to do this you need absolutely no teacher or master to attain satori, enlightenment and nirvana.

In this book, the author combines the Eastern wisdom of Zen with Western psychology. In doing so, he systematically supports the reader along the Zen path to spiritual wholeness.

About the author

Jan Hendriksson is a spiritual teacher and master in the tradition of Eastern teachings on wisdom and philosophy. He started on his search for deeper truth and wisdom over 20 years ago, and it ultimately led him to traditional Zen Buddhism. During the course of his Zen training, he experienced a deep spiritual transformation and a fundamental change in his life. In the ensuing years he deepened this experience, finally finding fulfillment and peace. Today he still feels deeply connected with Zen and with all sentient beings.

About the translator

Susanne Garmsen has been interested in languages since she was a child. Growing up in Canada with German and English as her two “mother tongues”, she found it easy to add French. When beginning university she discovered a passion for the Chinese language, literature and various philosophies. She has been translating full-time and part-time for 30 years, and has been an accredited translator for almost the same length of time. She has also been a practicing Buddhist for 30 years.

Preface to the 2nd Edition

Welcome to the world of the intuitive, directly experiential spirituality of Zen. Zen, a tradition dating back thousands of years, will enable you to experience personal spiritual awakening, enlightenment, and nirvana. Although the origins of Zen lie with Buddhism, it nonetheless rejects all dogmatic belief systems and teachings, and is therefore universally applicable. This universal applicability of Zen serves as the foundation of this book; it allows you, the reader, to develop an individual, immediately livable spirituality.

I developed and designed this book to offer you a comprehensive path you can use, along with Zen but without any outside help, to experience satori (awakening), enlightenment, and nirvana. This is especially applicable if you do not wish to, or cannot, practice under the personal guidance of a Zen teacher or master. I believe that in our modern era, you no longer need such guidance if you are given - as this book does - all the necessary information, techniques, and guidance with which to practice the spiritual path of Zen.

That is why this book also contains a large amount of background information, exercises and techniques. It is not necessary for you to understand everything all at once, especially if you have never encountered Zen before. View this information as being an abundance of offerings from which you can select. Certain places and constructs in this book will appeal to you while you are reading, and you should start by working with these ideas. You might re-read the book later. Maybe at that point you will like other ideas in this book, because your Zen practice has in the meantime changed your awareness, and it now draws your attention to exactly those issues which you should work on next.

Because of its spiritual origins, Zen is explained in this book in the traditional way, using the Buddhist context; however, complicated Buddhist theories and teachings have deliberately been avoided. Zen is better represented in this book by modern methods, instructions and background information, all of which is easy to follow and is more typical of our Western culture. Because of this modern representation, some readers may feel that this book is describing something that is very different than the traditional Zen path; but this is, in fact, not the case.

During traditional Zen training, spiritual teachers or masters are able to have direct contact with the student.1 This means that the teacher or master can always respond to the student's individual personality, and guide him. This is not possible when the teachings are contained in a book. Using this book you will be able to achieve the same results as with traditional training; however, all techniques and information contained in this book can only ever represent one path to the truth, and can never include all paths. Maybe you will have to follow a different, more individual path. But even if you are able to glean only one single step of progress from this book for your spiritual path, my work as a writer will already have been worth it.

This book uses different expressions such as the state of no-mind, emptiness, true nature, universal emptiness, etc. There are many terms for this one universal force with whose help you will find liberation and spiritual wholeness. It does not at all matter from which belief system you come, or what you believe. The important thing is to use Zen to rediscover this force within you, and then to live a fulfilling and contented life in accordance with it.

May this book guide you on your spiritual journey. May you gain access to your inner divinity. May you live in peace and tranquillity with yourself and the world.

May this book also open up new pathways for you. May you recognize that we are all connected to each other. May you feel love, and selflessly pass on to others what they need.

Jan Hendriksson

1For reasons of readability, the masculine pronoun "he" will be used for all future references. In each instance, the female pronoun "she" is also meant.

What is the "secret" contained in this book?

When students begin the practice of Zen alone and unaided, they usually have no idea where the spiritual path will lead. They have a vague idea of what satori (awakening), enlightenment and nirvana might be, and they confidently orient their practice along these lines.

Many of these students initially have quick and sudden deep spiritual experiences, or they experience great strides in awareness. The students are usually unable, or are able only to a limited degree, to make any sense of these experiences. This is because they lack the solid framework to understand them, or they have no suitable teacher or master nearby who could support them.

Unfortunately, students can find no help, not even in the historical Zen literature, since the latter mostly describes only the advanced states of consciousness such as enlightenment and nirvana itself. Details are completely lacking in the old written material about the necessary steps to be taken or spiritual experiences along the way. As a result, students sometimes practice for years without achieving any significant “success”.

