#ZenBuddhist koans challenge the discriminating mind. A monk asks, “Is this a dog?” & the master replies, “Mu!” This answer isn’t logical — it breaks habitual thought. The purpose is to awaken the mind beyond discrimination. Everyday actions become the path: washing dishes, breathing, being #Naked in #Nature. When we stop judging the moment, we meet it directly. That’s the freedom of #ZenBuddhism — the non-discriminating clarity that sees all as it truly is. (3/5)
How do we deal with hate-filled people like Donald Trump? Especially when power is in the hands of those who use it to oppress. From a #ZenBuddhist view, the first step is clarity without hatred. We see their actions for what they are: rooted in delusion, fear, & ego. We don’t excuse harm, but we also don’t poison ourselves with the same anger that fuels them. (1/4)
From my #ZenBuddhist perspective, fear, repression, & hatred all arise from attachment to illusion: the illusion of fixed identity, of duality, of “right” versus “wrong,” of “normal” versus “abnormal.” These are #mental constructions that bind the #mind like chains. The true #nature of things — suchness — is beyond categories. #LGBTQI+ identity isn’t deviant; it simply is. Like wind, rock, wave, or tree. (1/3)
#Nature dies constantly, & so do we. #ZenBuddhism doesn’t hide from this. A falling leaf is not sad — it is #natural. Corpses decompose into soil. Animals eat each other. Trees fall. New growth arises. #ZenBuddhism accepts death not as tragedy but as rhythm. This is why many #ZenBuddhist masters requested to die outdoors or be buried beneath trees. In #Dōgen’s writings, death is not failure — it is release. A return to the great flow. (16/19)
#HadakaShizenyoku doesn’t resist weather — it welcomes it. Rain is not bad. Heat is not to be avoided. Cold is not punishment. Each is part of reality. #Hakuin, a great #ZenBuddhist master, sat in snow. #Ikkyū wandered #Naked in the rain. To be exposed is not to suffer but to wake up. (14/19)
A #ZenBuddhist doesn’t “go into” #Nature. They dissolve into it. A #Nude #body in the forest is not alien. It belongs. There is no shame, no guilt. The body is a part of the forest as much as a fern or a possum. This is not philosophy — it is reality lived. (13/19)
Stillness in #ZenBuddhism does not mean immobility. A still mind may arise in the middle of a storm. #Nature teaches this paradox. The surface of a pond may ripple, but the depths remain unmoved. Similarly, the #ZenBuddhist allows thoughts to come & go like clouds without grasping. (12/19)
#ZenBuddhist teachings use #Nature as teacher, mirror, & home. In the sūtras, the #Buddha gives teachings outdoors, under trees, beside rivers, & on mountaintops. #ZenBuddhism carries on this pattern. The #Japanese phrase sansui kyō (山水經) — the sūtra of mountains & waters — shows how #Nature itself expresses the #BuddhaDharma. #Nature is not a backdrop to practice; it is the #BuddhaDharma alive. (2/19)
#ZenBuddhism also teaches #emptiness or non-fixedness. No thing exists independently. The tree is not just a tree; it is soil, sunlight, rain, carbon, birds, fungi. Everything is connected. A #ZenBuddhist sitting under a tree is not separate from it. The boundary dissolves. (8/19)
In #ZenBuddhist poetry, this is constant. A falling leaf becomes a sermon. Mist is clarity. A quiet pond is a mirror of the mind. #Nature in #ZenBuddhism isn’t a theme — it’s the ground of being. To live fully is to live in harmony with seasons, elements, & #impermanence. (6/19)
Many ancient #ZenBuddhist masters lived in forests, caves, or simple hermitages in the mountains. Their practice wasn’t confined to monasteries. In #Japan, figures like #Ryōkan, #Dōgen, & #Ikkyū sought solitude in #Nature, using it not as escape but as direct encounter with mind. #Ryōkan, for example, lived in a small hut, played with village children, & wrote poems about frogs, birds, dew, & the moon. (3/19)
We talked about #Naturism, #Nude #freedom, & my #ZenBuddhist practice. Helen admitted they had initially thought we were hippies but soon realised we were just people comfortable with being #Naked & embracing #Nature. They both seemed to find the #experience unexpectedly freeing. We stayed that way for hours, laughing, sharing stories, & enjoying the simplicity of being #Naked in #Nature. (6/7)
Unlike other #ZenBuddhist practices, #HadakaShizenyoku is #meditation in movement. The act of walking #Naked in #nature *is* #meditation, making every step a direct #experience of #mushin – ‘No Mind.’ Sensory #awareness increases, leading to #kū – ‘Emptiness’ – where distinctions between the imagined ‘self’ & ‘nature’ dissolve. This practice removes the artificial separations we create, fostering pure existence.
“The ‘self’ you cling to is nothing but a temporary shadow. Cast it off & act without attachment.”
#ZenBuddhist monk Suzuki Shōsan (鈴木正三, 1579–1655)
#KazanSōki (#華山宗杞) (1663–1731) was a Rinzai #ZenBuddhist master known for his extreme asceticism & solitary practice in the mountains. Rejecting worldly comforts, he sought to test the limits of #mind & #body by #meditating in freezing conditions, often living in caves & exposing himself to harsh elements. (1/4)
Despite his isolation, #KazanSōki gained a reputation as a remarkable #ZenBuddhist master. Occasional seekers & monks would visit him, hoping to learn from his #insight. He offered no formal teachings, only demonstrating his #Naked practice through direct #experience. His life exemplified the #ZenBuddhist ideal of non-attachment & radical simplicity. In later years, his legend grew, inspiring those drawn to the path of severe asceticism & deep communion with #Nature. (4/4)
Unlike many #ZenBuddhist masters of his time, #KazanSōki had little interest in monastic life or formal teachings. He viewed #nature as his true teacher, learning from the mountains, rivers, & wind rather than from human discourse. His dedication to solitude reflected his belief that #enlightenment came not from intellectual debate but from stripping away all illusions, including #societal constructs. He saw hardship as a path to #awakening. (3/4)
“Shizen ni naru” (自然になる) - “Being #Natural” or “Returning to #Nature.”
This phrase encourages living in harmony with the #natural flow of #existence, embracing simplicity, & letting go of artificial constraints such as clothing. It conveys the #ZenBuddhist ideal of aligning with the rhythms of the #natural world to cultivate #mindfulness & #tranquillity.
Sansui ni naru - #山水になる - “Becoming the landscape,” literally becoming the mountains & waters. This expression captures the essence of the #ZenBuddhist teaching of merging with the #natural world, understanding that there’s no separation between yourself & the #Nature around you. It emphasises the #interconnectedness of all things.
