Buddhist principles the secret to chilling out
Now well into the semester, the pressure is on for students.
With midterms in full swing, the stress is building. The question is: how to stay sane during the next few weeks?
One option might be to Zen your life a little. Zen, otherwise known as Mahayana Buddhism, is a school of thought that promotes self-awareness through meditation.
The Zen guru on campus is the leader of The University Zen Center, Koyo Engennach. Engennach leads CU’s Zen Society, which meets twice a week on Sunday mornings, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and Monday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. The spiritual group meets in Ketchum Room 301.
Here are some of the easier ways to achieve Zen:
Meditation
Meditation is the center of Buddhism. Start by taking thirty minutes out of your busy schedule to meditate. Meditation is about clearing your mind and letting everything go.
“The first thing is to find some quiet circumstances, turn off the cell phone and TV and all things that may interrupt you, and find a quiet setting,” Engennach said.
It is all about turning off your mind and concentrating on being in the present. Koyo said proper meditation position means you must:
1. Sit up straight.
2. Make certain that both your back and head is straight.
3. Fold your hands at your belly button.
4. Focus your eyes on the ground and leave them half open.
Breathing
Just by spending thirty-minutes a day on clearing your mind will help you to relax and focus your energy. Also, taking deep breaths during meditation as well as throughout the day will help.
“Breathing is the most important part of meditation,” Engennach said. “The simplicity of it gives it the power and influence. It clears your mind.”
Remembering to breathe is a simple task that takes your whole body to do. It connects your body with your mind, and empties them.
Be here now
Through daily meditation and remembering to breathe, you are essentially learning to live in the present. Clearing your mind of all thoughts is to truly experience the present.
“Ninety percent of that noisy stuff in our minds is not important. It robs us of our direct experience,” said Engennach. “To allow the present to arrive in its full expression means that we have emptied ourselves of our past and future thoughts.”
True love
Through daily practice, you can learn to control the thoughts that clutter your mind. Learning to clear your mind and breathe is the majority of the battle.
“That emptiness, when it is complete, is what Zen sometimes calls true love,” Engennach said.
The concept of true love is one of the most important mantras within Zen Buddhism. Engennach said true love is about compassion and utter self-acceptance.
“It is giving and receiving at the same time,” Engennach said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Emily Sturges at emily.sturges@colorado.edu.
