"Everyday Zen"

Paper Summary:

The paper shows that the main theme behind Charlotte Joko Beck's book "Everyday Zen" is that life is simple: Life just as it is at any moment, is all that it can be and therefore is perfect. Beck recognizes the fact that life is precious and we have it for the moment. The paper shows that by pointing again and again to the troubles we cause ourselves by living life not in the moment, but out of a confused fog of fantasies and "what ifs," Beck challenges us to cleanse ourselves of our mental barriers that prevent us from enjoying life as we know it. She does not state that life will be perfect but rather that it will just be what it is.

From the Paper:

"We have all spent many years building up a conditioned view of life", according to Beck and "there is me and there is this thing out there that is either hurting me or pleasing me". Unfortunately we try to avoid the parts of life that don't please us but that doesn't work either. Fretting about what might happen, what will it mean, how will things change are all visions we create in our heads. We miss the moment because we are already trying to live the next. We worry we might miss something when we our creating the circumstances and we are missing something, life at the moment."

More papers on "Everyday Zen":

• Analytical Essay # 4052 : "Basho's Narrow Road to the Interior"
• Term Paper # 131867 : "Zen Buddhism - An Introduction for Westerners"
• Argumentative Essay # 114531 : "The Unspeakable Truth"

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