I'm not looking for a definition. I'm looking for a meaningful complete sentence that can encompas the essence  of Zen. Good LUCK!
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lit_the_light_up is correct in definition, but since you didn't want a definition though, here's my answer...\n\n"To have no opinion, no motive, no ambition, except to be guided, unerringly, by the Principle of Absolute Perfection beyond the full encompassment of time, space, and all things limited - this is Zen."\n\nBack to clarifying the definition vs meaning...\n\nObviously, Zen can not exist without Religion (Buddhism is its most common association), as it requires an Absolute Perfection to exist, i.e. God-impersonal - unlike personified Manifestation - Moses, Krishna, Jesus, Mohammad etc. Zen is the goal of religion, and Manifestation, like Buddha, demonstrate Zen for the rest of us - this is necessary...\n\nMost Zen "practitioners" in the west don't like that part, so try to take it without Religion, and thereby confuse the "meaningful essence", and are just sent where-ever their conscious or unconscious motives send them. While this makes them free from the burden of being self responsible (sometimes called, detachment, or renunciation), which is part of true Zen, it does not necessitate their actions as the embodied action of Highest Perfection, which is the whole meaning of true Zen to begin with...\n\nProper practice of Zen, as stated in the Buddhist teachings, and others, is to be conscious of every part of action (motive is the first action) you make, always being deferential to Highest Perfection (as taught by unbiased observance), never choosing even a thought that is not deferential to Highest Perfection. To do that unceasingly is called Enlightenment, as it illuminates the life of the mind, like light does the earthly life, and lifts the burdens of the heart to be light-hearted and Joyful in all things.\n\nI hope that wasn't too much more than what you wanted, except it perhaps, if not what WAS wanted, NOW is a joyful thing to know...
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It is not a sentence...\n\nBeneath the noted universal concerns there lies a distinctive world view.\n\n Or better yet use a semi colon after the word preceeding but ..then replacing it with however and a comma...like this \n\n" ; however, beneath these universal concerns there lies a distinctive worldview."
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good one\n\n:> peace\n.
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What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?\n\nSimply speaking, this is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha. By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc.) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.\n\nThe essence of Buddha’s teachings is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.
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selah..\n\n\nwow.  something to ponder.\n\nthanks.\n\nBlessings...
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A Buddha is a person who has developed all positive qualities and has eliminated all negative qualities. A Buddha has been an "ordinary" living being, like you and me before he became enlightened or awakened. Enlightenment is compared to waking up, as a person makes a complete transformation in body and especially mind. A Buddha is said to be all-knowing. One could say that a Buddha represents the very peak of evolution. A Buddha is not omnipotent or all-powerful; otherwise the Buddha would have ended all suffering in the universe....\nHe did not claim that he was a god, the child of a god or even the messenger from a god.\nWhen we bow, we express our gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the nature of Buddhist worship.\n\n***When someone worships a god, they praise him or her, making offerings and ask for favours, believing that the god will hear their praise, receive their offerings and answer their prayers. Buddhists do not indulge in this kind of worship.\n\nSimply speaking, this is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha. By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc.) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.\n\nThe essence of Buddha’s teachings is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.
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I think it's beautiful that you are able to find words to clothe your emotions in order to express them on paper and allow them passage.  Artistic expression captures those innermost feelings that most everyone experiences at one time or another.  Earlier this moring I was reading something on pain I'd like to share with you.  \n\n"pain is the following of the line of the greatest resistance and thereby reaching the summit of the mountain; pain is the smashing of the form and the reaching of the inner fire; pain is the cold of isolation which leads to the warmth of the central sun; pain is the burning in the furnace in order finally to know the coolness of the water of life; pain is the journeying into the far country, resulting in the welcome to the Father's Home; pain is the illusion of the Father's disowning, which drives the prodigal straight to the Father's heart; pain is the cross of utter loss, that renders back the riches of the eternal bounty; pain is the whip that drives the struggling builder to carry to utter perfection the building of the Temple.\nThe uses of pain are many, and they lead the human soul out of darkness into light, out of bondage into liberation, out of agony into peace. That peace, that light and that liberation, with the ordered harmony of the cosmos are for all the sons of men."
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story from the little box:-\n\nIt's meaningful....\n\nOnce upon a time, there was a teacher and his student\nlying down under a big tree near a big grass area.\nThen, suddenly, the student asked the teacher,\n\nStudent : Teacher, I'm confused, how can we find our soul-mate?\nCould you please help me?\n\nTeacher : (Silent for few second, than he answered)\n\nWell, it's a pretty hard and easy question.\n\nStudent : (Thinking hard) Huh???\n\nTeacher : Look on that way, there are a lot of grass\nthere, why don't you walk there but please never walk\nbackward, just walk straight ahead. On your way, try\nto find a beautiful grass and pick it up then give it to me. But just one.\n\nStudent : Well, ok then... wait for me... (walked straight ahead to the grass field).\n\nA few minutes later...\n\nStudent : I'm back.\n\nTeacher : Em, well I don't see any beautiful grass on your hand\n\nStudent : On my journey, I found few beautiful grass,\nbut I thought that I would find a better one, so I didn't pick it up.\nBut I didn't realize that I'm at the end of the field, and I hadn't\npicked up any. Because you told me not to go back, so I didn't go\nback.\n\nTeacher : That's what happened in real life.\n\nWhat is the message of this story?\n\n* Grass - is people around you\n* Beautiful Grass - is people that attract you\n* Grass Field - is time\n* In looking for your soulmate, please don't always\ncompare and hope that there will be a better one. By\ndoing that, you'll waste your lifetime, cause remember..\n\n"Time Never Goes Back".\n\nIt applies the same in finding your ideal life\npartner, your suitable career or business, therefore\nthe morale is LOVE & grab hold of the opportunity\nthat you have now, don't waste time!
