2. Zen Buddhism is:
“A direct transmission
outside tradition and
outside scripture: no
dependence on words,
directly pointing to
the human heart,
seeing into one’s own
nature and realizing
Buddhahood”.

3. Zen uses everyday ideas to
point to reality, rather than
religious ideas –
“When walking, just
walk.
When sitting, just sit.
Above all, don’t
wobble”
Ummon

4. I am
Bodhidharma, the
first Zen patriarch
– When the
Chinese emperor
asked me “What is
this Holy religion
all about”, I
explained that it
is “Vast
emptiness, with
nothing holy in it”.

5. What he didn’t
understand is that
ideas like
“Holiness” or
“Buddha” are just
constructions of
the mind – in Zen
we want to go
beyond these
constructions, to
see things as they
really are.

6. I don’t want you to
think about reality
– I want you to
experience it, so
stop thinking, and
start experiencing!

7. When you sit and
look at a tree, you
don’t just see the
tree, but a whole
host of other
mental images, you
think “That’s a nice
green colour”, or
“Those fruit would
taste good”, but
you don’t just sit
and see the tree.

8. All humans are only a hair’s
breadth from the experience
of enlightenment, which we
call “Satori”. Satori is
experienced naturally as part
of life, when we lose
ourselves in experience of a
sunset, or something
beautiful. The Zen approach
to enlightenment is about
trying to encourage those
moments!

9. Zen says that enlightenment is
like a rose – you can’t grow a
rose on your own, but you can
make it likely that a rose will
occur! Enlightenment is the
same, you can’t make yourself
enlightened, but you can make
it likely that enlightenment
experiences will occur!

10. So how can you work on the
rose garden of your mind?

11. A good way is to
practice Zazen.
This just means
“sitting”, and is
really all about
doing just that – as
one Zen master
said, “When I sit, I
just sit”.
Zazen is an intense
and difficult form
of Meditation
practice.

12. Zazen is best
practiced in a
Zendo – a Zen
room. Many of
these are in
monasteries, but
technically, any
room where
Zazen is done is
a zendo.

13. I’ve got a really important
job in the Zendo – I have
to stop the monks going
to sleep. If I see someone
nodding off, I give them a
tap with this stick, then
we bow to each other &
they get on with
meditating. Some harder
strikes may be necessary
for sleepy heads, and if I
break my stick on you, the
tradition is that you buy
me a bottle of Sake!

14. A good zendo is run by a
Roshi – a teacher who is
acknowledged to have had
regular experience of
Satori, and who knows how
to transmit that experience
to each individual.
Everyone may need a
different stimulus to tip
them over into
enlightenment – a joke, a
riddle, a slap, a plate
thrown at them…
Whatever it takes.

16. Some Zendos will
have gardens
attached – but
Gardens that are
designed to help the
mind see past
appearances
How many rocks are
there – are they
supposed to be
rocks or Islands?

17. In Zen we strive for Satori
- the lightning flash of
enlightenment - this is an
instant experience that
arises spontaneously.
Achieving Satori does not
make you a Buddha,
however, we are pursuing
a different goal to other
Buddhists - one that does
not want to abandon this
world.

18. In Zen we teach that “You
are the Buddha” - all
beings have a “Buddha
nature” - one does not
have to become Buddha,
because one has always
been Buddha, we just
need to wake up to it.
Your own everyday mind,
is the Buddha mind.

19. In Zen we do not see that
there is a difference
between Nirvana, and the
everyday world that
surrounds us - we
celebrate nature in our
poetry and art. Every
action you perform is
spiritual, provided that it
is natural and
spontaneous - Zen is
about making life holy,
not going outside it to
find holiness.

20. A famous Zen teaching
method is the Koan - a
Koan is a nonsense riddle,
or saying - it deliberately
makes no sense, and is
designed to jerk you out
of normal ways of
thinking and into Satori.
What is the sound
of one hand
clapping?

21. Koans may be statements
- “The Buddha is a dung
heap coolie”!
Koans may be questions
with answers provided -
“What is the Buddha?
Three pounds of flax”.
“Does a Dog have a
Buddha nature” - “Wu”
(Sounds like “Woof” &
means “Nothing”)

22. Or maybe even a story:
“The novice went to see
Bodhidharma, and said “I
want peace of mind”.
“Bring out your mind”,
said Bodhidharma, “and
I’ll give it peace!”

23. The practice of
Zen has had an
enormous
influence of
Japanese
culture!

24. The Discipline and simplicity
of Zen appealed to us
Samurai!
Yeah, Zen is just like a
Japanese sword fight – you
spend a long time staring your
opponent in the eye, both of
you totally immobile, and then
suddenly, “swish”, the fight is
over, and you are walking
away, cleaning your sword,
before his body has hit the
ground.

25. The point of Karate is not to be able to kill
your opponent, but to train your body and
mind so that you lose yourself in the
experience of the moment – when you
watch your body acting without thought –
that is a kind of Satori
Yeah, but this still hurts!

26. Zen influences
everything -
From calligraphy to
flower arranging…

27. Even making a cup of
tea…

28. Remember - Zen can’t be
put into words - You can
only experience it as it is
passed from the mind of
your teacher to your mind.
So - this whole
presentation is a waste of
time.