What is really the essence of Zen Buddhism?
One has to understand that Zen Buddhism is not a theory, or a body of knowledge. It is not a belief, a canon, or a religion; but rather, it is a practical experience. Zen is not something you can intellectualize, it is your personal experience of the here and the now. Zen does not worry about the afterlife, reincarnation, or God, it is focused on this moment－right now.
Zen meditation or Zazen, is basically seated meditation wherein the one practicing it is in good posture, “pushing the sky” with the top of his head, paying careful attention to breathing, until he is fully alert and present. The end goal of Zen Buddhism is to take someone’s rational and intellectual mind out of the mental loop, so that he can realize his own Buddha-nature.
It is meditation with no regard for physical objects and other anchors; just letting the thoughts ebb and flow without any kind of resistance or interference. This sense of being focused in the present is the true essence of Zazen. It is backed by scientific research that Zazen, when practiced repeatedly, has been proven to facilitate recovery from sickness, strengthen one’s spiritual resources, and free he who practices it from his own anxiety and destructive impulses.
Zen Buddhism is not confined to the time spent in meditation. It is something more than Zazen. It is considered a state of mind that is seamlessly weaved into daily life. Zen Buddhism entails living life in the moment, thus increasing serenity and productivity. It is throwing away learned responses to day-to-day pressures from this modern society that we are currently in and recognizing things for what they are. It is living in vital freedom, unbound, being open to whatever that may come and may go.
( Source : learnjapanese123.com )