If you are a Zen practitioner meditating alone without the personal guidance of a Zen teacher or master, you deserve all the information and support that is available. In this regard it is wise to know such information and background as soon as you start on the Zen path.

Such information and background material has never before been published in this format and to this degree of completeness. Until now, this information was considered "secret" or “mysterious.”

Therefore, I have decided to convey in this book all information, background knowledge, Zen techniques and instructions you need to successfully follow the Zen path alone and unaided. Consequently, this book is designed to be a kind of self-help manual for Zen.

By using the knowledge and understanding of the interrelationships, information, and techniques, the Zen path can be drastically shortened.

Disclaimer

The methods and tools described in this book are traditionally used while following the path of personal liberation. As the author, I myself have applied and experienced the methods depicted. Nonetheless, everyone reacts differently to Zen practice. In Zen, and also for this book, the principle of individual responsibility and choice applies. This means that you may refuse a Zen exercise or guidance at any time. You yourself determine how far you wish to proceed.

This principle of self-responsibility also means that, in cases of pre-existing mental or physical medical conditions, and ailments that may arise during or as a result of doing this Zen work, you are urged to consult with doctors, specialists or therapists. It is precisely through this Zen work that reactions or complications can arise which could necessitate medical or therapeutic treatment. In such cases you should contact a doctor immediately and get help.

Zen should be practiced only by healthy people. Zen is not a treatment for any illnesses. If you don’t feel healthy, please don’t take up Zen. Those who are mentally ill or are receiving treatment from a psychologist, psychiatrist or psychotherapist must not practice Zen (exception: after consulting with your therapist).

So should you notice any health problems while practicing Zen, no matter what kind, please stop your practice immediately?

I assume no liability whatsoever. You perform all exercises described here, and your Zen practice, at your own risk. Should you disagree with this, please put this book away and stop reading it.

Jan Hendriksson

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: THEORY

The Story of Buddha

The Four Noble Truths

The First Noble Truth - Life is suffering

The Second Noble Truth - the origin of suffering

The Third Noble Truth - the cessation of suffering

The Fourth Noble Truth - the path to the cessation of suffering

The human mind

The state of the mind before satori

The ego

Karma and rebirth

Satori, enlightenment, and nirvana

The three poisons and three treasures

The three poisons

The three treasures

The history of Zen

Theravada and Mahayana schools

Buddhism in China

The way to the West

The special feature of Zen

First contact with Zen

No-mind, Buddha nature, Emptiness

Samadhi

The levels of consciousness - the nine jhânas

Koans

Schools of Zen

The Zen community

CHAPTER 2: PRACTICAL ASPECTS

The individual phases of the Zen practice

Preparations

Rituals

The Zazen posture

The correct sitting posture

The correct head position

The correct position for your gaze

The correct hand position

The correct way of breathing

The 1

st

Phase

The breath-counting exercise

Everyday exercises

Summary

Solutions

Characteristics of the 1

st

Phase

The 2

nd

Phase

Working with the koan MU

The standpoint of acknowledging and accepting

The attitude of not-judging

Everyday practices

Summary

Characteristics of the 2

nd

Phase

The 3

rd

Phase

Zen begins only after satori

Working with the inner concepts

Working with karma

The liberated Buddha-nature

Everyday practices

Summary

Characteristics of the 3

rd

Phase

The 4

th

Phase

Features of the 4

th

Phase

ANNEX

Introduction

What if the world, as you now know it, were an illusion? What if it would only deceive you into thinking that this illusion is reality?

Most people live day after day in just such a world full of deception. Most of them feel powerless and abandoned by the world. Deep inside, they are very afraid, especially of death. They search for the meaning of their lives, and feel alienated, vulnerable and all alone. They want nothing more than to be able to enjoy life again in freedom and happiness.

Wouldn't that be wonderful? To recognize this world full of suffering and powerlessness as that which it is: an illusion? To finally start really and truly living life in a state of freedom? To find the meaning of life again, and to live without excessive fear or worry?

This is possible with Zen. Zen is one of the many communities in the schools of Buddhism. The above-mentioned permanently liberated state is called nirvana in Buddhism, and it can be reached in this life. The path to nirvana leads first to satori (awakening) and then to enlightenment. Zen is fundamentally not tied to any religion or belief. Zen is the essence of all spiritual and religious paths; even atheists can practice Zen.

Zen has rejected all dogmatic teachings for thousands of years. A Zen teacher or master will provide only guidance and instructions on how you can follow the path yourself. You must take the path alone. You will truly experience and understand Zen only when you start practicing.

