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Article Links:
Some Rambles Inspired by Taoism and Zen
by Raymond Smullyan

Jesus as Zen Master
by Mike Young

Pain is Inevitable. Suffering is Optional.
(Zen Aphorism)
by Mike Young

Resource Links
Books:
A Preacher's Poems
by Mike Young

The Tao is Silent
by Raymond Smullyan

Who Knows: A Study of Religious Consciousness
by Raymond Smullyan

This Book Needs No Title
by Raymond Smullyan

Outside Influences
by Don Freda

Zen and the Art of Happiness
by Chris Prentiss

The Way of Zen
by Alan W. Watts

The Wisdom of Insecurity
by Alan W. Watts

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism
by D. T. Suzuki

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
by Shunryu Suzuki

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
by Robert M. Pirsig

Zen in the Art of Archery
by Eugen Herrigel and
D. T. Suzuki

Video DVDs:
Rambles, Reflections, Music and Readings
by Raymond Smullyan (free courtesy of the pianosociety.com)

Zen Noir
a film by Marc Rosenbush

Audio CD:
Out of Your Mind
by Alan W. Watts

In China, the early Han dynasty (207B.C.-9 A.D.) devoted itself to blending the many schools of thought that existed in ancient Eastern philosophy. This synergistic approach, known as the "Han Synthesis" was the origin of the concept of the yin-yang.

As the ancient Chinese philosophers saw it, the Yin and the Yang represented the two opposite yet complementary forces or principles that make up all aspects and phenomena of life. They saw "contradiction" everywhere and recognized the need for forces in life to have counter-balancing factors. They developed a beautiful way to represent and think about this important concept of balance which I've found value in over the years.

Yin is earth, female, dark, passive, and absorbing; it is present in even numbers and in valleys and streams, and is represented by the tiger, the color orange, and a broken line. Yang is heaven, male, light, active and penetrating; it is present in odd numbers and mountains, and is represented by the dragon, the color azure and an unbroken line. Together they represent the interdependence of opposites.

The ancient Eastern philosophers and thinkers understood quite well the importance of this kind of mental agility. They extended to the entire universe the harmony of contradicting ideas. Wisdom dictates that no concept is singular unto itself, and it's reassuring that this was clear thousands of years ago. For example, we may have a strong sense of urgency, anxious for success, wanting to enjoy the bounty now, right away. But we must also be patient about the journey, understanding that it takes time to achieve excellence.

They even created this wonderful icon to symbolize the Yin and Yang (perhaps you've seen it before but never knew where it came from). Using the extreme opposite colors of black and white, swirling together, harmoniously co-existing within the perfect circle, each with a "heart" of the other, showing that contradictory points of view often carry with them a seed of their opposite.

Fitting Outside Influences In

Many outside factors, beyond our control, influence the direction and outcome of our lives. The series of events, activities, and experiences we call life emerges from the interplay of our thinking, initiative, decisions and actions with innumerable outside influences that affect our environment and are often beyond our comprehension or awareness.

The evidence for these outside influences is everywhere, yet, for the most part, we have totally ignored them in our lexicon of life and success. We can continue to gloss over their existence and basically pretend they're not really there. Or, we can face them, examine them, and study them and develop a well-considered approach to life that encompasses an understanding of the impact of issues beyond our control on the direction of our life. I'm really suggesting a slightly different (more expansive?) approach to thinking about life, success and how the world works.

Success does not come to people just because they are hard working, talented and smart. The vast majority of people are good, bright, capable and diligent. But most of those people do not reach big time success. They don't get to enjoy life's unlimited bounty. Something else is at work there.

Most all of us can recite the commonly accepted "principles of success:" Get a good education, choose a growth field, find something you love doing, work hard, sacrifice . . . pretty much everybody knows what they are supposed to do. And in my experience, most people, in fact, do those things on a regular daily basis. The world is full of very smart, hard-working wonderful people who never really get ahead. They participate in the rat race, pay their dues, do their duty and fade away.

The frustration that builds up for a person who follows all the rules but never achieves his or her dream can be massive. It's one thing for someone who doesn't play by the rules to not reach success. There are some of these people to be sure. But for the majority who are good, dedicated, honest people who want the best for themselves and their family, to find after years of conscientious application that the principles of success work with no fairness or consistency, the result is, understandably, disillusionment and frustration. Perhaps you are one of those people. Most assuredly, you know many of them.

As the concept of outside influences, relates to the Yin and the Yang, you must stretch open your mind to accept the idea that outside influences play an important part in determining the outcome of your life. Accepting and understanding this, we must reconcile it with the fact that you must also work extremely hard to achieve success. You must work smart and strive to be effective. You must care about the people in your life and the people you work with. You must manage your money and your time well. And you must become very good at what you do. Unless you do all of those things your chances for big-time success are very low.

So on the one hand we accept and realize that a certain influence is exerted on us by factors outside of our control, but we also know that we are the single largest determinant and we do have a great deal of power to put the odds in our favor for success.

It's simplistic to think that life can be reduced to neat compact "boxes" of ideas that all fit together beautifully without intellectual conflict. Experience teaches us that there can be more to a situation than meets the eye. Controlled stress in the structure of a building or bridge makes it stronger and more stable; able to withstand pressure and force and support a load. Crossbeams pull while girders push. The tension creates strength. So it is within our minds. The tension of apparently conflicting concepts strengthens our point of view. As we tighten down on the ideas of self-determination, our understanding of outside influences prevents a conceptual implosion and makes for a much stronger outlook and framework for interpreting the world around us.

The Yin and Yang therefore offers a model for all of us. Yes, we can be firmly attached to the things we believe, but also be open to new, perhaps conflicting ideas.

Excerpted and adapted from Outside Influences: Catalytic Concepts for Understanding How the World Really Works by Don Freda.