Zen Miracles

Shoshanna Brenda

Description

"This wonderful book brings East and West--and ancient and modern worlds--together and provides profound wisdom and guidance for anyone struggling with stress, anxiety, anger, fear, or loneliness. Beautifully written, funny, warm, and filled with unusual, wonderful exercises. A real miracle."--Rabbi Gary Moskowitz, Director of the Institute for Violence Prevention

"A healing journey into the inner conflicts and contradictions that separate spirit from self." --Armand DiMele, the DiMele Center for Psychotherapy

"Dr. Brenda Shoshanna is a versatile, creative, warm, and truly excellent teacher." --Rabbi Joseph Gelberman, founder of the Interfaith Seminary and Director of the All Faith Seminary

"Zen Miracles is an inviting and inspiring message for those looking for a more simple and powerful way to enhance their lives and for those who want to integrate a practical way of peace in today's distorted and increasingly violent world."--Bob Goff, NY Naturally

"Zen Miracles is a book that is invaluable for anyone seeking to bring a profound, yet genuinely joyous, experience to life. Brenda Shoshanna explores the spiritual and therapeutic aspects of Zen practice in a way that is acceptable to anyone, no matter what their faith, philosophy, or religious beliefs. With her warm and compassionate style, she exhibits the unique ability to explain even the most difficult ideas in understandable terms. Her approach is readily accessible and applicable to even the most mundane of activities. This book is a must for anyone seeking the secrets for attaining a balanced life and true peace of mind."--Lewis Harrison, Director of the Academy of Natural Healing
Acknowledgments.

Special Thanks.

Introduction.

PART I: GETTING STARTED.

What Is Zen?

How to Do It.

Welcome to the World of Koans.

Peeling Onions Day By Day.

Doing Nothing.

PART 2: CRAVINGS AND COMPULSIONS.

Quieting the Monkey Mind.

Loneliness and Separation.

Feeding the Hungry Heart.

Ambition: Taming the Violent Mind.

PART 3: LETTING GO.

Grasping and Holding On.

Empty Hands.

Pilgrimage.

PART 4: DISSOLVING THE FALSE SELF.

Putting Toys Away.

When Medicine Turns to Poison.

The True Man of No Rank.

The Zen Fisherman.

PART 5: ZEN, GOD, AND ENLIGHTENMENT.

Walking Through the Gateless Gate.

Zen and God.

Zen Cautions.

Zen Miracle Commandments.

Bibliography.

Index.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy
• Zen

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 17 août 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470252642
• Langue: English

Extrait

Z EN M IRACLES
Z EN M IRACLES
F INDING P EACE IN AN I NSANE W ORLD
Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D.

John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Copyright 2002 by Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York Published simultaneously in Canada
The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge the following sources for their permission to include copyrighted material: from The Kabir Book by Robert Bly, 1971, 1977 by Robert Bly, 1977 by the Seventies Press, reprinted with permission of Beacon Press, Boston; from Tao of Zen by Ray Grigg, reprinted with permission of Charles E. Tuttle Co., Boston, Mass. and Tokyo, Japan; from Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh by Thich Nhat Hanh, reprinted with permission of Parallax Press, Berkeley, Calif. 1999; from The Three Pillars of Zen by Roshi Philip Kaplean, reprinted with permission of Doubleday, a division of Random House; from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki, 1994 by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki, reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, www.shambhala.com ; from Delicious Laughter by Jelaluddin Rumi, reprinted with permission of Maypop Books 1990; from Two Zen Classics by Katsuki Sekida, reprinted with permission of Weatherhill Publishers 1977.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, [phone], fax [phone], e-mail: [e-mail].
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Shoshanna, Brenda.
Zen miracles : finding peace in an insane world / Brenda Shoshanna.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-471-41481-6
1. Peace of mind-Religious aspects-Zen Buddhism. 2. Meditation-Zen Buddhism. I. Title.
BQ9265.4 .S48 2002
294.3 444-dc21
2001046958
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to the Infinite One whose great miracle allowed me to meet this teaching, to practice, and to make an offering of what I have begun to learn.
Acknowledge Him in all your ways, And He will direct the steps of your feet.
- the Torah
C ONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Special Thanks

Introduction
PART ONE
G ETTING S TARTED
1. What Is Zen?
2. How to Do It
3. Welcome to the World of Koans
4. Peeling Onions Day by Day
5. Doing Nothing
PART TWO
C RAVINGS AND C OMPULSIONS
6. Quieting the Monkey Mind
7. Loneliness and Separation
8. Feeding the Hungry Heart
9. Ambition: Taming the Violent Mind
PART THREE
L ETTING G O
10. Grasping and Holding On
11. Empty Hands
12. Pilgrimage
PART FOUR
D ISSOLVING THE F ALSE S ELF
13. Putting Toys Away
14. When Medicine Turns to Poison
15. The True Man of No Rank
16. The Zen Fisherman
PART FIVE
Z EN , G OD, AND E NLIGHTENMENT
17. Walking Through the Gateless Gate
18. Zen and God

