Zen: "Legacy of Letters"

What is Zen? I think we all have a good feeling for what it means, but when I was asked last night to define it I lost my tongue. After a slice of pondering I finally said something akin to, "It's like being at complete peace. Being entirely present and connected to the moment, to the world around you."

Then I went home and Googled it. (Of course.) Wikipedia says, "Zen emphasizes experiential prajñā in the attainment of enlightenment. As such, it de-emphasizes theoretical knowledge in favor of direct realization through meditation and dharma practice." So that helps. Sort of.

After some more ponder-ponder, I began to realize how indefinable the concept of Zen is. Like Love, it's a state of mind, body, and soul that has to be felt to be understood. We can't explain to someone what Love is if they've never felt it. In the same way, we can't really convey what Zen is to those that haven't experienced it.

The good thing is, most of us have felt it. If you've ever been "in the Zone" then you've been in a Zen-like state. Those are the moments in which Time is no longer; where the world is completely and utterly fluid with the self.

I think that every artist, in their own way, strives for a state of Zen in which the process of creation passes through from spirit to action without being tainted by consciousness. In other words, we just let it out, as if we are a witness to what we are doing.

This morning I came across a video of a man practicing the art of calligraphy. You can tell he's in the Zone when he makes perfect line after perfect line.

That is Zen.