| Zen Buddhism is rooted in the Chan sect of China and | | | | Home Decoration might be the most suitable option. |
| its two principle sub-sects Linji (Jap. Rinzai) and | | | | Zen Wall Décor can bring an exotic touch to |
| Caodong (Jap. Soto). The tranquility sought by | | | | our interior space while serving as a reminder to the |
| practitioners is embodied in the White-robed Kannon, a | | | | awakened Buddha that lies within us. Of course, there |
| Bodhisattva Image of compassion seated informally on | | | | are many who have only been exposed to Hollywood |
| a rocky crag beside a turbulent ocean. Images such as | | | | portrayals of Buddhist practices. Whether it be the |
| these, often jump to our minds when we hear the | | | | martial arts genre embodied by Bruce Lee as the |
| word Zen. While many of us may not be disciplined | | | | Kato in the Green Hornet and his American hit Enter |
| enough to follow the path, we can ensure that we are | | | | the Dragon, or Quentin Tarantino's approach in Kill Bill, |
| in touch with it by practicing Zen Home Decorating. | | | | we have long been exposed to some of the practices |
| Like the infinite universe that surrounds us, there are | | | | associated with Buddhism in popular western culture. |
| myriad ways that we can make use of Zen Home | | | | For more general audiences, Pat Morita will always be |
| Furnishings. Many admire or enjoy the act of gardening | | | | remembered for his role in The Karate Kid and the |
| in accordance with traditions rooted in practice. Others | | | | mantra "Wax on, Wax Off". |
| feel comfortable Buddhist Decorating in other ways. A | | | | Dry-landscape gardens (kare sansui), re-create in |
| Buddha Statue in a quiet corner of your home can | | | | miniature a vast natural scene of mountains and river |
| serve as a focal point for your meditations. | | | | landscape leading to a broad, calm sea; raked white |
| In When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult | | | | gravel is used to suggest water. While such a project |
| Times, Pema Chodron notes that "Bodhidharma | | | | might be a bit much for many, outdoor Zen Furnishings |
| brought Zen Buddhism from India to China. He was | | | | can bring such a scene to a quiet corner of your |
| well known for being fierce and uncompromising. | | | | outdoor space. Buddha décor can serve as a |
| There is a story about how he kept nodding off during | | | | wonderful focal point for our outdoor design plans. |
| meditation, so he cut off his eyelids. When he threw | | | | In the Mahasatipatthana Sutta, Buddha asks "And |
| them on the ground, they turned into a tea plant, and | | | | what, monks, is the Noble Truth of the Way of |
| then he realized he could simply drink the tea to stay | | | | Practice Leading to the Cessation of Suffering? It is |
| awake! He was uncompromising in that he wanted to | | | | just this Noble Eightfold Path, namely: Right View, Right |
| know what was true, and he wasn't going to take | | | | Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, |
| anybody else's word for it. His big discovery was that | | | | Right Effort, Right Concentration." Together the Path |
| by looking directly into our own heart, we find the | | | | guides the practioner's actions, mindfulness and |
| awakened Buddha, the completely unclouded | | | | concentration while each element is dependant on the |
| experience of how things really are." | | | | other. |
| For those of us not quite up to eyelid removal, Zen | | | | |