Zen Cautions
Zen Miracle Commandments
Bibliography
Index
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
To the lively, courageous spirit of my original teachers, Soen Nakagawa Roshi and Eido Roshi, and to my grandfather, Reb Moshe Yitzchak Snitofsky, who loved God so much his entire life turned into a song.
S PECIAL T HANKS
First and foremost let me acknowledge my outstanding agent, Noah Lukeman, without whose continuous support, effort, and inspiration this book would never have been written. I also wish to especially thank my fine editor, Tom Miller, whose enthusiasm, guidance, and excellent direction helped make the book what it is.
Without the tireless efforts of my teachers, I would never have been able to put these words on paper, or to have the smallest taste of practice. I wish to acknowledge and thank my teachers, Soen Roshi, Eido Roshi, and Joko Charlotte Beck, without whom my practice would never be what it is.
Many beautiful dharma friends have guided, encouraged, and deeply inspired me, and continue to do so-first, with particular thanks for their outstanding support, Jeffrey Azbell, Daniel Myerson, Carolyn Stark, Fran Perillo, Fay Tabakman, and William Solomon. I also thank Yoshi Amakawa, Kuju, Sara Birnbaum, Seppo, Ed Ferrey, Peter Gamby, Chinshu Scott Young, Wado, Vicky Gerdy, Bompo, Haskell Fleishaker, Yayoi, Karen Matsumoto, Katsuro, Anthony McKiernen, Kushu, Master Min Pai, Kanzan, Bruce Rickenbacker, Dogo, Don Scanlon, Enyo, Carolyn Stark, Kyoshin, and Jacques Van Engel.
With loving appreciation I also offer deep thanks for the wisdom and inspiration received from Rabbi Ephraim Wolf and the Lubovitcher Rebbe. For all of this I am immensely grateful.
Last, but not least of all, without my wonderful family and their continual love, it would have been impossible to even dream of embarking upon such a project. Great thanks to all of them, Gerry, Leah, Melissa and Abram, Joshua and Yana, Adam, Taisan, Zoe, Remy, and the amazing Jacob Benjamin.
Z EN M IRACLES
I NTRODUCTION

A young shoot has borne
Beautiful flowers
Growing upon an aged plum tree
-Basho
We all want life to be miraculous, and it is. We pray for miracles, seek miracles, listen to stories about miracles, and think miracles will happen someday in the future, or happened thousands of years ago. So few realize that the great miracle is happening in our lives, right now. Zen is simply the practice of waking up so we can see the miracle, give thanks, and live with it wholeheartedly.
The practice of Zen has befuddled and fascinated people throughout time. A true description of what it is cannot be given in words. In Zen, we say as soon as you speak, you are far from the mark. According to an ancient Zen saying, Wash out your mouth before you speak about Zen. Words limit, cheapen, and distort understanding. And yet, remaining silent will not do, either. This itself is a koan -a Zen riddle-or challenge for us.
Zen descends from a monastic tradition. It has traveled through many nations and cultures, and now is being brought to this country, where it is greatly needed. We must learn to integrate it, along with its ancient traditions, into our culture and our everyday lives.
I was raised in a Hasidic Jewish environment, in Borough Park, Brooklyn, yet in a family where each person strongly held a different point of view. I was fascinated by koans (which I ll explain later) right from the start, though I did not call them that. A longing for God, mixed with confusion, conflict, and divided loyalties besieged me. Then, one day, at the age of fifteen, having been ripped out of Yeshiva and now attending public high school, a strange thing happened. A history teacher came over and gave me a gift wrapped in a brown paper bag.
Don t tell anyone about this, he said secretively. It s perfect for you and I know it. I had no idea what it was.
I went home and undid the package. Inside was a book by D. T. Suzuki on Zen. I opened the pages, began to read, and was filled with inexplicable joy. I read one koan after another, had no idea what they meant, but knew that this could finally lead me to exactly what I d been yearning for.
I held on to that book for many years, taking it wherever I went, and reading it over and over again. When friends asked what it meant, I couldn t say. I only felt strongly that this was a passageway to the truth.
For many years I did not realize that there was a specific practice of Zen. I also had no idea where I would ever find a teacher. At times I would ask friends if they thought I would have to go to Japan to find a teacher. A particularly kind and wise friend, Gerry, used to tell me, Nope, I think he ll just arrive one day by himself.
About seventeen years after that, it happened. I found a teacher, a place to practice, and was instructed in zazen , or sitting meditation. Day by day, a whole new life opened up, including powerful memories and longings of childhood. Sitting on the cushion was not an escape from anything, nor was it, for me, the acceptance of a new religion. It was practice, practice, practice. It made me tackle all parts of my life, including my own connection to God and my heritage, which grew deeper and more vivid each day as I sat. It also forced me to look differently at my psychological practice, my patients, marriage, children-every part of my life.
Conventional wisdom has a saying, You cannot return home again. Zen practice disagrees. Each time we sit, we return home. Eventually, some of us may also have to actually return to the streets and the background we came from, bringing along what we found.
Zen Miracles is an attempt to digest my experience as a Westerner, a practicing psychologist, a therapist, a mother, and a householder with Zen, and to offer whatever I may have learned to whomever it may be helpful.
Having worked as a psychologist and therapist for over twenty-five years, it has become clearer and clearer to me that no matter how many problems are worked through, true peace and fulfillment may still be elusive. Once one issue is resolved, another arises to take its place. Particularly today, as we seek more and more success, money, skills, and possessions