Alphabet soup for the soul vol.2 -“Z”

Z is for Zen

“I have lived with several Zen masters – all of the cats” -Eckhart Tolle–

Zen Buddhism holds many truths and philosophies about living and having the best human experience on this planet. However, one philosophy resonates with my soul over any other about awakening. It teaches us that awakening or enlightening comes in two ways if it comes in this life.

The first way is called Satori, and that is when something clicks. You have an “aha” moment, some form of intuition slams into the back of your head, and you know you have just unearthed a truth aligned with your soul and your reasons for being. After that moment, things can never be the same because what you have just learned or witnessed can not be unseen.

The second moment, which happened to me, is called Kensho. Kensho happens after we get so low and go through a dark night of the soul (mine lasted a decade, and I wouldn’t change any of it).

Kensho is an act that we must move through to say no more and finally pick ourselves up. Like the mythical phoenix who rises from the ashes to become a beautiful, majestic creature, finding fire in its belly and doing things that it could not previously do or even possible.

Another beautiful idea Zen teaches us is that the source of all sin is delusion, so ask yourself the following question as you move through the seasons of your life. What I am seeing, hearing, doing, thinking, and feeling is an illusion causing my delusion.

***Starting next weekend, All of us will be starting a new FREE series of journal prompts based on the brilliance of Henry David Thoreau’s transcendentalist philosophy and ideas he wrote almost two centuries ago from Walden pond. The idea is to explore yourself through writing in a way you have not done so until now. So, bring a pen and paper (or laptop) and give yourself full permission for the words to flow like the river of life. The secret to this fun and exciting journey is to be as vulnerable as possible and seek answers by asking questions (if you ask a question, the universe has to provide a solution).****

Alphabet soup for the soul – “Z”