ZEN — A HERE & NOW MINDSET

Zen is a No-Mind approach to life that encourages action over thought so our minds do not interfere with a spontaneous, unpremeditated response to the here and now of life. Below is a humorous but apt example of a Non-Zen approach to life.

The centipede was happy until a toad asked in fun,
"How do you know which leg goes after which?"
This worked the centipede's mind to such a pitch,
he lay distracted in a ditch, considering how to run.

Zen is aimed at spiritual growth but without the stifling consequences of metaphysics and supernatural beliefs — a secular Buddhism based on realization and experience, not institutions and priestly authority. Most Buddhists believe reincarnation is the only way to achieve Nirvana, the supernatural awakened state of no longer suffering the karmic cycle of rebirth. But Nirvana requires many lives to eliminate your bad karma. Traditional Buddhism is therefore hopelessly caught up in a belief in rebirth. For rebirth to be possible, something must survive the death of the body and brain. To survive physical death, this something must not only be non-physical but also capable of storing the seeds of previously committed moral acts (karma) that will ripen in future lifetimes. Rebirth unavoidably leads to a body-mind dualism. But how can an immaterial mind ever connect with and inhabit a material brain? How does it connect to a neuron or a neuron connect to it?

So, if there is no rebirth, your efforts to liberate yourself from the cycle of birth and death to attain Nirvana is a waste of time. Belief in rebirth is a denial of death. And by removing death's finality, you deprive it of its greatest power to affect your life here and now. And that means you are wasting your life.

Zen rejects the cycle of karmic rebirth. In Zen, awakening is not supernatural, nor does it span a zillion lives. Zen awakening is natural, immediate and startlingly obvious. Zen helps you face the world as it really is by leading you away from the religious fascination with the extraordinary and back to a rediscovery of the ordinary.

But Zen does not reject the reality of suffering. It understands that suffering cannot be avoided. What Zen stresses is that we can avoid needless suffering by living in the moment of here and now. Why? Because focusing on the here and now precludes suffering the regrets of yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Zen isn't peeling potatoes while thinking of God. Zen is simply peeling potatoes. Living in the moment requires you to focus on one thing, and that's why Zen encourages meditation, because it teaches you to do just one thing at a time.

Instead of training yourself to achieve a serene detachment from the ups and downs of life, it helps you grapple with them with meaning and purpose. The emphasis is on action rather than inaction, engagement rather than disengagement. You are the result of what you do, not who you believe you are. And in Zen, what you do is practice the Eight Steps to end needless suffering. The Eight Steps are actions, not beliefs — prescriptions for behavior rather than descriptions of reality.

• Right understanding » acknowledge the power of Zen practices.
• Right thought » nurture selflessness and kindness in your thoughts.
• Right speech » speak without verbal abuse, lies, hatred, or blame.
• Right action » abstain from murder, sexual misconduct, and theft.
• Right livelihood » engage work that fulfills you and helps others.
• Right mindfulness » observe your body, mind, and others without judgment.
• Right concentration » practice meditation regularly .
• Right effort » practice the Eightfold Path consistently.

If more people followed the Zen approach to life, the world might suffer fewer wars, have less local, national and global conflict and more people could enjoy more peaceful, productive lives. Why? Because religion says we must be born again to live in the here after of Heaven, whereas Zen says just grow up so you can live in the here and now on Earth.

Religious beliefs are grounded in certainty (answers based on a Bible) and are therefore static and unable to respond to real-world situations. Secular ethics are grounded in uncertainty (questions based on real-world situations) and are therefore dynamic and able to respond to unknowns, possibilities, and risks.

Secular ethics therefore offer a better solution than religion to the moral crisis facing the world because secular ethics respects believers and non-believers. The moral crisis of the world is universal, so the remedy must also be universal. There is nothing out there to believe in or to hope for, so religion must become a secular, beliefless, and deeply realistic way to deal with yourself and the world around you. All beliefs are false knowledge. Stop believing what you don't know and start knowing what you do know. Travel the road between beliefs and hopes by dealing with the world as it really is.

Reality, what a concept!

• Show up (be present) to demonstrate your willingness to participate (connect).
• Listen (receive) to others to demonstrate your willingness to hear what has heart and meaning for them.
• Say (communicate) what has heart and meaning for you (position) and to demonstrate your willingness to give and receive (reciprocity).