So much of what people call "Zen" (capitalized as opposed to zen or jhana/dhyana) sounds more like Taoism (with a stiff dose of Confucianism) than Buddhism, and here's why. It was all picked up in translation. So what was lost? Those may be beautiful spiritual/temporal traditions with which to blend, but what is obscured is the historical Buddha's message until it is almost completely lost and replaced by Hinduism (with its Tantra, yoga, and magic that gave rise to another branch Vajrayana/Shingon attached) to a new religion that came to be called Mahayana, far from the Buddha's Dhamma.
Everything Zen
We silly Westerners have no idea! We think we know
"Zen" is a silly word, carrying so much meaning in American English. Goodness knows what it means in Japan or China nowadays, a dying religious sect taking sides in the jiriki versus tariki battle?
We aim to find out on Thursdays in Los Angeles at the Pasadena Zen Sangha. There is a path. What is it? If one were to ask the average American Zen practitioner, then everything likely to be heard in response would be some derivation of Taoism, not Buddhism or any relation to relation to the Doctrine of the historical Buddha.
Lao Tzu (Laozi) was not a Buddhist. He was possibly a celestial (deva), descended to Earth to philosophize and guide the Chinese.
For all that, on "Buddhist Radio" (Alan Watts - KPFK 90.7 FM, 8:00 am, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026) Alan Watts explained Zen in 18-minutes.
His brief talk lays bare the root of every misconception. Moreover, Buddha's Wisdom (in the video displayed above) does much to add context and clarify. Zen can be grasped.
Watts says the problem with understanding Zen is that unless one were raised Japanese -- very punctilious, rigid, formal, ritualistic, deadly afraid of a faux pas, losing face, or doing things incorrectly -- one will not be able to appreciate what Zen (Taoism) offers as relief.
Zen promotes spontaneity, naturalness, flow, being at ease, comfort, and relaxing into a kind of "just being" present and mindful (of the moment) without so much thinking (premeditation).
The Buddha Smiles is a delightful gathering of Mari Gayatri Stein’s cartoons, or "Dharmatoons" as she calls them.
Cambodian novice caresses the Buddha's smile
Q: Most religious leaders don't, but the Buddha smiles? A: Yes, he is always depicted with a subtle smile, what one might describe as a gentle smirk if the connotation were not misleading. He is at ease, at peace, at rest, able to dip into the Fruits of Recluseship, namely, the bliss of the absorptions (jhanas, the eight attainments, right samādhi) at will and transcend even that supersensual happiness to touch the transcendent bliss of nirvana, the end of all unhappiness. Moreover, he smiles when he sees a noteworthy thing, of which his attendant monk, Ven. Ananda, will later inquire. The Buddha's smile acts as a signal in many sutras, an invitation to for Ananda to inquire what brought the smile about. It is unclear if the smile happened to the Buddha, as it does to us when something strikes us as funny, interesting, or curious or if the Buddha flashed it specifically to be asked what had struck him.
Buddhist psychology (Abhidhamma) describes the hasituppāda-citta, literally the "mind-moment (citta) or consciousness (viññāna) producing mirth (smile)."
The Buddha is full of happiness (sukha), having found and repeatedly tested and confirmed the escape from all misery (dukkha) here and now and hereafter, namely, access to the absorptions and nirvana-with-remainder at any moment and nirvana-without-remainder once the body passes.
The book follows a group of humans and non-humans as they seek their enlightenment, exposing their strengths and weaknesses (and ours as well) in the process.
The Buddha Smiles gently teaches the nature of Buddhist thought through cartoons on the Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, and the nature of the Five Hindrances along the path.
It is the first full-length book of Buddhist cartoons unless one counts Ioanna Salajan's Zen Comics, which came out in 1974 or 1982's Zen Comics II.
Comics communicate the Zen spirit perfectly. Laughter deflates pretension, and a good rap on the head sometimes transcends so-called logic (the hubris of rationality and reason). In the words of Zen, "Nothing is left for you but to laugh!"
The life of the Buddha is not told to commemorate Prince Siddhartha Gautama and his adventures, much as it may sound that way. The historical accounts have become an allegory, a way of telling the story of Everyone in what Houston Smith could call "the heroine's journey," which also includes heroes.
Born to luxury, kept safe and pampered, spoiled and loved, the prince comes to realize that there has to be more to it all. What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Where are we going? And most pressing, why do living beings suffer?
