In this podcast episode, we dive into the definition of Zen, and what is a Zen Moment.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Hello! Welcome to the Sally in the Zen podcast. I’m your host, Sally. I’m a Zen Buddhist caregiver taking care of my elderly folks and always, always in pursuits to find Zen moments in everyday living. If you’re new to the program, welcome aboard. If you’re not new and you’re returning, welcome back my friends!
Now it wasn’t until recently that I realized, when I launched the podcast, that I never really gave a definition of what Zen is or what exactly I’m looking for when I say the tagline “always in pursuits to find Zen moments in everyday living.” I don’t think I’ve ever explained what exactly it is that I mean by that. So it’s better late than never, I say. So that’s what today’s podcast is all about. It’s going to be light and quick, and if you’re interested, let’s get started.
I hope you and your family are staying healthy and staying safe, and that you had a great Memorial day weekend. Our weekend was quiet like normal, like always. Zen Master just passed his birthday and now the young man is 78 years old, despite the fact that he goes around the neighborhood telling people he’s 80. He’s 80. He’s 80, and he’s 80. No, not quite yet. Give him two more years and yes, you will be 80, Pop.
We celebrated it with homemade fried chicken, Mom’s recipe, and homemade mashed potatoes and brown rice because we need to have rice with our meal. So that was our weekend, and let me catch you up on the latest stats of our current stay-at-home order in the State of PA.
The latest news is that we are going to be changing from red status to yellow status, effective June 4th, which is next week. But in all transparency, I’m not quite sure if we’re ready to actually come out fully. Not to say that the yellow status is green status. Obviously that everything’s all lifted but of course, naturally, we still have that hesitation of going out when we are so used to being inside after what, 10- 11 weeks now, of the stay-at-home order but we’ll see. Slowly but surely we’ll see.
So now that we’re caught up on the latest events, let’s go on to today’s episode of Zen moments. When you Google “Zen” – the word Zen – there’s an actual question that says What does it mean to be Zen? and the definition of it means it’s slang for feeling peaceful and relaxed. Yeah, I can go with that. I can roll with that. For me, Zen doesn’t necessarily have to be because I’m Zen Buddhist. I have Zen moments. No. It means as simple as drinking a really, really great cup of coffee and it just takes you into the zone of pleasure, of that moment, or going back to our last episode, of being in the present moment. That’s what it is for me to be in Zen.
Now at a higher level too, it’s just at the end of the day, having a great day, that I was productive, being fruitful – essentially, that’s what it means for me to be Zen. That I didn’t waste or putter my day away. And this of course doesn’t mean puttering your day away once in a while is not productive in itself. Sometimes you need to have a lazy day too.
And then when you look at the spiritual side of these things, because like I said in earlier episodes, everything has a realistic side, everything has a spiritual side, emotional side, pragmatic side. When you look at the spiritual side of being Zen, it means also at a high level, to me anyways, that you may be blessed with those special moments of having a spiritual encounter, having a mystical experience with things. Those are rare occurrences and when they happen to me, I’m blessed. Those are moments that actually really, really make my day because they don’t happen often and I see them more as the Universe trying to send me a message, point me in the right direction or confirm that what I’m doing or where I’m going is right or can also be corrected. It’s those moments, too, that really makes it a really special moment for me. And if I get enough moments of those particular Zen moments, I am so writing a book and making money on it. Buddy!
And these are the things that anyone, everyone can have as well. But Sally, how can you have Zen moments when you’re under stay-at-home, when you are not allowed to do the normal things that you normally can do on a normal day basis during normal times?
That’s actually a very good question! Thank you for asking, Listener.
Well, on a normal day-to-day basis, whether I’m stay-at-home or outside, I am first and foremost my Mom and Dad’s caregiver. The Zen moments that I have, and I consider precious to me, are always, I won’t say always, are usually linked to Mom and Dad. When they’re happy, when they’re safe, when they’re sound in mind and body. Those are precious Zen moments – I shouldn’t modify that – those are precious family Zen moments that I have every single day. And it’s more about your mindset, the attitude that you bring to the table, to each situation, to each issue that you encounter, because although we’re at stay-at-home, each day is unique with different challenges, different situations, and it’s all about how you roll with it that becomes a Zen moment. It’s how you react to situations, and not to push meditation, because I’m never going to push meditation on to anybody, but meditation helps bring clarity and that kind of focus in your mind, in your heart space, so that you can actually choose to have a good day. You actually can choose not to get angry or stuck in the weeds over trivial things. And that’s how I strive to have zen moments in everyday living. It’s not too hard. It’s not lofty. It’s a mindset and a heart set and a commitment that you make to yourself and to your family, which is exactly what I did with my Mom and Dad, and that goes back to the original reason of why I started this podcast in the first place – to memorialize our moments together while Mom and Dad are still physically here with me alive and happy.
Okay, so I’ll get off my soapbox now, and say that we are at the end of our episode today. Hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or comments, of course, as always, drop by my blog SallyintheZen.com. Go to the Contact page and drop me a line. Depending on your comment, maybe I’ll feature it in the future show, or maybe it’ll become the subject of a future show. We’ll see, depending on what it is.
This is my time to go ahead and say thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for joining me in my pursuits to find Zen moments in everyday living. Talk to you next time.
