More than you probably wanted to learn about Zen - a way of living, not a religion.

Just what is this Zen nonsense I refer to in the title of this bloog on living better?

If you are a fan of science fiction, then you are probably familiar with Heinlein’s great work featuring Valentine Michael Smith.

“Stranger in a Strange Land” is the essence of Zen - “waiting is” and “Grok.”

If not, then you get a sense of the lifestyle from the following - don’t worry, it has nothing to do with scented candles, pot, or any religion..

The word Zen is just the Japanese translation of a Chinese character "chan," a translation of the Sanskrit term for meditation, "dhyana,"

Zen can’t really be explained in words, like advanced science such as relativity or nuclear physics that can only be approximated in words that give some idea of what the mathematics or language of scientists says.

A Chinese follower of Gautama Buddha (not a “god” but just a philosopher) said about the concept of Zen nearly 1600 years ago: It isn’t based on the written or spoken word, it isn’t part of scriptures, it is the process of understanding one own’s nature.

> Zen isn’t a belief system; rather, it is an attitude or approach to living.

> Zen is being aware that you are part of the universe and affected by and affecting every other part of it.

> Zen is being grounded and doing everything the best way you can. An example is doing dishes. Don’t plan the next dinner party at the same time; just do the dishes. Or just drive the car, or just tend the garden plants. One thing at a time - the opposite of multitasking.

>Zen means understanding that most things going on around you are mere distractions from your real life.

>Zen is also the art of seeing the glass not only half full, but half empty at the same time. (A very Quantum Physics concept.)

>Zen means planning where appropriate but living in the present, not the future. Imagine that a Bridezilla actually just experienced her wedding day rather than constantly comparing it to how she thought it SHOULD be.

>Some have compared Zen to that state of drunkenness where you can only focus on one thing only with extreme clarity, not a deep fog.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, more than you ever wanted to know, right?