Snow covered the ground as I walked to the Kansas Zen Center for my first encounter with Zen master Hae Kwang. As I entered the small room, the warm air washed over me\u00a0 like a wave. Seated on a black cushion, Hae Kwang smiled invitingly. He was wearing gray robes and there was a small bell to his right and a cup of warm tea to his left. I walked to the cushion in front of me and took my seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWelcome!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny questions?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
I wanted to impress him.\u00a0 Collecting my thoughts and (what I thought) was the brain power of my two PhDs, I asked my first question:<\/p>\n
\u201cI have read a lot of books about Zen meditation but my question to you is, what is Zen?\u201d I said.\u00a0 I was ready for a lengthy debate on the issue. Hae Kwan looked at me with a sense of urgency as if the next statement was a matter of life and death.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing right now<\/span>?\u201d\u00a0 he asked, his eyes filled with intense concentration.<\/p>\n I stammered, my jaws dropped, and for what seemed an endless amount of time I couldn\u2019t say anything. I was trying to think about the books I had read. He waited for my answer for a few more seconds but I knew I was running out of time.<\/p>\n \u201cAha!\u201d said Hae Kwang after a few seconds went by. He rang the bell. The interview was over. \u201cCome back,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n I found myself back in the snow a few seconds later. What had happened? Did I do something wrong? What kind of answer was that? As I was leaving the Zen center I realized that he had given me a great gift—the question was the answer. I laughed. I had\u00a0 felt truly present and alive during our\u00a0 30 second exchange.<\/p>\n When I started practicing ten years ago, I was in a very difficult situation.\u00a0 I had just moved to Lawrence, had no permanent job, no friends, and I had never been in the Midwest before. After leaving my friends\u00a0at UCLA, I\u00a0felt like I was\u00a0in\u00a0a state of exile. The Roshi\u2019s message came at the right time. What am I doing in my life right now? What is this new situation? I asked myself, realizing its deeper meaning.<\/p>\n So now, take a deep breath and ask yourself, \u201cWhat am I doing right now?\u201d Smile as you touch the essence of Zen.<\/p>\n Juan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Snow covered the ground as I walked to the Kansas Zen Center for my first encounter with Zen master Hae Kwang. As I entered the small room, the warm air washed over me\u00a0 like a wave. Seated on a black … Continue reading