Make Everything Zen

My family and I really enjoyed the latest installment of the Karate Kid series: Karate Kid Legends.¹

In one part of the story, our protagonist Li Fong (played by Ben Wang), is teaching a local, washed-up boxer in New York how to train in kung-fu. He tells the boxer that in order to train in kung-fu everything you do should be geared toward kung-fu. So, through a fun montage, the boxer, who owns a local pizzeria, learns to punch olive oil cans with proper form, carry bags of flour for strength training, etc. Everything he does in his daily work is geared toward his kung-fu training.

As soon as I saw this in the theater, my first thought was “that’s how Zen works”.

When people think of Zen they think of Japanese-style dojos with soft flute music playing in the background, and maybe a cherry blossom tree or two.

This is an ideal, though. A fantasy.

I have literally been to genuine Zen temples in Japan, seen the very best of the best, and they are wonderful, but you can’t take that experience home with you. Zen is a lot more than just sitting at meditation before a sane garden.

Zen, as with Buddhism in general, is about being engaged in your life as it is.² Make everything in your life about the practicing the Dharma somehow. When you need to clean house, or cook for the kids, etc., think of it as training: training to uphold the precepts, training to pay attention to what you’re thinking and doing, training to live an upright, honest life, etc. I realize that it’s not possible to think this way all the time; I spend my downtime usually playing Fire Emblem or playing The One Ring RPG. But, if you keep your long-term goal in the back of your mind, whether that be kung-fu or the Dharma, the more you will bend your life in that direction, and thus the more you accomplish along the way.

Having a long-term goal, regardless of the ups and downs of life, is essential with the time you have left.

Namu Shakamuni Butsu

P.S. Featured photo is Bruce Lee at age 18 practicing with his teacher, Ip Man. Courtesy of 搜房网电影人生, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

P.P.S. I’ve been on WordPress for 15 years as of this week. 🥳

P.P.P.S. Happy Diwali to my Indian/Hindu readers!

¹ Growing up in Japan, my wife had never seen the earlier Karate Kid movies (which in Japan were called ベスト・キッド (“Besuto Kiddo”, meaning Best Kid). After watching Legends, she and the kids wanted to see the original for some context, but weren’t super impressed. Looking back, the movie definitely appeals to a 1980’s fascination with Japanese culture, and thus mysticizes some things, and awkwardly stereotypes others. I loved them as a kid, but I admit now that they were a product of their time. That said, I am glad to see Legends really freshen up the franchise.

² On can easily make the case for Pure Land Buddhism teaching the same thing, especially Jodo Shinshu-sect Buddhism.