For that reason, I have modified traditional Zen in this book so that you can practice it alone at home, and in this way, using your own strength, reach satori, enlightenment, and nirvana. I shall therefore unveil for you all the "secrets" of Zen in this book, in order to protect you from taking a wrong turn.

In doing so, however, I portray the Zen path in ways that are candid, and sometimes even harsh, in order to avoid misconceptions right from the start.

In this way you will know, as an interested party or prospective student, what to expect right from the outset. In this way this book will make its way into the hands of readers who are ready for and receptive to these bald truths. The Zen path initially seems difficult, hard-hitting, tough, and not suited to every student. However, once an individual has opted for and committed to the Zen path, that person will attain full and complete liberation.

Some of the elements comprising the method in this book, with which you can achieve better and faster results in Zen, are as follows:

-  The disclosure of all "secrets" of Zen, instead of secrecy

This can prevent students from taking a wrong turn and accelerates the pace at which they can follow the path.

-  Clear instructions instead of obfuscation

This can result in rapid progress along the path.

-  Mantra practice rather than traditional koan practice

As a result, progress can likewise be faster on the way to satori.

-  The use of psychological knowledge instead of philosophy in the work with ideas and karma

Although Zen has been closely linked to philosophy for thousands of years, this tends to impede rather than support students in their quest for liberation. The philosophy of the early 20th Century gave rise to psychology. Greater success can be achieved by using modern psychological knowledge.

-  A strict focus on the essentials rather than on sensory overload

This book will provide you with everything you need to follow your Zen path. No more, no less. To be successful, you categorically do not need anything not mentioned in this book.

Because this book has now opened the Zen path to liberation for you, you need only trust and work on yourself. This has been the aim of Zen for thousands of years, and what Buddha always intended to express with his teachings: free yourself!

You will certainly want to re-read this book several times while following your own path through the Zen process. Use it as a kind of manual. The Zen path cannot be taken by reading a book just once; instead, practical training is also needed. This book will certainly also provide much new stimulation for readers who already practice Zen. Of course, this book reflects only my own views on Zen. If you as a Zen student have already found your own method for yourself, stick to it. You should not switch between different methods. The same applies to readers who are already practicing under the guidance of a personal Zen teacher or master. Only he has known you as a student for a long time, and knows what is best for you at the present time.

Zen ultimately is and remains a path which you should follow with a joyous and loving heart. You decide how far and how fast you want to progress. While you are reading this book, this fact may sometimes be overshadowed by the abundance of information, methods, and instructions. Always keep in mind that you alone are your own best master. Listen to yourself and your inner voice; it alone will lead you to success. Do not be afraid to ask for help and support from a teacher or master in your area, if you need it. Every teacher or master will be happy to support you with help and advice as you follow your path.

What is Zen?

Zen assumes that all people are already enlightened. Therefore, when practicing Zen we do not need to seek or gain anything more. Our rational thinking mind prevents us from reaching this conclusion. For this reason, the Zen method assumes that the human mind has been filled, since earliest childhood, with false projections, constructs, and ideas. These ideas make us believe in an imaginary world. In this way we live in a dream world, without realizing it. This dream world causes suffering, grief, and pain. It creates the feeling in us that we are alienated from ourselves. It makes us depressed and moody. It prevents us from sleeping properly. It makes us suffer from performance anxiety. It leads to a lack of energy and to problems with our partners, children, parents and other people. It feeds our egos. It causes us to fear our own death. It makes us hate and kill.

Some of the techniques Zen uses are mindfulness, concentration and meditative awareness. They help us break through to our true nature and the true reality of all things, overcome our fear of death, and live in a permanently liberated state. Therefore all we need to do initially is to let go of our confused ego-based mind state, break through this self-generated dream world, and recognize that we have already been enlightened the whole time.

Human beings have been seeking their true nature since beginningless time. The goal of Zen is to enable people to directly experience this true nature. This means that Zen offers the pure experience of people’s true nature, far removed from all illusions and delusion; it proves that direct experience is possible in this world. In Zen, man's true nature is called true nature, Buddha-nature, or emptiness. The term emptiness should not be understood as meaning the absence of something; instead, it refers to nature, principle, or primal ground. According to Buddha's teachings, not only people but all living beings have Buddha-nature at their core. Thus, all living creatures seek this liberated state of happiness and harmony. But it is only granted to us humans to reconnect with our true nature within us.

Our thinking-consciousness that separates us from our Buddha-nature is responsible for our confused projections and ideas. It plays a new film for us day after day, which mesmerizes us. This film consists of our thoughts and feelings, which, unbeknown to us, produce our ego. Since we are simply not aware of that, we are totally absorbed, spellbound, by this film which only makes us believe that we are seeing the true reality. With Zen, we learn to distinguish between that film and reality. Among other things, we learn to become observers of the film. The film is not true reality; true reality can only be found behind the scenes. True reality is free of all delusions and is devoid of such mere appearances. Once we have felt this deep inside ourselves through satori, and have seen right through it, we are truly awakened to the true nature of all things. That is why satori is also known in this book as awakening. A Zen student should therefore first try to achieve the state of satori.

