There are a variety of reasons why individuals are drawn to Zen meditation.
Intrigued by the potential to unlock some “spiritual meaning “ in their lives is one.
Seeking improved health through a lowering of blood pressure and calming an
overactive mind is another.
Whatever the initial catalyst may have been, the journey we are sharing at this
same time and space grid and the unfoldment of situations and circumstances –
your life, my life, when lived fully is our ultimate teacher.
With the end of World War II, a decades long occupation of Korea also came to a
close. Many citizens in Seoul and elsewhere took to the streets celebrating their
new freedom.
A famous Korean Buddhist Monk named Man Gong dipped the stem of the
national flower in black ink and wrote a now famous calligraphy “The Whole World
Is A Single Flower.”
Many Korean people in the past few decades have come to America. They
embraced Man Gong’s simple statement The Whole World Is A Single Flower with
confidence that they would be accepted in their newly adapted country.
Millions of immigrant Asians now residing in the United States arrived with a
similar dream. They work hard contributing to the well being of American society
as a whole, not just their own particular Asian heritage.
They came with the hope and dream that the different cultures in their newly
adapted country would welcome their work ethic. In turn, they would embrace their
new homeland with both fierce loyalty and an unwavering dedication to the
sovereignty of U.S. democracy.
The recent hate crimes and violence that have swept our nation has in many
instances broken the hearts and spirits of these well intentioned American
citizens. Being attacked simply due to their physical appearance is a sad
commentary of 21st century life in a country that professes equality and justice for all.
The African American community have endured unspeakable atrocities in this land
for centuries. Moreover, this racial injustice has been ignored in our public school
system to the extent of implying that it never really took place.
The new national holiday “Juneteenth” is a great step forward in ameliorating
these atrocities albeit a gesture long overdue.
Every historical era to date lacked spiritual clarity. Ours is a time when we are
inundated with information via smart phones and the internet. Daily life can
oftentimes be complicated and confusing. If our mind mirror is soiled by this
overactivity, samadhi cannot be reflected in our day to day actions and
encounters.
Yet, we must all embrace the Sixth Ancestor Hui Neng’s message: “To detach
oneself from all external stimulation and to be undisturbed within.”
This universal teaching has to be embraced in order for the human species to
survive this current millennium. Sadly, science despite ample warning is now
beginning to predict a worse case scenario.