Treating You - Body, Mind, and Spirit
Why Am I Sick? And What To Do About It Preview of Chapter 16 - Zen
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Many people are probably wondering why Zen has anything to do with the subject matter presented in this book. Earlier it was stated that a group of individuals can be found who rarely, if ever, get sick. This group is Zen masters. Since the Zen master rarely gets sick, studying why this is the case would be appropriate. While we are not suggesting everyone adopt the lifestyle of a Zen master, examining and incorporating some lifestyle habits of the Zen master into our own lives will prove beneficial. For any Christians reading this book, Jesus was the supreme Zen master of all time. Interestingly, Jesus never got sick, nor are there any recordings in the Scriptures of the apostles being laden with illness. Jesus and the Apostles lived a lifestyle quite different from that of modern day society. Interestingly, this lifestyle was similar to that of the Zen master. Just what does the Zen master do all day long that promotes the freedom from illness? This again, is asking the question in the wrong way. Answering the question directly will result in a daily list of activities, and will hardly do justice in obtaining true understanding of what we are seeking. So then, to answer the question, we will examine some basic Zen principles that will lead us to the answer, and then look at what the overall lifestyle of a Zen master is like. To do this though, we must have a basic understanding of Zen. With this understanding, the foundation is laid for the lifestyle of the Zen master. The age-old saying that “if it can be explained in words, then it is not Zen” holds true even to this day. Nirvana, Zen enlightenment, the answers to Zen koans or “riddles” all cannot be truly expressed with the use of words, language or symbols. It does not stop here though. The understanding of such ideas can be grasped and understood, but the understanding cannot simply be transferred to another person using traditional methods of communication. This presents a dilemma in the sense that something is claimed to exist but cannot be readily explained or proven to another individual by using either analytical or other traditional methods. Understanding is granted to some, but seemingly denied to others. When the roadblocks to understanding are removed, understanding that was seemingly denied will become instantly clear, not only conceptually, but in experientially as well. Likewise, with health and healing, understanding is granted to some, but seemingly denied to others. The understanding of healing, similarly, is granted only when the roadblocks to true understanding are removed. |