In this book, I distinguish between the following important mental states of Zen, which must be experienced successively:

satori (awakening)

enlightenment

nirvana

Satori leads to an awakened state of consciousness. Most people try out Zen because they are afraid of death and want to clarify the question of the meaning of life itself. Instead of believing, they want to feel. They want to experience the truth within themselves. These questions are answered by the mystical experience of satori. Satori causes us to have a spiritual awakening and be one with the emptiness. Many students finish their Zen practice at that point; but for some, the experience of satori is not enough. They want more. Such students must undergo a mental purification stage after satori in order to attain true enlightenment and nirvana. Nirvana is synonymous with unshakable serenity, tranquility and peace. If you have an enlightened state of mind, it will support you in all life situations; all problems simply bounce off you. There are no real problems for those who are enlightened. If you can maintain this condition permanently, you have entered nirvana.

The path leading to enlightenment and nirvana requires that we let go. We must let go of old ideas, opinions, truths, behavior patterns, and convictions. We must let go of both our ego and our rational mind. We must let go of letting go, and ultimately of everything that we think is important, and of what still supports our lives. Once we have let go of everything, we can truly attain satori, enlightenment, and nirvana. After that, we are returned to living in a state of unimaginable riches and glory.

Deep down in the darkness,

Your true nature sleeps.

Dark shadows in the night

Block your way on the path.

Fearlessly you meditate your way

Along the path of no escape.

Dying there through time and space,

Your true nature awakes —

Your life is over,

And it begins here anew.

Jan Hendriksson

CHAPTER 1: Theory

Zen rejects all manner of teachings and dogma. In Zen, there is really nothing that could be taught to a student. Every person must discover Zen within himself. For this reason, Zen is quite hard for beginners to understand if it is explained without any concrete structure. Because Zen originally arose from Buddhism, this Buddhist framework will also be used in this book by way of explanation. Zen is categorically not Buddhism. But only when you have understood the basics of Buddhism can you approach and get to the heart of Zen.

Buddha was the founder of Buddhism. Buddha did not invent Zen; but his teachings without a doubt provided important preliminary work. After that, Zen developed from the original teachings of Buddha.

The Story of Buddha

When we speak of Buddha, we mean the historical Buddha Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment and is considered the founder of Buddhism. The word Buddha is translated as The Awakened One. It thereby refers to someone who has awakened in the sense of Buddhism. In this context, awakened means being awakened to the world as it really is, and not as we think it is. In Zen, the process of being awakened is called satori. The concept of Buddha is valid particularly for all Zen practitioners who have already attained satori, i.e. who have awakened. They can likewise achieve satori and become a Buddha.

The historical Buddha attained satori by his own efforts approximately 2,500 years ago. He used meditation to thoroughly examine the world in detail, and he worked to achieve satori and enlightenment himself. In this context, we refer in Buddhism to satori and enlightenment being attainable only by each individual himself.

Buddha, that is Siddharta Gautama, is also known as Buddha Shakyamuni. The name Shakyamuni means The Wise One From the Clan of the Shakya. Shakyamuni is said to have lived in India in approximately 566-486 BC; the exact information is not available. According to the oral tradition, he lived in a rich family and was surrounded by wealth. His father protected him in the palace, completely isolating him from the outside world. In this way Shakyamuni lived in his own world and was unaware of the world beyond the palace. At some point Shakyamuni went on an outing outside the palace, where he encountered an old man, a person who was gravely ill, a corpse and a monk. Because he had never seen anything like that previously within the palace, he was deeply moved. His encounter with these people inspired him to contemplate ageing, illness and death. Shakyamuni realized that these and other kinds of suffering were ubiquitous and inescapable in life. The monk inspired him to leave his palace and seek a spiritual solution for suffering.

As is the case with all such stories, it is questionable whether it really happened this way. If you view it as a parable, you will notice that palace life represents self-indulgence and unrelenting self-centeredness, and that the first three encounters act as a mirror to everyday human life and suffering. The encounter with the monk represents the fact that a spiritual solution exists for these problems. Shakyamuni decided to seek this solution, and joined groups of like-minded people. Over time, Shakyamuni learned meditation techniques from different teachers which he could use to enter a trance state. However, he found these unsatisfactory. This was because when he left the trance state and returned to the normal state of consciousness, the everyday problems were once again ubiquitous. The trance state was merely a short-lived escape from reality. Shakyamuni wanted a permanent solution, namely the release from all suffering and problems. His teachers were unable to offer him this, so he turned to other methods. He learned how to use strict asceticism, self-abasement and breath control techniques, but they failed to bring him to his goal. They weakened him more and more, so that he finally gave up, narrowly escaping death. But his efforts were not in vain, for he realized that such extremes are useless.

