About Zen

 "Who Am I?"

"What is life all about?"

"What is God?"

Have you ever wondered, "What's it all about?" Asked yourself, or others, the "Great Questions" of life like the ones above? Where can one go, to whom can one turn for the answers, real answers, that make sense and feel right, that give true meaning and direction to life? There's no place that you can go and no one whom you can ask that will provide those answers. But there ARE answers. They lie deep within you yourself. That is what the path of Zen is all about.

The practice of Zen meditation gradually opens the mind to inner wisdom, eventually answering these questions by penetrating to the core of existence. It is a direct, personal realization, being fully and vibrantly alive in this moment.

What IS Zen?

Understanding Zen through words and concepts is like going to a restaurant and eating the menu instead of the meal. Words afford only a subtle clue to its true meaning.

Technically, Zen is one of the many sects of Buddhism, emphasizing seated meditation (Jap. "zazen"; Kor. "chamson") and other meditative techniques to cut through illusory perceptions, beliefs, emotions and behaviors, ultimately leading to that quantum leap of insight that has been termed enlightenment.

Far from being an escape from the so-called real world, Zen allows one to master life rather than be at the mercy of seemingly uncontrollable thoughts, emotions and events. Regular zazen practice quiets the incessant negative chatter of the mind. Dispersed energies are collected, refined, and focused. The emotional traps of fear, anger, ignorance and greed are transcended. One lives and acts in this moment  with clarity and skill, transforming ordinary life into an extraordinary adventure.

Zen also creates a strong sense of community. The Sangha, or family of Zen students, provides a context of mutual commitment and support to one's practice and nurtures a sense of identity with and compassion for all sentient beings and all creation.

While Zen is a path of rigor and commitment, it is also a Path of Great Compassion, Great Peace and Great Fulfillment. If you feel drawn to such a path, I invite you to see for yourself if the path of Zen is the path you have been seeking.

Zen also creates a strong sense of community. The Sangha, or family of Zen students, provides a context of mutual commitment and support to one's practice and nurtures a sense of identity with and compassion for all sentient beings and all creation.

While Zen is a path of rigor and commitment, it is also a Path of Great Compassion, Great Peace and Great Fulfillment. If you feel drawn to such a path, I invite you to see for yourself if the path of Zen is the path you have been seeking.

I have been practicing Zen meditation since 1985, and have been studying meditation and Buddhism at the Catskill Zen Center in Summitville, New York since 1989. In October of 2000, I was ordained as a Dharma Teacher (Kor. "Bup-Sa") by my teacher, Hye Seong, Sunim, the Abbot of the Catskill Zen Center. I have taught there during our regularly scheduled meditation services.  Upon relocating to South Florida in the summer of 2006, I have been practicing and teaching with the South Florida Zen Group (SFZG) (www.southfloridazen.org) located at Bo Hyun Sa temple (A Korean Buddhist temple) near Fort Lauderdale.  Since October of 2009, I have been giving dharma talks regularly at the Buddha Center in the virtual world Second Life, recordings and texts of which are available for review on this website and on the Buddha Center website (www.thebuddhacenter.org).

I hold a class in Integral Spirituality on a biweekly basis at my home in Fort Lauderdale that is open to all and focuses on teaching, developing and supporting an Integrative Transformational Pathway.  These meetings are listed on the website meetup.com under the name “South Florida Integral Spirituality” group.  The Integral Spirituality Group is dedicated to the exploration and practice of a wide variety of theories and techniques that are designed to facilitate the integration of body, mind, emotion and spirit so as to transform ordinary life into an extraordinary adventure. Its mission is to assist people in establishing and maintaining their own Integrative Transformational Practice, embracing a synergistic combination of techniques that develop body, mind, spirit and shadow/ emotions. Topics for discussion and practice include: various forms of Meditation,  the

• A-B-C of Mindfulness,

• Zen Meditation and Buddhism,

• Aikido and the Martial Arts,

• EEG Biofeedback,

• Ken Wilber's Integral Theory,

• Jean Liedloff’s Continuum Concept,

• Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now,

• Law of Projection and Power of Intention,

• Shamanic practices,

• A Course in Miracles,

• Contemplative Prayer, Taoism,

• Siddha Yoga,

• Qi Gong,

• Jungian Dreamwork,

• Shadow Work,

• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy,

• Metaphysical theories,

• Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) ,

and many other topics involving the evolution and transformation of consciousness on a personal and global scale. Meetings include discussion, instruction, and practice.

You may find the SFIS group at any of the following three websites:

• http://meditation.meetup.com/348/
• http://consciousness.meetup.com/90/
• http://kenwilber.meetup.com/296/ 

I encourage you to join me as a member of the Integral Zen Order, please go to the IZO page for more information.

I am available for private meditation instruction, consultations, and counseling sessions for spiritual guidance and direction. Contact me for more information.