There is a difference between Zen Buddhism as a religion and Zen Buddhism as a lifestyle which pertains to a way of living. In brief, Zen Buddhism the religion is about gnosis of a transcendent essence. Zen Buddhism the lifestyle is about diet, exercise, being mindful, compassion and meditation. The two can certainly go hand in hand except when we ignore Zen Buddhism the religion. Understandably, for many Westerners religion is close to being a dirty word. The idea of gnosis of something transcendent may have a little more appeal but it can't compete with lifestyle in terms of popularity.
Whereas, it dawned on me in 1965 that Zen Buddhism was synonymous with awakening to some kind of mysterious essence which I was told is satori, most people today don't see it that way. There is no real epiphany. It is an epiphany about lifestyle; learning things about yourself such that it is easy to become depressed and also angry. All in all, meditation everyday really helps and so does being mindful. It also helps to join a Zen or Dharma center and read such books a Suzuki's, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
Zen as lifestyle is meant to serve our personal needs and goals such as the stress we encounter at work or a drinking problem we might have. Our interest—let's me honest— is not about spiritual awakening but just getting through the day without a major crisis. We will worry about getting serious about Zen the religion maybe in a few years. Right now it is a Zen lifestyle we are interested in. This doesn't bode well for Zen Buddhism. It is likely that Zen will transmogrify into a psychological system with little if any attention to enlightenment.
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