Again, this part of the story can be understood as a parable: avoid the extremes, follow the middle path! Shakyamuni took this middle way between extremes, a lifestyle in which one’s own desires are not denied, but neither is too much attention paid to them. This insight is today still called The Middle Path of Knowledge or The Middle Way, and has become the main teaching of Buddhism. The Eightfold Path, an important part of Buddhist teaching, is considered the epitome of this Middle Way and will later be the topic in this book.

Shakyamuni once again started eating food, returned to the practice of meditation and quickly made progress. According to legend, he sat for years in meditation under a tree. One day he achieved satori, enlightenment and nirvana there, the complete release from all suffering, which he had sought for so long. For society at that time, this was downright stunning and revolutionary. Shakyamuni had awakened himself unaided to the true nature of all things, only by using the right observations of the world and the mind. He attained satori, enlightenment and nirvana in a single moment. Actually Shakyamuni was only now an awakened one, a Buddha.

Buddha stayed for several weeks in the place where he had attained enlightenment and meditated on his future. We can only speculate about his decision to teach his knowledge about the path of enlightenment to others. He probably did this because of his deep compassion for his fellow man. He went to Benares on the Ganges River where he met five of his old companions, who had turned away from him at that time when he had renounced asceticism. Now, they evidently realized the wonderful change that had happened to him. They remained with him and thus became his first students.

A short while later Buddha gave them his first discourses, the so-called sutras. One of the most important sutras presented by the Buddha is that of the Four Noble Truths, which will be discussed in the next section. Buddha's sutras addressed his enlightenment, the realization of true reality and the end of suffering. After hearing the first sutra, the five students recognized the profundity of Buddha's teachings and asked him to ordain them as monks. According to legend, all five monks achieved satori after hearing the second sutra.

The Buddha's teachings spread quickly and over time, produced increasing numbers of Buddhas. Thus began the triumphal advance of Buddhism, which spread over the centuries and millennia all the way to us. The Buddha himself allegedly reached 80 years of age and died near the place of his enlightenment. Before he died he spoke on many sutras, spreading his teachings.

The Four Noble Truths

The Buddha's teachings can be found in the so-called Pali Canon. This Canon is written in the middle-Indian language Pali, and it is the oldest cohesive recorded collection of Buddha's discourses. It is considered to be one of the most authentic sources that exist about his teachings. Because it was written only a long time after the death of Buddha, the original teaching has probably been changed due to oral transmission before being recorded in written form.

First, the original old quotes from the Pali Canon will be cited and then commented on in order to make them more understandable for you through the use of examples. Until his death, Buddha had in fact taught nothing other than these Four Noble Truths. All other elements of his teachings represent only more in-depth explanations of and notes on these truths. You should thus understand primarily these four noble truths.

"This, oh monks, is the middle way (…), which brings about vision and recognition and leads to tranquillity, knowledge, enlightenment, and the extinguishing of the self."

The First Noble Truth - Life is suffering

"Verily, oh monks, this is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, old age is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering, being together with that which is unwanted and separation from loved ones is suffering, not getting what one desires is suffering; in short, the five categories of the factors of existence that cause attachment to worldly things are suffering."

Many may feel that their lives are not really suffering, that they are happy. Perhaps this is also the case for you. Why does Buddha think that life is suffering? When we speak of suffering, we normally mean unhappy, hard times of sorrow, fear or illness. This is undoubtedly suffering. All readers who really feel no happiness, who live in a grey world, who feel badly treated by life, who feel that they have been thrown naked and defenceless into a cold world, will concur.

However, Buddha thinks of suffering as also including happy times, just those times where you are on Cloud Nine - which you, however, somehow cannot completely enjoy, because something seems to be missing. Even in the happiest times there is still a small voice that at some point makes us aware that happiness is certainly transitory. The voice wonders what might happen soon. For this reason you yourself are unable to give yourself fully to this current happiness -- you cannot enjoy the moment fully; instead, you find yourself waiting for that happiness to end. That is why you want to hang on to happiness.

