Enlightenment of Zen

Author: B.T. Glasseman (USA); Compiler: Guizhen Translation
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-01-01
Features: "The Zen of Seeing" Introduction: Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma, and all great masters help us find the path of life. They are not your enlightenment or my awakening. They will never be. All they can do is tell you: return to the present. I am not trying to denigrate Aristotle or the scientific achievements of our time—I am a scientist myself—but technology has brought humanity and society nothing but harm. Focusing on the present helps us find solutions to the problems caused by science and modern civilization. Awareness of the present is the absolute necessary condition for Zen. The entire purpose of Zen is to raise the question of what the meaning of existence is. The teachings of Zen Buddhism say that the most complex and accessible part of history is the present. We cannot change what happened 500 years ago, but we can take action now to change the present and what will happen in the next 500 years. If people in our society bring their thoughts to the present, their awareness of what is happening will arise, and they will realize how flawed our society is. At the very least, homelessness, violence, and AIDS indicate that a society is in an absolute predicament. Zen Buddhism helps awaken awareness of what is happening so that we can respond in time when it is not too late.