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Zen, Realism, and the basis of practice-realization
While the term “realism” has been appropriated by a multitude of schools of thought and philosophical, if defined as in the first two suggestions of Dictionary.com (Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009) it can be used to accurately describe the basis, beginning, or starting perspective of Zen Buddhism.
Realism: 1. interest in or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract, speculative, etc. 2. the tendency to view or represent things as they really are.
Zen begins with what can be described as an attitude of realism. Real freedom and real wisdom can only be actualized with an accurate understanding of the real human condition in the real world. Therefore, Zen never glosses over or minimizes the realities of the finite, limited capacities of human beings; rather, Zen insists that the limitations, inevitabilities–the realities–of life must be deeply examined, understood, and embraced.
This, I would like to suggest, is a practical and effective attitude to apply and maintain on the Zen path of practice-realization.
Peace,
Ted
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A comment anchored to an embedded equisynk add. How inappropriate for this post.
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Ted, thank you for your kind post. I’m curious about your understanding when saying realism describes the starting perspective of Zen Buddhism. Only at the start? Only in the beginning? Is it your understanding that Zen becomes something unreal? Or maybe that Zen loses its perspective of both real and unreal.
I am only beginning Zen practitioner so my perspective is cloudy and foggy.
Hello Will,
Thank you for your comment.
Maybe I should have framed it a bit different. What I was trying to indicate by “Zen begins with” was Zen is ‘grounded’ in, or ‘based’ on. I hope that makes it clearer…
Peace, Ted