Beyond Happiness: Where’s the Zen?

Last updated on: December 19, 2010 at 11:32 am by Dosho Port

Beyond Happiness: Where’s the Zen? 2010-12-19T11:32:00-06:00 Dosho Port

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Beyond Happiness: The Zen Way to True Contentment is a clearly written, warm book with lots a specific instructions for working with unhappiness. Ezra Bayda studied Zen with Joko Beck and his book reads much like Joko’s books, although without the occasional bite. He also shares generously from his own process, grounding the book nicely, and adding an occasional joke – which I found myself looking for as I read.

To make a point about how our fixed identities can make us unhappy, for example, he tells one about a cowboy on a park bench. “… A woman comes and sits down next to him. She looks at his hat and boots and says, ‘Are you a real cowboy?’ He answers, ‘Well, I’ve worked on ranches tending cows and horses all my life, so, yep, I guess I’m a real cowboy.’ She thinks for a moment and then says, ‘I’m a lesbian. I think about women when I wake up. I think about them all day long. And I think about them when I’m going to sleep.’ After they talk a little more she gets up and leaves. Some time later a man comes along and sits down next to him on the bench, checks him out, and asks, ‘Are you really a cowboy?’ ‘Well,’ he answers, ‘I used to think I was, but now I think I’m a lesbian.'”

The practice Bayda encourages is asking three questions: Am I truly happy right now? What blocks happiness? And can I surrender to what is?

Reminded me of Byron Katie’s four questions: Is it true? Can you absolutely know that it’s true? How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought? Who would you be without the thought?

Beyond Happiness struck me similarly as belonging to the Buddhist self-help genre, suggesting using mindfulness of mental factors as a cognitive psychological tool to relieve suffering. Despite the “beyond” part of the title, what I got out of the book was about how to be happy in the usual sense. And that seems like a kind and generous thing to offer.

I was, however, left wondering about this Zen business. What about this presentation is Zen? Even Bayda’s chapter on meditation recommends following the breath in a pan-Buddhist kind-of-way and includes what he calls intermediate instructions for letting go of thinking and attending to emotions. Good, helpful stuff but where’s the beyond in that?

It seems that in order to appeal to the widest range of people, the contemporary Zen narrative sometimes constricts to a narrow, limited range of vocabulary and story, addressing existential psychological issues from a well-educated, therapy-savvy perspective, disconnected from the rich fabric of the Zen tradition (koan and/or Shobogenzo) and too embarrassed to address enlightenment – that which has usually been regarded in Zen as “beyond happiness.”

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 17, 2010

Real Talk

Next Post

December 21, 2010 Standard Observances of Soto Zen School

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 August 2021 June 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 December 2016 October 2016 June 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was thrown into a den of lions for praying?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Andrew Peter Paul Daniel