Australian Zen

Zen can be quite mysterious, but the word Zen actually just means meditation in Japanese. The practice of Zen as a way of life is more difficult to define, but there is an important component of irreverence in it. That is the equation of the ordinary with the divine. A cup of tea enjoyed with total attention and presence becomes a zen experience.

A famous Zen saying goes: when I am hungry I eat and when I am tired I sleep, so here Zen becomes the experience of being natural and divinely ordinary and not trying to escape to an enlightened ideal or a perfect self or superhuman. become, but instead it is already illuminated enough to be present during a morning walk. Said Zen Master Suzuki

“If you can’t find relief here right now, where else do you expect to find it?”

Sure, Zen and an Aussie guy share an irreverence for ceremony and tradition, but what I find most similar is the Australian ‘she’ll be right’ attitude. An eternal, easy-going mentality that can laugh at every setback. In fact, in the toughest of times, for example the loss of a job, the break-up of a relationship or even a death, an Aussie guy is prone to saying that the good old Aussie guy will often announce, ‘She’ll be the right size are’.

There is even a Buddhist deity called Samantabhadra, which translates as ‘the all-good’. Far from being cruel or dismissive, this idea is actually a recognition that at the heart of every experience, whether good or bad, is a divine essence, a Buddha nature, and that the role of meditation is to take into account every situation. holding this illumined essence as primary and the flow of the world as a secondary appearance – like ripples on the ocean of eternity.

‘No worries mate’ is another Australian saying I love. First of all, Aussies like to call everyone partners. It’s like calling everyone a friend: everyone is your friend and deserves a smile, even the Dalai Lama once advised greeting everyone you meet as if you were meeting an old friend. Secondly, not to worry means not making a problem of anything, not piling suffering upon suffering. Sometimes things happen, but don’t worry, buddy, she’ll be right. This sounds like Zen, where the mind is not moved by circumstances, but remains calm and centered in the recognition that the moment is enough. Zen masters have called this the imperturbability of the original mind, but as an Australian I simply call it ‘as good as gold’. ‘.

“All experiences are made of the same stuff, but look different, just as all gold jewelry is made of gold, but takes many shapes and styles.”

A sense of justice or ‘fair go’ is another trait that both Zen and a good Australian guy have in common. After all, Zen is a Buddhist tradition that respects all beings as equal expressions of an essential Buddha nature. As Australians, we believe in a fair opportunity for everyone. While we’re known for chopping down big poppies, we’re also known for shaking hands with a partner, never kicking someone when they’re down, and a real Australian guy would never hit a woman. Being an Aussie guy who loves sports so much there is a pervasive attitude that if you train hard enough and work hard no matter who you are you deserve a shot at the title and in Zen the same goes for enlightenment, male or female Japanese Whether Indian or African, everyone has Buddha nature and has the potential to realize it.

There was an Australian tourist advertising campaign a few years ago in which an attractive Australian woman in a bikini on a beach beckoned to the world, “Where the hell are you?” This could actually be a great Australian koan, a profound question that raises a deep realization. Many spiritual types are aware of the spiritual attitude of always being in the now, best known by Eckhart Tolle in his book The Power of Now, but a lesser known stanza is the ‘power from here’. So often we strive to be somewhere else, some elusive place in the future where everything will be better and where you will be happier, but the key to Australian Zen is to be exactly where you are and make the most of it to make. According to Zen, “here” is the place where enlightenment is found, and this is the only place you will ever be. Australian Zen means being present and attentive, wherever you are, no matter how difficult it is. Where the hell are you? I’m always here, buddy.

Therefore, above all, Australian Zen is relaxed and easy-going, cheeky and irreverent, humorous and always light of the situation, believes in a fair approach to all and has an impenetrable optimism. Going with the flow and crushing egos at every turn. Laughing in the face of adversity and exposing your butt to royalty, tough and resilient and ready to share a beer with the next person you meet or pick a fight to defend a woman’s honor. Whatever the situation requires, it will be done. Not trying to escape somewhere else, happily in a sense of mischievous abandon at whatever happens. This is a form of spirituality that I can practice with great pleasure and a spiritual lineage that I could proudly pass on to the next generation.

Chad is the founder of The Way of Meditation and has been teaching meditation since 2003 and is committed to bringing authentic meditation practices into the lives of millions of people in the modern world. Chad is a former Buddhist monk who lived in a retreat hut for six years and studied and practiced meditation full-time. Chad now offers private online meditation coaching and has also developed an incredible course called The 21 Day Meditation Challenge
to gradually guide people from the basic principles of mindfulness and relaxation to profound states of consciousness.