Zentraveler on the Essence of Zen!

 

Essence of Zen

This is not a cookbook recipe or a perfume advertisement.  This is a simple treatise on how to get the most out of your life. This simplistic quote sums it up beautifully.

     The essence of life is to live and let others live;to smile and to make others smile; to fulfill ones duty and to cherish the dreams to be realized in this life. —–Malabika Sen  Hello I though this treatise was on the essence of Zen not the essence of life. Just checking grasshopper on who is paying attention and wouldn’t it be a great benefit if you added zen to your life!

     Lets take a look at what the essence of zen really is! Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.—Shunryu SuzukiZen Buddhism is a meditative practice which is designed to increase self-awareness and compassion. It is not a religion as such, with a set of beliefs and dogmas to be accepted, but rather a way of approaching life and a way of experiencing life, together with a set of practices to help the individual achieve an enlightened (nirvana) state.

     A Zen meditation is a mind-body encounter, in the sense that there is an emphasis on ritual physical movements (bowing, chanting, sitting, walking, etc.), but the primary purpose of such activities is the quietening effect they have on the mind. The Zen experience is one of ‘sitting loose’ to life, and it is therefore in sharp contrast to the somewhat ‘driven’ left-brain orientation of the West, with its emphasis on rationality, logic and control. Using a phrase from Zazen your job is really simple!  JUST BE!

     So there you have it….if you want to get off the merry-go-round and slow things down why not take some time and learn to just be. Not as easy as it sounds grasshopper.  But I promise you… you can take this skill and apply it to human relationships, stuck in traffic, long lines, airports and the dental chair. Whats not to like…being wired tight to the max.

Take time to be still and be in the moment. A Zen master stated if you really want to know the secret to happiness all you have to do is accept WHATEVER HAPPENS in your life.

QUOTE: I believe life (which zen can be a part of) encompasses never ending experiences. Searching and questioning through past and present lives, the answers to which, each of us will find in our own timescale.  Ultimately bringing us an understanding of the “bigger” picture and our place within it.—Shad

Dennis Waitley said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: The essence of Bodhidharma’s teachings is that one does not need to study sacred texts, worship deities, or do elaborate religious rituals to achieve enlightenment. Rather, one needs to break through the boundaries of conventional thought using meditation and experience the world as it truly is in the moment.

Zen maintains that this was the way the Buddha himself attained enlightenment. Zen teaches that all humans have the capacity to attain enlightenment because we all have an inherent Buddha-nature; indeed, we are all already enlightened beings, but our true potential has been clouded by ignorance. According to some Zen traditions, this ignorance is overcome through a sudden breakthrough — called satori — during meditation in which the true nature of reality, and our experience of it, is revealed. 

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Your bad temper…it has no practical use and is a waste of energy and emotions.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Just Be!  Just Bee! Just B  no jumping around Grasshopper and u2 can capture the essence of zen.

From here to Infinity and Beyond is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on. Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free.

Zentraveler on the oil that heals!

 

Zentraveler

When I was a child if I was bad my mother gave me a dose of  CASTOR OIL which I hated and shook my head as if bit by a snake.  Also when I was good and came down with any sort of infection my mother delivered the dreaded CASTOR OIL like Nurse Ratchet…and vol-la the cold or whatever magically disappeared. Sometimes these older remedies have a great deal of merit…  which allows us the cliche of MOTHER KNOWS BEST! As my brother was  a fast learner he was almost always good to avoid the castor oil treatment.

Castor oil comes from the castor seed, Ricinus communis, which has a very unusual chemical composition and healing properties. Castor oil is a triglyceride, comprised of fatty acids, 90 percent of which is ricinoleic acid. This unique fatty acid is found in lower concentrations in a few other seeds and oils (0.27 percent in cottonseed oil and 0.03 percent in soybean oil) and is thought to be responsible for castor oil’s unique healing properties.

The castor seed plant is native to India. Centuries ago, the plant was referred to as “Palma Christe” because the leaves were said to resemble the hand of Christ. This association likely arose out of people’s reverence for the plant’s healing abilities. It was later adopted for medicinal use in Ancient Egypt, China, Persia, Africa, Greece, Rome, and eventually in 17^th Century Europe and the Americas. Castor oil is one of the best kept secrets in the world of natural health.  Taken from the bean of the castor plant, this oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, which exerts powerful therapeutic effects. Historically, castor oil was taken as an oral laxative.

Today, however, taking castor oil this way it is not recommended because its powerful laxative effect can disrupt normal digestion and healthy intestinal flora. When it comes to treating chronic conditions, sometimes it is more effective to treat our bodies gently. Castor oil best exerts its powerful effects when applied topically, directly to the skin. It proves to be a simple, cheap and effective remedy for a variety of common health issues including: hair-loss, arthritis, back aches, muscle aches, and may even help in certain cancers.

Disclaimer: This website is simply the writers views and is not an attempt to practice medicine or provide specific medical or health advice and should not be used to make a diagnosis or to replace or overrule a qualified health care provider’s judgment. None of the statements on Zentraveler are to be understood as a recommendation on how to treat any disease or health related condition. If you require medical or other assistance Zentraveler strongly encourages users to consult with a qualified health care professional.

QUOTE: Advice is like Castor Oil, easy to give, but dreadful to take—Josh Billings

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

• Advocates claim castor oil is most effective for strengthening your lymphatic system when it is applied topically in a “castor oil pack,” a treatment popularized by the late psychic healer Edgar Cayce

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Castor Oil plants..be careful grasshopper they can be your own poison.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Use Castor Oil packs on the body to restore lymphocytes and to improve your immune system.

From here to Infinity and Beyond is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on. Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free