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Yearly Five-day Japanese Zen (meditation) Retreats

Namobuddhaya Jaibhim Jai Prabuddha Bharat,

Like every year, this year too a five-day Zen Buddhist camp has been organized. The 2500-year-old practice of meditation, which has spread from India to China, from China to Japan, and now to countries across the world like the United States and Europe, has been and is being used for personal development as well as in the fields of politics, social development, economics, art, and science. In everyday life, we face various external obstacles. Indifference, laziness, anger, and hatred surround us. The Buddha showed us the only way to overcome them: Zen, or meditation. This path brings us to the true experience of the Buddha. Zen means complete oneness, where neither the body nor the thought cycles hinder us.

Today’s age is one of extreme speed, stress, competition, information flow, and mental instability. Humans have increased comforts but less peace. In these times, Zen is not just a religious tradition, but a practical art of living a conscious and balanced life.

Zen teaches us to live in the present moment. Most people are either entangled in memories of the past or preoccupied with worries about the future. Zen says, “Here and Now” is the true center of life. When a person lives in the present with full awareness, stress, fear, and confusion automatically diminish. Another important contribution of Zen is its emphasis on direct experience.

Zen does not rely solely on dogma, beliefs, or superstitions. It advocates experiencing the truth for oneself. This scientific approach is highly relevant to the educated and inquisitive human being of the modern age. In today’s digital world, human attention is constantly being fragmented. Social media and countless information make the mind restless. Zen meditation (zazen) makes the mind focused, calm, and clear. This increases one’s efficiency, creativity, and decision-making abilities.

At the social level, Zen also preaches compassion, simplicity, and coexistence. It teaches us to live in harmony with nature, society, and ourselves. In the mad rush of consumerism and materialism, Zen shows us the path of simplicity and contentment.

Zen can help us put into practice the values ​​of wisdom, compassion, and equality advocated by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Zen inspires individuals to look within, reduce their ego, and live a conscious life.

Therefore, the importance of Zen today is not limited to meditation or spiritual practice. It is an effective path to mental health, personal development, social harmony, and the creation of conscious humanity. In short, Zen teaches us that ‘peace is not outside, but within our own conscious minds.’ The Zen sutra: ‘Chop wood, draw water. The same before enlightenment, the same after enlightenment.’

That is, complete awareness even in the ordinary tasks of life is real enlightenment.

Four famous sayings of Zen Master Bodhidharma.

1. A special tradition beyond scriptures.
2. Not dependent on words or letters.
3. Direct reference to the mind.
4. Become a Buddha by observing your own nature.

Notes:

1. Wear only white clothes at the camp.
2. Mobile phones must be surrendered upon entry.
3. The meaning of the camp is silence.