What is Zen

Some views on Zen.

Zen means to return to this moment. Hear the bird, hear the rain, feel the air-conditioning sitting here. That’s Zen. From that point I can function clearly, openly. - Venerable Hyon Gak

Zen just means understanding my true nature. Zen means meditation, and meditation means finding my true self – finding my true nature. - Venerable Hyon Gak

Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen. - Bodhidharma

            Being Zen about something means just being as it is. Seeing clearly, hearing clearly, smelling clearly, tasting clearly, touching clearly – that’s Zen. So everything as it is, is truth.
            But when we add thinking, we don’t see truth as it is. We see something that we like, or we don’t like; we want, or don’t want; we accept, or don’t accept. That’s not Zen. - Venerable Hyon Gak