Zen is an activity that I regularly practice and I enjoy. - By Carlos Luis Suárez V.

1. Zen Meditation
An activity that I enjoy
By Carlos Luis Suárez V.

2. Zen Meditation
What is it? How to do it?
 Zen is the japanese pronunciation of the chinese  First place a mat on the floor so there’s no pain in the
character «chan» (禪) which also is derived of the ankles when making contact with the floor surface.
sanskrit word «dhyana» which means meditation.  Put a cushion on top of the mat, and sit on the forward
It’s the japanese branch of Buddhism that came third of it.
from China.  Sit facing the wall and arrange your legs in a
 It focuses on the practice of Zazen or sitting meditation. comfortable position, ideally in lotus position ,or just
cross your legs as I do.
 Anyone can practice it, you don’t have to be a Buddhist  Maintain the spine straight. Place your hands on
nor to have any previous experience in meditation.
your lap making an oval-like shape
 Focus on the breathing and relax.
 Concentration: this kind of practice can be viewed as a concentration exercise
because the goal is to keep the mind focused at all times. When this becomes a
regular practice the mind naturally concentrates in whatever I’m doing, keeps the
distractions away and improves the outcome of any activity. At work it functions in
the same manner, but also helps with the small details that tended to slipped away
Contributions to now start to stand out and they no longer pass unnoticed.
personal life and
work development  Living the present: at times the focus of the mind is not aimed to the present
moment, sometimes it’s aimed to the future or to the past. During meditation the
mind is kept focused in the moment, this teachs us to live every moment and realize
that the only moment that truly exist is the present. Of course we can make plans
for the future or we can remember the lessons from the past. At work the benefit of
this activity is the realization that every task no matter how big it is, is actually a
sucession of small steps that are taken in the present moment.

3. Zen Meditation
 Mindfulness: Is the awareness of what’s going on inside our minds. It’s about taking
a look inside ourselves. Whatever sensations and feeling arise in us, we start to
observe and analyze them. In personal life this has helped to deal with difficult
situations as they occur. At work this has allowed me to handle in a better way
stressful moments, because when the stress is felt one starts to observe and analyze
its origins and to truly grasp the reality of the moment, this is how the stress starts
to slowly fade away.
Contributions to  Patience: Is the understanding of a moment . To understand the moment one should
personal life and be able to tolerate the situation, so the mind is calm enough to be rational. Patience
also implies that one should do good use of the capacity to solve a problem or to
work development handle a situation. In my personal life the patience helps me to do everything I can
to face in a appropriate way any situation and if I can’t solve the problem accept
such situation. At work when it comes to cope with the situation is the same, it is
always important to do whatever is within reach to find a solution or to accept that
circumstance.
 Compassion: Is the development of the need and the sense to help others. When
another person needs help it is important first to realize about that and second to
have the will to help . In our today`s society that value is a little bit left behind so
it’s important to be aware of that quality and to be able to express it towards others.
At work there’s a lot of coworkers, and there’s a lot of team work, to have the will of
helping anyone in need it is a positive attitude that will contribute to get better
results at work and build better personal and professional relationships with the rest.

4. Zen Meditation – Our practice
The meditation session lasts • Kinhin
most commonly one hour • It is also a practice made
• Zazen during the meditation
• There are two zazen session. It is basically
during the walking
session, one at the meditation, being
beggining and a mindful of every step
second one at the and movement made.
end for half an hour
each.
• Sutra chanting
• Zen is a Buddhist
ritual and it the end
of each meditation
session some sutras
(ie. speeches written
by Buddha) are
recited.
• Zen Dojo in Caracas
• All these practices are
carried out in a Dojo
called «Centro Zen
Bodaishin»