Learn From More Than One Religion - 3 Zen Stories

Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism note that developed in China during the 6th century as Chán. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, northeast to Korea and east to Japan. The word zen can be approximately translated as "absorption" or "meditative state" (according to Wikipedia).

Butterfly - Origami by Lady Jerez

I'm not a Buddhist... However I like some of the ideas that Buddhism has. I'm not an expert about it but somehow I've been practising Buddhism without realising it. My family is 100% catholic, so it would be a big deal for them to understand my new believes. I mean, I still believe in Jesus Christ and all his teaching. I still believe in the Virgin Mary, although I think that she was a metaphoric Virgin. I believe in love, compassion and other catholic principles that I don't regret. But I still think that all religions have something to teach you because of their master's life. We should learn about all of them and don't get stuck in one. At the end of the day we all pray to the same God, including those who don't believe in any God, they still pray in secret.

Butterfly - Origami by Lady Jerez

Anyway, the point is that the Zen way of living has been coming to me for a long time; books, people, music, articles, products, food, you name it! I see these things as signals. Not of becoming a Buddhist, but learning from them, raising my energy, empowering my soul. That's why I want to share some of the best Zen stories with you . Everytime I read them, I feel that each one could be part of a different religion. 
It doesn't matter what you believe, only what you feel and how you act.

1-Temper
A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: "Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?"
"You have something very strange," replied Bankei. "Let me see what you have."
"Just now I cannot show it to you," replied the other.
"When can you show it to me?" asked Bankei.
"It arises unexpectedly," replied the student.
"Then," concluded Bankei, "it must not be your own true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Think that over."

2-A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

3- In the Hands of Destiny
A great Japanese warrior named Nobunaga decided to attack the enemy although he had only one-tenth the number of men the opposition commanded. He knew that he would win, but his soldiers were in doubt.
On the way he stopped at a Shinto shrine and told his men: "After I visit the shrine I will toss a coin. If heads comes, we will win; if tails, we will lose. Destiny holds us in her hand."
Nobunaga entered the shrine and offered a silent prayer. He came forth and tossed a coin. Heads appeared. His soldiers were so eager to fight that they won their battle easily.
"No one can change the hand of destiny," his attendant told him after the battle.
"Indeed not," said Nobunaga, showing a coin which had been doubled, with heads facing either way.

If you are interested in more stories like these, please visit http://www.101zenstories.com/

If you want to learn more about Zen, look up your nearest Dojo. Also you can investigate by yourself like me on the internet and find your own way of learning alone.

My First 25 Years of Questions About Life

I'm not sure how to start this... my story. I'm 25 years old at the moment. Recently, my boyfriend has written a kind of autobiography on his blog, so I was thinking that perhaps it is a good idea to do it as well. Also it is a way to practice my English in an informal way. Here we go then:

Western Peak. Warairarepano Mountain. Venezuela

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela the 12nd of April 1988 according to my registration papers. However, my real date of birth is the 13rd of April 1988. My parents are from Colombia but they decided to live in Venezuela thanks to my grandmother, who was working hard in this neighbouring country since many years ago. I don't remember my first years of life, obviously... but I know I really enjoyed to live there. I was 5 or 6 years old when suddenly my mother decided to go back to Colombia. She packed and went to the airport with my father, me and my older sister (Linda). I remembered she told me that she had a surprise for me and she'd give it to me when we arrive to Colombia. I was curious about it, but I needed to be patient. Then we finally arrived and she told me: -You're gonna have a younger sister-  I was surprised and said: -I haven't see you two kissing each other... How is this possible?- Everybody laughed about it and didn't explain anything; they just kissed me and keep walking to our new home in Bucaramanga, a beautiful city in the state of Santander, Colombia. It was well known as "The Parks City" because it was plenty of them.

Sabanalarga Puerto Colombia Church 

When I was 7 years old I started to learn about Catholicism. My Colombian family was very religious, so I started to go every Sunday to the Catholic Church. For some reason I found it quite interesting. I liked the feeling that I had when I was in silence, talking to "God" or trying to understand its messages through the bible. However, for a long time I was afraid of sleeping alone and darkness. I never missed a mass or a religious event. I even started to pray the rosary at home before going to sleep or at any time; trying to feel less fear. I used to think a lot about the meaning of life; which was weird for a girl of my age. All I wanted was to know the truth about myself; the truth about the existence and "God". My primary question was: Is life eternal? What happens after death? I asked this to my mom several times, and she tried to explain that there is a heaven where good people go when they die, and a hell for bad people who die. That was the Catholic explanation, but it didn't convince me at all... Something else has to exist. However, I didn't have any other theory to relay on. So I continued going to the church as much as I could. After a while I began to assist almost everyday... not just to the mass, but also to kneel in front of the shrine at the end of the ceremony, just to talk to "God". I knew "He" was listening to me but I wasn't sure of what "He" was answering (now I know that I was starting to meditate without even know it). I just felt its energy in a way that is difficult to explain. Each time that I came back from the church to my house, everybody affirmed that I was gonna be a Catholic nun. They were impressed and very excited about it. Also, I used to visit my grandmother on holidays and pray with her every night. I couldn't help thinking about the concept of life, over and over... Pray wasn't enough. I needed to find something else and I discovered it pretty soon. Meanwhile I was assisting to gymnastic classes during the afternoons, which I loved for some reason. Moreover I had the flexibility required for that (now I understand that I was close to the practice of spiritual Yoga).

When I was 13 years old my mother encouraged me with the idea to go back to Venezuela. She was gonna sell the apartment to start a new life in Caracas again. I had to go first, while she and my father were doing the paperwork and my sister was finishing her last year of secondary. I needed to start 2nd grade of secondary and because the educational calendar was different in Venezuela, I had to hurry up and begin the classes almost immediately. I was gonna live with my aunt and my three male cousins. I was excited and a little scare because I was gonna be far away from my parents and sisters for a few months. Finally I went through it, but the same doubts about life were still there. I began to write my feelings and my own answers; to read a lot about spiritual sciences and different kind of philosophies as well. Then, I realized that each one had similar concepts with different names.

The Helix Nebula

Years passed and when I was 18 years old, someone recommended me one of the books that have changed my life: Metaphysics 4 in 1 (by Conny Mendez). It has bases on Christianity but with a whole new vision of science and spirituality in one package. Its believes are also part of the New Age philosophy, wich is older than you may think. Nothing is a casualty... I read a lot about this, and finally started to find some answers, feeling less fear about the questions that I have had all my life. After that, I was in contact with myself, and my dreams at night became reveling. I felt more than ever the presence of God as an energy of the universe, and I was part o it. I felt angels and spirits that came to help me and guide me through my meditations. The ones that I've always done when I was a child, but now more conscious and deep. All these experiences made me realize what was happening in my childhood. Participating in yoga classes also helped me to realize a lot of things that I wanted to know as well.

Buddha Statue

Since then, I have had dreams reveling myself living in different times, living within other bodies, having unknown families... So, I believe in reincarnation. Not because somebody told me, but because I have experienced things that confirm my new believes. I had reached my 25 years, and even though I have discovered so many things; I'm still on a journey to my 50 years, which demands a lot of spiritual things to improve for now on. I'm living in Dublin now, and I'm sure that a new story begins here...