Jacky Sach - The Everything Zen

The

Zen Book

Dear Reader:

Practicing Zen is a wonderful way to live your life. When you practice Zen, compassion enters your life, and you feel connected to the world around you in a powerful and comforting way.

But Zen practice takes time and patience. You make many sacrifices when you endeavor to undertake a serious Zen practice. Zen is not magic. Like all worthwhile endeavors, it takes work and dedication, sweat and tears.

It is not easy to look into your own heart, to sit and face yourself day after day. But as you do so, your heart starts to open little by little until a wonderful compassionate love enters you and you soften. You have been taught your whole life that something is wrong with you. You are missing something; you are flawed. Through Zen practice, however, you start to realize that what youve always believed is really a fallacy. In fact, you are absolutely perfect, and you have always had everything you ever needed.

We invite you to enter the world of Zen practice. There are teachers waiting to show you a wonderful new way to live. There are practice centers in every state in the country. If you would like to see what Zen is about, the world is ready for you, rooting for you to wake up and see things as they truly are. The world is a wonderful place when you study Zen. Find out for yourself.

The Series!

Editorial

Production

Visit the entire Everything Series at everything.com

Jacky dedicates this book to Philip H. Sach,
who sits by the river, breathing love into her heart.

THE

ZEN
BOOK

Achieve inner calm and peace
of mind through meditation,
simple living, and harmony

Jacky Sach and Jessica Faust

Wed like to thank Eric Hall, our editor, for all of his support and guidance. And we thank Kurt, who pointed the way and told us to find the path ourselves. With special thanks to Alex Fernandez and Michael Flynn, who have made so many things possible.

1. To study Buddhism is to study the Self. To study the Self is to forget the Self and to forget the Self is to be enlightened by the Ten Thousand Things. Dogen

2. Our practice should be based on the ideal of selflessness. If you try to be selfless, that is already a selfish idea.Shunryu Suzuki

3. There are no doors to the hells; you yourself make the doors. Zen Master Hsuan Hua

4. There has never been an Enlightened Person. There are only enlightened activities. Bodhin Kjolhede

5. Sentient beings are numberless. I vow to save them. Desires are inexhaustible. I vow to put an end to them. The Dharmas are boundless. I vow to master them. The enlightened way is unattainable. I vow to attain it. The Four Great Vows

6. In Zen practice, one cannot emphasize enough the vital role of the Zen teacher who has charted the paths of this arduous journey to the core of ones being.Ruben Habito, Healing Breath

7. Enlightenment, for a wave in the ocean, is the moment the wave realizes it is water.Thich Nhat Hanh

8. Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires. Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching

9. People say I want peace. If you remove I (ego), and your want (desire), you are left with peace.The Dalai Lama

10. There is only one time that it is essential to awaken. That time is now. Buddha

ZEN IS NO LONGER A FOREIGN WORD in the Western world. Its no longer a mysterious, exotic practice seen only in small corners of our big cities. Zen centers are found everywhere in the United States, and if we take a close look at one of them, we see that the Zen students as well as the Zen masters represent a cross-section of the American population.

So whats the big attraction? Why are people flocking to Zen practice in record numbers? Why can you find Zen books that cover everything from golf to computer programming at your local bookstore? The answer to these questions comes from Zen itself. Zen is, in essence, a search for self. When we practice Zen, we turn our questioning minds inward to seek answers to that age-old question: Who am I?

People turn to Zen for a number of reasons. They may be dissatisfied, depressed, addicted, on a spiritual quest, or simply restless the list goes on. Many are trying to find answers to questions they dont even know how to ask, or they may be looking for some kind of peace and serenity that they have not been able to find in their lives any other way. Whatever your reasons for seeking Zen, you come with a questioning mind, and this is a wonderful first step.

Zen is simple. All you need to practice it is a quiet space and a cushion. Zen practice is not easy, but it is tremendously rewarding. You can find contentment and serenity in your Zen practice. You can find happiness in the simple joys of life and, after your lifelong search, you might find that you already had everything you ever needed to be happy. You have probably tried to fill the hole inside yourself with possessions, with love, with attention and acclaim. Zen might be calling to you for a reason you cannot possibly fathom. Listen to that inner voice, and enter into the world of Zen practice.

Zen practice will teach you how to live your life in the now. It is not about books, movies, tapes, academics, mind twisters, or brilliant discourses on the nature of reality. Zen is about experience. Reading about Zen is not practicing Zen, but books can show you where to look to find it.

If you were one of those children who was always told you thought too much, then Zen is an excellent practice for you. Its time to stop thinking and start breathing. Zen will help you unclutter your mind and your life so you can enjoy things just as they are and not how you think they should be. What a wonderful way to live!