Since you are reading this book, you are in some sense a seeker. Something within you, deep in your heart, tells you that your life, how it has been going so far, may still not have been everything it could have been. If everything in your life would be as it should be, you would be permanently happy. Even if you are actually happy at this moment, you sense or have already discovered from your life experience, that this feeling won't last. You must constantly search anew for happiness. You will be happy for a while, and your life is wonderful. At some point however, it may be after a few months or a few years, you will realize that happiness has faded. You feel as though you were constantly on the lookout: for a deeper truth, for your true nature or whatever else you may be searching for. You as a reader are, on the other hand, one of the few people who are even willing to, or intend to, perform such a critical self-review. Most people single-mindedly pursue happiness, without even being aware of this. They think they will find happiness in wealth and possessions, or in love. At first, this works well. These people have perhaps bought themselves something new, and it makes them happy. At least, that’s what they think. At some point, this new item is no longer new, but is now commonplace; with time it becomes boring, and people realize that the feeling of happiness is no longer as strong as it was. They discover that they feel less happy, and they begin the cycle of consumer happiness once again. They buy something again and think that this new acquisition will make them happy again.

Most people never examine themselves or really question the way they live. However, you as the reader have the feeling that there must be more, that this cannot be real life. Life cannot only consist of a repeated search for happiness and satisfaction. There must be something else, something constant.

This is exactly what Buddha means with "Life is suffering." As long as everything in life is going well, it does not consist of suffering. Ultimately though, when it does not go smoothly for once, life will be suffering in one way or another. Life cannot be planned. Ultimately, everyone is striving for happiness. And happiness is perceived as consisting of those times that you do not suffer, when life is not suffering. Suffering does not have to be of a physical nature. Most of the time, it is an inner, gnawing feeling that each of us has somehow felt at one time or another. Buddha gives other examples, and the list could be endless: to be unhappy in love is suffering. Unrequited love is suffering. No longer being able to fully participate in life is suffering. Being lonely is suffering. Doing something that you actually do not want to do is suffering. To feel alienated from oneself is suffering. To lead one’s life with a sense of powerlessness is suffering. Not to know the meaning of life is suffering.

If you really want it, Zen will give you the opportunity to end this life of suffering once and for all, permanently. In his teachings, Buddha promises that suffering does not have to be endless; instead, it can be terminated at any time. He calls a life without any suffering nirvana and it starts with the state of satori, which leads to enlightenment. Buddha knows the way because he himself experienced and followed it.

The Second Noble Truth - the origin of suffering

"This indeed, oh monks, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is the thirst (…), the thirst of desire, the thirst of becoming, and the thirst for annihilation."

In life, suffering arises when, for example, the human ego does not get what it wants or it thinks that it is entitled to something such as love, material things or control. The fundamental problem is therefore that we always want to have something. We align our entire thinking and doing along those lines. The Buddha calls this greed. When we don’t get what we want, we begin to act destructively in life. Buddha calls this hatred.

Let us now examine greed in terms of examples. We want something, but don't get it. Every one of us is familiar with this experience, and it is painful. Initially we have the desire itself: we always want to have something, we always have desires or ideas of how the world should work. Desires that remain unfulfilled cause pain. Suffering does not arise from the desire itself, but only when we cling to this desire. When a person has a desire, he then absolutely wishes to fulfill it, and must exert control in order to fulfill. If the desire stays unmet, he will suffer if he continues to cling to that desire.

The list of selfish desires seems endless. One person wishes that work would finally end. Another wants to win the lottery. Others want to be healthy, to have a long life, to have beautiful weather, less stress at work, etc., etc., etc. You will recognize that some of these desires can be very trivial, everyday little things; but sometimes they can also be quite large ones. Ultimately there are always some wishes, ideas or expectations which we initially have. If they are fulfilled, we will always be happy for a limited time only, because we will always have an inexhaustible list of desires.

Our life is thus focused on having, instead of being. Most people are caught up in a cycle of desires and expectations. If this grasping at and clinging to having would cease, suffering would also end. This is very simple, and yet so hard. This is because the reason for this clinging is hidden within us, not within the things that we desire.

We usually perceive only that our desire has not been fulfilled. And then we once again get caught up in the vortex, where we try to replace one unfulfilled desire with another, "better," one. If the new job doesn’t work out, we buy a new car. Or we just try once again to fulfill the same wish. We stick our heads in the sand; we suppress our feelings, turn a blind eye to reality and carry on as before. This is a fairly rigid response for such a highly-developed entity as a human being, wouldn’t you agree? We learn from all the possible mistakes we may make, but not from this. Why is that? It is because we do not recognize greed as being a mistake. We no longer know the enlightened, liberated state of our Buddha-nature, because we have forgotten it. Instead, we follow our ego. We have unconsciously adopted its erroneous, illusory thinking and behavior and think that this is the normal state of the world. But it is not.

The Third Noble Truth - the cessation of suffering

"Indeed, oh monks, this is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: cessation by completely abandoning passion; the renunciation of, forsaking of, liberation from and the turning away from the thirst."

