Zen’ is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word, ‘ch’an’, which comes from a Sanskrit root, meaning ‘thought’, or ‘meditation’. Personally, I always think of the word ‘zen’, meaning peaceful or calm.
But what does it mean to be peaceful? I quite agree with Google’s interpretation (although, as an independent thinker with one of those brains that is hungry for depth and truth, I often find myself questioning many mainstream narratives); ‘freedom of disturbance; tranquillity’.
When one takes a look around at the world, there are million’s of perspectives or lenses that one can choose to see the world through, depending upon your race, religion, gender, experience, the language(s) you speak, where you are physically in the world, and many other possible variations which begs the question, what actually is reality?
But where is it we can all find peace? No matter the lens you choose to view the world and your life from, no matter what is presented to you in life, I feel that when you return to nature, you will always find some sense of peace. Have you ever gone and stood with your toes in the surf of a beach (three metres either side of where the tide comes in, is the most energetically charged part of the planet FYI), and you know as the waves come in and the go back out, you sink deeper in to the sand? Do you feel the pulse of the planet when you do that? You know, that is like plugging your human in to a charger just like we do with our electricals. Your body is absorbing all that energy just from standing there.
When we return to nature, whether it be a forest, the jungle, mountains, or the beach, there is peace. No matter your choice of faith, or lack there of, I think we can all agree, bathing to nature is a little like going home, for we are all made of the same stuff. When we leave this body, our body goes back to the earth, and yet the DNA of the plants is so similar to our own. If you want to avoid any disruption of your health and your peace, keep everything as natural as possible. So whenever you are feeling as though you need a little ‘Zen’ in your life, take yourself back to nature.
