ZEN

Bodhidharma is considered the father of Zen/Ch’an Buddhism. Bodhidharma’s biggest teachings, of entering the way; have been put forth in – the Two entrances and the Four practices. You can enter the way -  either through Principle or through practice. Entering through Principle means opening your mind up to realise the profound truth that all living beings; both enlightened and ordinary share the same True Nature. This truth as been corrupted or mistakenly understood. The moment we turn away from the falsehoods of perception, and we shed ourselves of our EGO, and thus by that virtue, we shed ourselves of discrimination. We understand that we are all one and the same. And we all have a Buddha within us. This means we’re Both a part of a vast emptiness, where we are negligible, Nothing, or we are also everything, by virtue of being a miniscule participant in the universal energy source/truth. By way of Practice, there are four encompassing paths of entering the way/The truth/the Zazen/the enlightenment. These are – The practice of requiting animosity, the practice of accepting one’s circumstances, The practice of craving nothing and the practice of accord with the Dharma. Built on these Principles and Practices of the Bodhidharma are the various aspects of Zazen, The Martial arts which are said to be built on Bodhidharma’s basic teachings.