Zen and the Art...
It is so funny when you come upon things that you had written a half of a lifetime ago. I recently found a book I was working on when I was 23. It was titled, “Zen and the Art of Holding Nothing Sacred.” It was a book of short Zen stories and the adventures of a young Caucasian Zen Master.
As I remember, at the time I was enamored by Zen stories and Zen Koans, but I felt a little out of the center since these stories were handed down from sixth-century Chinese monks. Yes, the stories were still very much relevant, but there was a lot of modern Zen stories and Zen-like irony happening in our lives every day. Instead of a story revolving around monks like Tanzan, my stories revolved around shlubs named Bob or Suzie.
As I read some of those stories again, I urged myself to turn many of them into something that is blogable. I won’t tell you which stories they are, but if you find enlightenment in the next few weeks, so be it. Guy-tzu has done his job.
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 5:02 AM
7 Comments:
Hopefully it won't include motorcycle maintenance.
Hopefully it won't include passing the plate.
Looking forward to some enlightenment - hope I recognize it when I see it.
I don't maintain donor cycles. That was Persig job...Gearhead maintains his as well.
Zen monks beg with bowls, rice is an appropriate donation.
Beth, if you don't find enlightenment, I will at least be enlightened by those who don't get it.
The Great Way has no gate;
there are a thousand paths to it.
If you pass through the barrier,
you walk the universe alone.
-- Wu-Men
The Enlightened Heart
The term "Zen" has been really bastardized by the media. They use it a lot to describe crappy design on HGTV, but it is used in a pop-fizz way on almost any channel.
One of my favorite quotes on Zen is by Gertrude Stein:
"There ain't no answer.
There ain't going to be any answer.
There never has been an answer.
That's the answer."
Ahhh, Rich, the gateless gate...
Mo3, the best example of the best use is John Stewart's Moment of Zen. That Stein quote is perfect.
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