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Good Grief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Write complete sentences.  Cannot understand your ?
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From a Buddhist perspective...\n\n“We live very close together. So, our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them”\n- The Dalai Lama -
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You'd be better off saying it in plain English.\n\nCheck out hanzismatter.com and see for yourself what gets lost in translation.
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One day Subhuti, in a mood of sublime emptiness, was sitting under a tree. Flowers began to fall about him.\n\n"We are praising you for your discourse on emptiness," the gods whispered to him.\n\n"But I have not spoken of emptiness," said Subhuti.\n\n"You have not spoken of emptiness, we have not heard emptiness," responded the gods. "This is the true emptiness." And blossoms showered upon Subhuti as rain.
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1. Strictly speaking, for a human being there is no other practice than this practice. There is no other way of life than this way of life. Zen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. Shunryu Suzuki-roshi (1905-71) \n\n2. The formless body of complete illumination of the nature of awareness; Don't use knowledge and views, misconstruing far and near. If thoughts vary, you're blind to the profound essence; If the mind differs, you're not close to the path. When feelings discriminate myriad things, they submerge the present situation; When consciousness perceives many aspects, you lose the original reality. If you can understand clearly from such sayings, Clearly you're the man of before, without any concern. Sozan Honjaku [Ts'ao-shan Pen-chi] (840-901) \n\n3. Just avoid seeking from others, Or you will be far estranged from yourself. I now go on alone; I meet Him everywhere - He is now just I, but I now am not He: One must understand in this way In order to unite with thusness. Tozan Ryokai [Tung-shan Liang-chieh] (807-869) \n\n4. Fellow learners! To achieve Buddhahood there is no need for cultivation. Just carry on an ordinary task without any attachments. Release your bowels and water, wear your clothes, eat your meals. When you are tired, lie down. The fool will laugh at you, but the wise man will understand. Rinzai [Lin-chi I-hsuan] (?-866)\n\n5. In the universe there is not a spot of land as small as a mustard seed where I have not sacrificed my life or have not buried my bones. Sakyamuni Buddha (c. 563-483 B.C.) \n\n6. Even when then bamboos are growing thick, they do not obstruct the running stream. \n\n7. The Perfect Way knows no difficulties Except that it refuses to make preferences; Only when freed from hate and love, It reveals itself fully and without disguise; A tenth of an inch's difference, And heaven and earth are set apart; If you wish to see it before your own eyes, Have no fixed thoughts either for or against it. \n\n8.  I asked God for strength, that I might achieve, I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey ... I asked for health, that I might do greater things, I was given infirmity, that I might do better things ... I asked for riches, that I might be happy, I was given poverty, that I might be wise ... I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men, I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God ... I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life, I was given life, that I might enjoy all things ... I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am among all men, most richly blessed - Anonymous\n\n9. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matthew 5:38-39)\n\n10. If you judge people, you have no time to love them - Mother Teresa \n\n11. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Mahatma Gandhi \n\n12. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Hellen Keller \n\n13.  My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates\n\n14. Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools. Napoleon Bonaparte\n\n15. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. \nNeil Armstrong \n\n16. History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man. Percy Bysshe Shelley\n\n17. Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours. Yogi Berra\n\n18.  A gentleman is one who never strikes a woman without provocation. H L Mencken \n\n19. Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will. Jawaharlal Nehru\n\n20. I
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Here is a prayer that captures the essence of the essential. It is by Tagore. It is an attitude and a state of mind in society rather than a technology or method.\n\nWhere the mind is without fear and the head is held high \nWhere knowledge is free\nWhere the world has not been broken up into fragments \nBy narrow domestic walls\nWhere words come out from the depth of truth\nWhere tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection\nWhere the clear stream of reason has not lost its way \nInto the dreary desert sand of dead habit\nWhere the mind is led forward by thee \nInto ever-widening thought and action\nInto that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake
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1) This was Socrates, and he made this statement at his trial.  (Read the "Apology" by Plato.  Or take my word for it.)  What he meant was something like, "If we just go through life never asking why, what's the point?"  He believed that to truly find "the good life" we need to be willing to ask hard questions and come to know the truth.\n\n2)  This is another statement that leads toward the same basic idea.  The speaker (I can't remember who said this one off the top of my head) is suggesting that we cannot be successful until we come to know who we really are--why we do what we do.  So examining one's self is the first step that we must take if we are to live successful lives.
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Oh, here is a context of this word, but it's not enough :)). I suspect  it should be "fliuksu", all sentence would be something like "... But the tricks of fluxus in Frankfurt I've loved more..."\nFluxus - some sort of art, http://www.fluxeuropa.com/   \nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluxus
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great summary dba gregg\n\np.s. The Dhammapada is NOT "their holy book" but is one "scripture" that was passed down along with many others\n\nQuickly, \n\n> Do they live a simplistic life?\nSome do, and some don't.  People are individuals and categorizing them seems silly.  A Buddhist ascetic (monk?) on the other hand, you might think of as living a simpleR life (not simplistic).\n\n> The purpose of Buddhism?\nof buddhism? to propagate the teachings of the Buddha... the goal of [the teachings AKA dharma] which is to live life that's good for yourself and others (and ultimately achieve Nirvana).\n\n> Related to nature in any way?\nsure, "dharma" could be thought of as the teaching, or law of nature, or etc...  \n\nif you're talking about do they like to go camping or prance around naked in the woods, ummm... doubtful (though could be exceptions).\n\nsome buddhists like to be in nature, as do non-buddhists.  i bet some don't either.