Zen was born in a time of Crisis … This practice is, in itself, taking a stand against forces of divisiveness.
It appears that a “crisis of unity” is unfolding in our times as national populism seems to be rising around the world. So it seems apropos to consider how Zen– a tradition that “… is always immediately situational {and} has no overarching ontology or philosophy …” might address this matter.
In Stillness Speaks’ upcoming documentary, Zen Awakening: Finding Peace in Troubled Times, Henry Shukman previews a brief history of Zen and notes that “… Zen was born in a time of Crisis. During the Chinese Tang dynasty between 600-900 AD the two great traditions of Buddhism and Taoism fused and became Zen. In the middle of the eighth century there was a catastrophic civil war in China which lasted about 8 years …”
Henry continues and shares his thoughts on how Zen can help us deal with crisis – both collective and individual – by embracing unity and love.
“We are now in a time of crisis where the reality of no separation is being obscured and division is deliberately being created. As Zen practitioners, we cannot turn to hatred. Instead we must stand for love and non-separation. This practice is, in itself, taking a stand against forces of divisiveness.”
“… practice can lead us to … where we taste that beneath all the surface troubles of life there is actually a well-being – of all creation creating itself with a vast but empty power …”
This clip was originally published in a blog post, Meeting Crisis with Zen & Practice on StillnessSpeaks.com. Click to read the entire post.