Buddha taught that the suffering in life can actually be stopped. This means the end of suffering in the here and now. Anyone can stop the suffering if he really means it. When we were infants, we were basically complete and free of suffering. We were free of delusions and misconceptions, nor did we want to achieve something by using our will. This does not refer to the natural drives such as food or sleep. These drives are innate in us and also serve, among other things, to maintain our body and its functions. What is meant here instead are the desires, wishes and longing of our egos.

Topic: Infancy

A baby knows no life of suffering. The baby exists in a natural state. It was born and had to leave the protected state of the mother’s womb. In so doing it reached the outside world, but it still feels at one with the world. It knows no pain; it simply exists and enjoys the world as it is, because it accepts the world as it is, from moment to moment. It is cared for by the mother and father, and lives alternately waking and sleeping. It feels secure, because it gets the protection and unconditional love of its parents. It laughs when it is happy, drinks when it is thirsty, and sleeps when it needs to. An infant is not worried about tomorrow, because it lives in the here and now. It still does not have the discriminating mind that we adults have within us; instead, the baby lives in perfect harmony with itself and nature.

Only as it grows older does the child form the self-centered personality, the ego, which gives rise to wishes and desires and which, as ageing progresses, gradually perceives itself as being separate from its surroundings. As an adult, the person has ultimately forgotten the intuitive state of oneness-with-everything, and heeds only the intellect. In this way people become constantly concerned with themselves and want to have more and more, instead of being. Accordingly, the fundamental problem is this sense of self, the self-centered personality, the ego. And it is the perception of the world which arises from the ego, which people seldom question, which takes over and thus always leads people further away from their Buddha-nature.

It is important to note that it is this intellectual ego which seems to be the root of all evil. Using Zen, we intend to return to the natural state which had already existed within us when we were infants, but of course with the consciousness of an adult. We want to re-integrate that part of the child's consciousness in which we could be just as we really are, into our adult awareness. This results in a changed perception of the world, a change which is liberating.

Over time we have forgotten, as a result of our ordinary everyday lives, this liberated state; we have left the intellect in control and have gradually forgotten to live in a liberated state. When this state of the child's happiness is combined with adult consciousness, and one is at one with everything and lives completely in the here and now, this is what is called Buddha-nature in Buddhism.

The Fourth Noble Truth - the path to the cessation of suffering

"This, oh monks, truly is the Noble Truth of the path leading to the extinction of suffering. It is the Eightfold Path, which consists of:

Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration"

The path to liberation traverses these eight elements. This Eightfold Path is a central component of Buddhist teachings. The consciousness of an adult is full of delusions and false views, thought patterns and concepts regarding how the world should work, all of which are fabricated by the intellectual ego. We hold on to these because we are taught these concepts during our development from infant to adult, and we adopt them without question. Not all of these concepts are completely useless and wrong. But it is precisely those that we have adopted as our own inner truth that we often do not recognize for what they are: wrong ways of behaving that separate us from our Buddha-nature.

Which behaviour patterns these are is different in each student. Therefore, Buddha proposes that we follow the Eightfold Path in order to track down these erroneous concepts and behaviours. The Eightfold Path or way is the "success plan" of the Buddha. Note the eight components of this path and really implement them into everyday life; this constitutes the first practical implementation of Buddhism. The Eightfold Path paves the way to enlightenment. You should therefore do your best to follow the Eightfold Path, at least until enlightenment is attained.

The individual eight components of the Path will be explained in detail below, because here, too, a deeper understanding is important. All eight parts are interwoven and closely interrelated with one another.

Right view

"And what, oh monks, is Right View? Well, oh monks, it is knowledge of suffering, knowledge of the origin of suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering, and knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.”

Right View means, first of all, to understand and integrate the Four Noble Truths, and then to follow the Eightfold Path. It is not sufficient to read that life is suffering, and that one’s own ego is the problem. To understand and integrate this means to examine one’s own life with regard to this truth, to see how you and your ego function in this world. Right view also means that you discard false beliefs. That begins when you recognize that any current suffering in your life has arisen from clinging to a desire. You can stop the suffering when you cease to cling to self-centered ideas about the world.

Right intention

"And what, oh monks, is Right Intention? The decision to renounce and refrain from malice, the decision to refrain from harming others…"

In our Western world, we are consumers of religion, as of everything else. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam - it has never been easier to serve oneself from the menu of religions. Today one chooses a path because it sounds interesting, but after just a short time already, this path becomes boring. Then we try out the next path. None of these mental decisions made in this way are the slightest bit credible, unequivocal or profound.

