To talk about realizing the Self is discontinuous because there is nothing to realize but the Self. There is nothing but realization. Frederick Lenz More Quotes by Frederick Lenz More Quotes From Frederick Lenz Old Zen was very funny; there was a great deal of humor and happiness. Zen today seems much drier. While there's a certain amount of humor, it seems to lack that total intensity because humor is one of the primary tools for liberation. Frederick Lenz intensity tools today Old Zen was the reduction of concepts to absurdity. Frederick Lenz reduction absurdity introduction Different schools of Zen have evolved, principally the Rinzai and Soto orders. A whole hierarchy has developed for the teaching and practice of Zen. Zen has become, to a certain degree, institutionalized. Frederick Lenz teaching order school If you're very, very conservative and you like that sort of practice, go find a very conservative Zen master and just do traditional Japanese practice, which is not that traditional actually. Frederick Lenz conservative masters practice It is only in the last 800 years that the rules have come into being and conservative Zen has surfaced. It is not particularly popular in Japan at all. Hardly anybody practices Zen any more because it's just too strict; there are too many rules. Frederick Lenz japan practice years If you're very liberal, then you should go and find a very liberal Zen teacher, a liberal interpretation of the doctrines of the Soto or Rinzai schools. Frederick Lenz doctrine teacher school Zen is a study. It's a discipline. It involves the active use of will to make things happen or not happen. These are the secrets of power. Frederick Lenz discipline use secret The path of Zen is not easy. It's wonderful. It's beautiful beyond compare. You will experience more ecstasy and beauty than most people will in a thousand lifetimes. Frederick Lenz path beautiful people Meditation is the way the mind is. That's why in Zen they call it the natural state, which means you don't have to go and do anything to meditate. Frederick Lenz meditation mind mean The light is already there. In Zen Buddhism there's a little speck of dust on the mirror, and that's us. Frederick Lenz buddhism light mirrors The sense of self is one of the obscurations that prevents us from seeing clearly, the idea that there is a self or that we are anyone in particular. Frederick Lenz self introduction ideas To have the illusion of selfhood simply means that when you look in the mirror, you see somebody. Frederick Lenz mirrors mean looks In Zen you practice zazen, mindfulness and other forms of introspection to find out who you are and what you want, to balance your spirit, develop willpower, increase your sense of humor and gain wisdom. Frederick Lenz balance mindfulness practice In Zen there is a sense of blending, of stepping out of your body and mind and gaining access to powers and abilities that are far beyond the minds of mortal men. Frederick Lenz buddhism mind men In Zen we study the will. We learn how to cultivate it, to accumulate will. We use it to direct our actions, and we don't overuse it or abuse it - that's a waste. Frederick Lenz our-actions abuse waste The study of Zen is the study of energy, power, knowledge and balance. It is the science of energy conservation and control. We use energy to aid others, to see beauty, to discover love where we saw no love at all. Frederick Lenz balance energy use The way of nothingness is the way of Zen. It is just a term. The contemplation of nothingness or everythingness is where everything starts. Frederick Lenz contemplation introduction way The theory of Zen is non-competition. But that is not really true at all. People who practice Zen are very competitive. They are competing against emptiness. Frederick Lenz competition practice people Zen is the path that focuses the most upon meditation. It is almost exclusively a path of meditation. Frederick Lenz meditation path introduction You can only conceive of what lies beyond the state of mind you are in from the point of view of the state of mind you are in. Frederick Lenz views mind lying
