What does Zen mean to you?

[jhgtyre]

A lot of us say it. I am not sure we all understand it and I am certain that I only have an inkling about it but what does Zen mean to you?

From Wikipedia:

Zen (Japanese: 禅) also known as Chán (Traditional Chinese: 禪; Simplified Chinese: 禅) (see lengthy etymology below) is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on mindful acceptance of the present moment, spontaneous action, and letting go of self-conscious and judgmental thinking. ^[1]

It emphasizes dharma practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening. As such, it de-emphasizes both theoretical knowledge and the study of religious texts in favor of direct individual assessment of one's own experience.

A broader term is the Sanskrit word "dhyana", which exists also in other religions in India.

The emergence of Chán (Zen) as a distinct school of Buddhism was first documented in China in the 7th century CE. It is thought to have developed as an amalgam of various currents in Mahāyāna Buddhist thought—among them the Yogācāra and Madhyamaka philosophies and the Prajñāpāramitā literature—and of local traditions in China, particularly Taoism and Huáyán Buddhism. From China, Chán subsequently spread southwards to Vietnam and eastwards to Korea and Japan. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Zen also began to establish a notable presence in North America and Europe.

I usually think of Zen as a way of experiencing the world we live in. In regards to shooting I see Zen as an avenue towards clearing my mind which in turn should allow me to act upon the course of fire without distraction from the task at hand. I do not purport that this is in any way the "real" answer.

-ld

[nashvillebill]

When I am at my best, I can't recall anything in between the buzzer and the last shot. I can remember the reload that I flubbed, I can remember going

back for the target I passed, I can even remember the plan I had. But when it goes just exactly right, I have no recallection. The practice, training, thinking

and planning are in the past. The memories and second guessing are in the future. The part in between, to me at least, is Zen.

[SiG Lady]

"...in favor of direct individual assessment of one's own experience."

I like that.

[Duane Thomas]

For me "the Zen of shooting" has nothing to do with any sort of religious system or set of beliefs, it's a way of stilling the conscious mind, allowing the subconscious mind to come to the fore and direct the shooting.

The most common way to do this is to occupy the conscious mind doing something else. In our sort of shooting, typically we accomplish this by focusing on the front sight. Not that there's necessarily anything magical about focusing on the front sight, but it occupies the conscious mind, giving it a generally useful job to do, that then frees the subconscious mind to do everything else.

It's important to realize, I think, that the conscious mind will never let go enough to do that - just put the gun out in front of you, look at the sights, and let the rest of the shooting kind of take care of itself - unless it knows the skill level necessary to pull off the shooting problem is there. That means an immense amount of practice, hard work, building the skill set, before we can let go and "effortlessly" shoot.

Several years ago, Matt Burkett said to me, "Good shooting is boring." I'm beginning to see what he means. I'm starting to get that "the stage is over, I don't remember much what happened" effect. It's not that I wasn't there when it happened, but that the subconscious mind doesn't seem to have much of a long-term memory for the things it does when it's in control of the shooting.

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

I found This info very helpful in understanding Zen in shooting. It helped me make a very big improvement in my Bulls Eye this winter and I will hopefully continue it in the summer Action Pistol sports.

[AikiDale]

To me zen is a verb; a process, a method of separating fact from fiction. It is itself nothing, or, no thing. When practicing zen one learns, from empirical experience, to recognize and focus awareness; to recognize and let go of ego influenced judgment and to distinguish between illusion and reality. To practice zen is to live the scientific method.