what is zen? (an open letter to the homeless)

we at berkeley zen center (bzc) have had the opportunity to serve meals here at the shelter over the past year. for us it has been helpful to learn more about the circumstances of homelessness and to help support the work of dorothy day house. bzc has been around since 1967. we're a group of approximately 150 people who practice zen, a sect of buddhism. while this 2500 year old tradition has it's roots in asian monastic institutions, in america zen has mostly established itself in urban temples where its adherents work in the world at various jobs and return to the temple for practice (in the form of meditation) and study. integrating life in the world with this meditative tradition is the challenge for all of us.

some of you have been asking the question, "what is zen?" that is a very good question. we hope our explanation is sufficient and while everything has zen in it, it takes an open heart and clear vision to experience it. should you choose to explore this question further, your life will reveal more questions--some answerable, others not. so what is zen? zen is about closing the gap between oneself and other. the other can be another person, physical object or internal "feeling".

it's easy to feel at one with another person you like or a situation you're naturally comfortable with but what about when you encounter someone (or thing) not so agreeable? we all have those moments. for 2500 years people who practice zen have discovered that meditation helps them harmonize with the world and lessen the discomfort caused by feelings of separateness.

the fundamental root of this discomfort is comprised of greed, ill will and delusion. when someone is caught up with feelings of greed (desire & grasping), ill will (hate & pushing away) or delusion (mistaken cloudy views) this discomfort arises. our attachment to these three aspects or poisons perpetuates this condition and enslaves us. in order to break the bonds of attachment we need to see clearly the causes and conditions which are the source of our pain. zazen (meditation) is our way to cultivate this clear vision.

after a while one begins to experience the three marks of existence which illuminate the fundamental truths in life. they are:

1. impermanence (things are always changing)
2. no abiding or inherent self or soul (we're a collection of ever changing thoughts, habits and body parts. are you the same or different from when you were a child? yes and no)
3. suffering, discomfort or dis-ease (we are always adjusting our mental and physical being in order to get comfortable)

by experiencing these three marks personally we can cease engaging in activities which aren't healthy for us. meditation helps to loosen the grip of the three poisons mentioned earlier by enabling us to see the three marks! in doing so we can live more freely. discomfort will return from time to time but by training the mind you can gain a degree of freedom more quickly and often without long-term suffering. zen is a life-long practice.

zen meditation takes the form in mindfulness of breathing and posture. if you have any questions we'd be happy to discuss them with you. in addition, we recommend two books on the subject: "zen mind, beginner's mind" by shunryu suzuki roshi and "what the buddha taught" by walpola rahula.

sincerely,

berkeley zen center