Zen is also just one of many ways to lead a full, happy life. Whichever path you may choose for yourself, stay on that path. Hold onto it. It is better to do one thing properly from the beginning to the end than to follow many different ways superficially. If you do that, you will never find enlightenment.

In Buddhism, Right Intention is called the Bodhi mind. If the Bodhi mind is strong, you can achieve anything. If it is weak, your successes will be small or completely fail to materialize. A strong Bodhi mind is one of the most important foundations of the Buddhist path. This is the reason for example, that Zen teachers or masters wait, even today, until people approach them and not vice versa. They even test such seekers to see how strong their Bodhi mind is. Only if the candidate's Bodhi mind is strong enough will the candidate be accepted as a student.

The Bodhi mind is tested in different ways. In the past, Zen teachers and masters have, for example, sent new students who asked to be accepted into a Zen monastery, home again. Only when these potential students persistently maintained their desire to be admitted into the monastery was their wish granted. Only in this way did they prove their proper attitude. Only with the right attitude will you achieve personal success. Without it, the Eightfold Path will collapse.

Right speech

"And what, oh monks, is Right Speech? To abstain from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, and from idle chatter…"

In Buddhism, there are four kinds of wrong speech, namely lies, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter. Today, people engage in far too much talk, talk, talk. Everyone has an opinion and wants to force it onto others as being the only absolutely correct one. People gossip, lie, curse, whine, and shout as aggression prevails, because they want to stand out. Let all this go – it stands in the way of enlightenment and sets obstacles on your path, because it feeds your ego. Right Speech is beyond these things. It is gentle and good-natured, never forces itself on anyone, and is sincere, mindful, and empathetic. Starting immediately, try to avoid unnecessary blabber. Speech is, of course, necessary to communicate. It is an important everyday instrument of human togetherness. However, you should be mindful of what you're talking about. If you make fun yet again of the boss with your colleagues - pause, and avoid this maligning. With repeated practice along the way, you will increasingly and from inner conviction want to abstain from such wrong speech.

Right Action

"And what, oh monks, is right action? Abstaining from taking life, from stealing, and from sexual misconduct…"

Just like Right Speech, Right Action is also an important element of the Eightfold Path: not to steal, not to kill, and to live morally. This is proper and is based on the commandments of the world’s religions. However, Buddhism goes beyond that and allows you to assume responsibility for your own actions. You respect the commandments in order to improve your own life, not to please any god. When you are lying, cheating, stealing, and leading an immoral life, you can never have any lasting peace of mind. You will always have a bad conscience and will never feel inner peace. Ultimately, Right Action means that you should refrain from all such wrong acts.

Right Livelihood

"And what, oh monks, is right livelihood? When, oh monks, a noble follower gives up wrong livelihood in this regard and leads a life of right livelihood…"

Right livelihood means that you should give up a lifestyle which facilitates unjust acts or unjust behavior. This element therefore focuses on the work by which you earn your living. Using the example of a drug dealer and a pharmacist, the topic perhaps becomes clearer: both people distribute types of drugs. Basically, according to the morals of Buddhism, the former would represent a wrong way of life. The difference between the two jobs is that the drug dealer is distributing illegal drugs which harm other people, and pharmacists distribute legal ones which help people. Drug dealers should also live their lives according to Right Livelihood. Although both people deal with drugs, they both act differently in terms of the Eightfold Path. Right Livelihood does not mean that you must immediately abandon your career just because it is fundamentally incompatible with the Buddhist path. Buddhism is the middle way, and you should note this here, too. Take the middle path, and avoid extremes.

Right Effort

"And what, oh monks, is Right Effort? There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen. He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen. He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen.

He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen:

This, oh monks, is called right effort."

Don't give up only because things go wrong just once. Along your path, you will experience both progress and setbacks. Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged by such setbacks. Don’t, however, make too much of your progress. Everything is in flux and will manifest in its own time. Have trust. It is precisely in Zen that you actually don’t need to achieve anything, since you are already enlightened. This, on the other hand, does not mean that you should not exert yourself. Keep your goal firmly in mind and steadfastly aspire to it. The first euphoria will certainly soon be followed by a sobering-up period. It may be that Zen turns out to be more difficult to implement than you thought. It may be that you experience pain while meditating; it may be that you are unable to follow the Eightfold Path. Nonetheless, stick with it; what more is there to gain than a liberated, happy life?

Right Mindfulness

"And what, oh monks, is Right Mindfulness? That is when, oh monks, the monk remains focused on the body in and of itself—ardent, aware, and mindful—putting away greed and distress with reference to the world…."

And what, monks, is right mindfulness?

(i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself— ardent, aware, and mindful—putting away greed and distress with reference to the world.

(ii) He remains focused on feelings in and of themselves—ardent, aware, and mindful—putting away greed and distress with reference to the world.