Flowering of Zen Meditation

The Zen way of life is deeply connected to silence and meditation. The core of Zen meditation is a transcendental stillness that leads to the flowering of a blissful consciousness and makes one aware of the true meaning of everything around oneself. This in course of time leads to the graceful permanence of Zen. According to Zen monks, everything other than this absolute stillness of mind and body would create ego, thereby obstructing the true self.

In nothingness, when there is nobody to watch over and nothing as being watched, time stands still. There is no past and future and thereby the mere existence becomes the greatest action. It is at this moment that a Zen would enjoy the most, immersed in the absolute bliss. Being neutral without any preconceived notion about anything, they can easily accept anything with utmost joy. The mind is no more concerned about anything and is in a state of rest.

Hence the famous Zen poet Matsuo Basho once wrote:

‘Sitting silently,
Doing nothing
And the grass grows by itself.’

Zen is eternal and always new. It does not have any touch of that past and subsequently is extremely flexible and free of prejudice. Zen thus grows as an experience as if flowering beyond time and thought. Basho explains this beautifully in the following verses:

‘For his morning tea
A monk sits down in utter silence
Confronted by chrysanthemums.’

–Praveen Vikkath,([email protected])