Skip to main content

Zen Buddhism

John Kaldawi was inspired by Zen Buddhism which is at the heart of the Japanese culture as the school of Mahayana Buddhism.  It is a practice that is transmitted directly from a master to a disciple.  It is also called ZaZen, Za for sitting and Zen for meditating, and is also called the journey of self discovery.  It is the experience of living from moment to moment, in the here and the now.  It is the attitude of spiritual awakening which is also the source of all actions of daily life flow like eating, breathing, sleeping, working, walking, thinking, etc...

Doing more research, John learned that Zen is not a theory, or an idea or knowledge, not a moral teaching, and does not require one to believe in anything, but rather a practical experience.  One cannot intellectually learn Zen because the mind in limited.  It is a spiritual path that does not tell people what to believe, but Zen lead them to basically not to think.


John Kaldawi also learned that in Zen, one is to sit quietly, stop moving, and let go of the thoughts.  Just focus on breathing, and let the unconscious mind melt away and merge with the Universal self.  Zen is another method of attainment of the higher self.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kundalini Shakti (Macrocosmic Energy)

John Kaldawi learned that in the Upanishads it is said, "A man may have ears, eyes, and all facilities and parts of the body, but unless he has mahaprana there is no consciousness."   Prana is both macrocosmic and microcosmic and is the substratum of all life.   Mahaprana (the great prana) is the cosmic, universal, all-encompassing energy out of which we draw substance through the breathing process.   The various pranas in the body, prana, aprana, samana, udana and vyana, are at once a part of this mahaprana and also separate from it. The cosmic manifestation of prana or mahaprana in the individual body is represented by Kundalini.   The entire cosmic experience from creation to dissolution is embedded within the folds of kundalini, hence it is known as atma shakti or universal energy.   In all living beings the divine consciousness is first converted into prana or energy and, as kundalini is reservoir for the magnanimous amount of prana, it is also known as prana

History of Yoga - Part 2

John Kaldawi learned that in ancient times, yoga techniques were kept secret and were never written down or exposed to public view.  They were passed from teacher or guru to disciple by word of mouth.  In this way there was a clear understanding of their meaning and aim.  Through personal experience, realized yogis and sages were able to guide aspirants along the correct path, removing any confusion, misunderstanding and excessive intellectual contemplation. Sage Patanjali's treatise on raja yoga, the yoga Sutras, codified the first definitive, unified and comprehensive system of yoga.  Often called the eight-fold path, it is comprised of yama, self-restraints, niyama, self-observances, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, disassociation of consciousness from the outside environment, dharana, concentration, dyana, meditation and samadhi, identification with pure consciousness. Doing more research, John Kaldawi learned that in the 6th century BC, Lord Buddha's influence bro

Pranic currents and the breath

John Kaldawi learned that the pranic currents, ida, pingala and sushumna, operate alternately.  The current that is flowing at any particular time may be gauged by noting the flow of breath in the nostrils.  When the left nostril has a greater flow of air, then ida nadi is predominant.  When the flow is greater in the right nostril, then pingala is predominant.  If the flow is equal in both of the nostrils, then sushumna is predominant. Doing more research, John Kaldawi learned that when the right nostril (pingala) flows, there is more vital energy for physical work, digestion of food and so on.  The mind is extroverted and the body generates more heat.  When the left nostril (ida) is flowing, mental energy is dominant.  The mind is introverted and any kind of mental work may be undertaken. During sleep ida nadi flows.  If pingala flows at night, sleep will be restless and disturbed.  Likewise, if ida flows while taking food, the digestive process may be slow, causing indig