A new book by Wayne C. Allen
Introduction
Back in 2005, my book, This Endless Moment, was published. Fairly quickly after that, I thought about writing the next one. In This Endless Moment, I wrote from a Western perspective about several core concepts that related to simple presence and living. In this book, I am playing around with Eastern views of these same concepts.
I want to encourage you to step back from Western culture and belief systems, for no particular reason other than to give you a chance to air out your mind. This is meant to be like walking around a statue. The front and the back may seem different, but it is the same statue, seen from a different perspective.
Ultimately, my wish is that you expand your repertoire regarding how you choose to view, understand, and live your life. This book will suggest a moment-by-moment path to deeper, committed, and purposeful living.
While you will see Zen stories, quotes from the Tao Te Ching, core Buddhist teachings, and material from the Bhagavad-Gita, this is not a Zen, Taoist, Hindu, or Buddhist sales pitch. I am not declaring what you are reading to be right, or correct. What I do know is that I have tested the concepts that I write about, and have found them to be ‘so’ in my own life. I write, as always, from the classroom of my own experience.
I invite you to join me, to evaluate what you read with a critical eye, and to experiment with the concepts presented. The Buddha said,
“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
In this book, my overarching framework is the Zen perspective. I have made use of old, old Zen stories, as well as new Zen tales that come from my experience with life, with Darbella, with family, friends, and clients. If you are new to these Eastern stories, you might at first struggle with making sense of the plot or point. If you are familiar with some of the stories, you may find your interpretation of the story’s meaning differs from mine. In either case, hold what you read lightly, letting thoughts play in the depths of your mind and heart. I claim no authority over meanings—this book is simply a light-hearted invitation to loosen your grip on your interpretations, thoughts, and actions.
We can discover the essence of Zen in the practice of meditation (zazen) and contemplation (effortful mindfulness, or concentration.) In the stillness that arises, our normal busyness, analysis, and ‘monkey-mind’ (jumping from one thought to another) can fade into the background, as another, perhaps more interesting essence floats to the surface. In this empty stillness is great depth, insight, and wisdom, none of which has much to do with thinking, reasoning, or being ‘wise.’ We discover the realm of simple presence in the endless flow of Now.
This realm is where the mystery of us—of we ‘mere humans’—becomes less cloudy. As we bring ourselves into the discipline of stillness and Emptiness, our dramas, excuses, evasions, and lack of integrity begins to dissipate. We find ourselves, finding ourselves. Paradoxically, our finding reveals that there is no one, anywhere, to find.
In the Tao, we read, “If you mould a cup you have to make a hollow; it is the Emptiness within it that makes it useful.” This concept of looking into Emptiness is a foreign one in the West, where externals, looks, possessions, and scorecards of various forms and stripes are the way we define ourselves. Yet, if we are to progress, look we must—into the Emptiness that gives form meaning.
Walk with me, then, into the depths of life, into the heights of who we are, and into the swirl and flow of the chi of life. In the stillness, there is both peace and presence.
This book is divided into sections.
In the First Section, we have a look at Zen living as it is reflected in Traditional Zen Stories. What I write is not intended to be seen as the only, single, or even correct explanation of each story. Rather, I am sharing what arose for me as I related to the story.
In the Second Section, I present some Zen stories of my own, complete with hints as to their meaning for me. I urge you to read them and concoct your own meaning.
In the Third Section, I present for your consideration the utterings of a 20th century Zen Master, Yogi Berra.
In the Fourth Section, we explore living in a new way, as we relate in openness, clarity, and integrity.
Enjoy.
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