Making Your Mind a Question Mark with David Weinstein

SUNDAY Apr. 29th, 9:30-12pm –

‘What is Zen? – The heart of the one who asks.’

The word “Zen” is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word “Chan”, which is the Chinese pronunciation of the Sanskrit word “Dhyana”. The word “Dhyana” means meditation. So, the question becomes ‘What is meditation?’

As there are many different kinds of medicine, there are many different kinds of meditation. In the kind of meditation called ‘Zen koan meditation’ the heart of the practice is the cultivation of the questioning mind. The instruction I received from the first koan meditation teacher that I met was “Make your mind a question mark.” Just a question mark. No content to the question, just the questioning mind, open and receptive.

In that way the question “What is Zen?” becomes “What is the question?”, which becomes, ‘What is your question?’

David