Sujata saved Siddhartha from overdoing fasting
On account of needing to answer this final question, he sets off on a journey, a quest in search of the Truth. How could he be a leader of people, the Indo-Scythians (Sakas, Shakyas), if he can offer them no escape from the inevitabilities of birth, aging, sickness, death, and rebirth?
This is samsara. And somewhere is liberation (nirvana, moksha). He must set off to find it and bring it back to his family. And that he does. Only in the process, the size of his "family" grows to include all humans and devas and a goodly number of other beings.
"The eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion" - the Buddha (Mahayana quote)
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World Vegan Day celebrating cruelty free foods
But what about all the junk food favorites we Americans have come to love? Now made vegan
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Vegan is not the only choice. I'm a fruitarian.
The vegan (plant-based) way of life is getting trendy and super popular in American society. It's a compassionate way of life full of savory flavor.
It can now be practiced easily and, above all, with kindness toward all animals. Reducing their suffering and saving our shared environment is the goal. Save the world! Save the humans! How? Save the animals.
Where does flavor come from?
It’s for our own food -- with strength, longevity, beauty, all the things we want that we have been tricked into thinking comes from corralling and slaughtering animals (or paying someone to torment and kill them for us in our name). Look at our shoes and clothing.
The best choice for the world? Even rural areas now get a range of cruelty-free options. They're available in supermarkets and growing numbers of outlets.
Isn't it hard going vegan?
It's about as easy as running into water.
Vegan Day fun project: making edible cherries
Vegan Fest is now an annual event in U.S.
Veganism and vegetarianism are advancing with athletes, bodybuilders, runners and winners across fields. The number of hotels and restaurants that focus on cruelty-free foods are increasing enormously. There are now almost always options on the menu.
Long ago vegans (who avoid consuming any animal products), sustained purely on vegetable nutrition, thought it could not last. Surely it must only be temporary, something for Hollywood stars who want to stay pretty and thin. It's a social trend, Vegans have proved different.
Paradoxically, going vegan GETS one more food, sourcing from the world's cuisines.
Some of us do it for spirituality and ethics. All of us do it for better flavor (Meetup.com).
Everything humans need for perfect health is available from the plant, mushroom, and mineral kingdoms.
What can farms do better to make more money?
Animal protection is environmental protection. Farms need to change: an end to monocropping, poisoning the soil, forgetting the old ways (sometimes called permaculture), trashing the land as if it were a corporate for-profit free for all.
Vegan humans want to save all animals, not just the charismatic megafauna. Maybe every organism has some miracle to contribute to the ecosystem. No ecosystem is yet fully understood. When we call something "bad," it's only because we have not looked at the big picture, the whole.
Vegan documentary: Miss Liberty
Everything green, flowery, fragrant and pretty above ground -- the trees, greens, and lifeforms running around -- depend completely on what's below the ground.
What's down there? All the creepy crawlies, the fungus, the poop, the bacteria, the creatures that breakdown leaves and make nutritious soil. In every glowing garden bed of flowers, good fertilizer.
What is the function of conscious life upon the land? Ask the dryads and forest spirits (bhumi devas). They know far better than we down, our third eyes blind and many of us never even suspecting we could know. Mother Nature tells us in other ways, but we won't believe what we cannot yet see.
Vegans taste better (*nudge-nudge*).
Vegetarians have always existed. Vegans were here in the beginning, in the Agganna Sutta (A Buddhist Genesis) and a little Sumerian Akkadian Jewish Christian "myth" called The Garden of Eden. Every human was vegan then and no one dreamed of killing to eat.
The way to peace and a pollution-free world is to get back to that native paradise. That could start today with World Vegan Day so we can have enough to feed a hungry planet.
World Vegan Day
Sorry, vegetarians. For some of us, our genes ORDER us to kill to eat blood-soaked tendons.
WORLD VEGAN DAY originated in England in 1994, when vegan animal rights activist Louise Wallis was looking for a suitable setting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Vegan Society.
As president of the organization, her aim was to emphasize the carry on the vegan association and draw attention to the fact that the word "vegan" (like vegetarian) do not come from the word "vegetable" but from the Latin word vegetus, which means life and growth. More: vegan-day.org
VEGAN COMICS (Bizarro)
Dan Piraro "Bizarro" (bizarrocomic.blogspot.com); Vegan Day Founder and Pres. Louise Wallis (vegan-day.org/en); compiled, edited, and enhanced by Team Veggie (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
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