About Zen

Everything in the world is here and now, and complete as it is. Mountains, rivers, clouds, and lakes are all complete just as they are here and now, and therefore they are peaceful and harmonious.

People are also present here and now and complete, but we are often not peaceful and harmonious. This is because our thoughts are rarely in the present moment although our bodies certainly are. When our thoughts are not here and now, each of us tends to compare our present condition to other conditions that we think of as ideal. As a result, we become dissatisfied with our situation and we envy, worry, complain, get angry, and fight.

Instead of all this we can just sit - not clinging to or pushing away the many thoughts that crowd our minds. This is zazen, or zen sitting, which is to be here and now with our whole body and mind. Zen is to live a life guided and led by zazen.

So we sit quietly in an upright posture, using cushions, kneeling benches and chairs. You are welcome to practice zazen at the Milwaukee Zen Center at any of the scheduled times.