Kelsey McGovern, Staff Writer

Zen Buddhism focuses on harmony between the body, mind and self. In A Temporary Affair: Talks on Awakening and Zen, David Radin discusses the awakening, truth of life and the acceptance of impermanence. Zen Buddhism emphasizes the impermanence of human experience to enlighten the individual about fulfillments.

When you acknowledge that nothing outside of yourself can fulfill you, you “allow yourself a certain freedom—the freedom to just relax in the present moment, to breathe, to smile, and come back to yourself,” says Radin. Radin speaks about visiting a friend who is dying, talking about how nothing one accomplishes in this life can be brought to the next.

According to Radin, the mind “has been trained to compete and struggle to attain something that will give it a feeling of fulfillment; a feeling that we should spend a whole life accomplishing something that is going to provide fulfillment, instead of realizing fulfillment is inane.” The mind controls emotions and ideas of existential meanings. The mind creates pain and needs to be relaxed through meditation. Zazan, or Dhyana, is the central practice of Zen Buddhism, with the goal of reaching spiritual enlightenment.

Meditation is often seen as a connection with the mind when it really focuses on the body. When the body is softened, it allows the body to enter full harmony with breathing. Zazan does not focus on the mind but rather, the breathing. Peace occurs when the individual allows awareness and breathing to connect. Zazan is not the individual attempting to not think, it is the practice of giving up the thoughts lingering around to end up at the purest state.

Meditation is difficult to begin because the stigma is that peace of mind will occur instantly, but it does not. Meditation forces you to confront your mind, which comes with pain, but there is no way to escape it. Radin explains this concept by saying, “the first thing you find when you take up meditation is that you are face to face with your own insanity.” In various religions, people are praying to a Savior asking to be saved from fear and depression because the role of the Savior is to remove the pain that is unbearable. However, in Zen Buddhism, the individual is responsible for saving itself by accepting the mind.

Humans live their lives wanting external accomplishments and recognition, and when they reach enlightenment, it is usually too late. Throughout life, individuals are constantly trying to prove themselves to the external world, but one day everyone will grow old and die. The overarching truth of this is that there is something special within each person that has been there since birth, human consciousness.

Human consciousness dictates thinking causing either destruction or happiness. When the individual learns how their mind works, they can open a door of honesty and potential. When recognizing that everything worked for in this life will disappear, the individual will connect with their inner stability.