Don't fall in love with Zen

Don't fall in love with Zen because that Zen is an idea. There are many people who love the texture, culture, and ritual of Zen. There is nothing inherently bad or wrong about that, other than the fact that true practice must transcend itself. 

As so many stories teach us, we need to cast all of our ideas about Zen into the fire. The paradox of Zen is that the moment we declare that we are Zen Buddhists, we stray from the Way. This declaration reeks of self-consciousness. It's way too deliberate. 

True Zen never announces itself; it is free not to be Zen. Categories can trap us inside of rigid identities. A "Zen" lifestyle can imprison us inside of expectations about who we think we should be. If you've ever thought, I should be calmer; I practice Zen... then you know what I'm talking about it.

Forget the Zen celebrity websites dedicated to Zen Masters so-and-so. Resist the urge to buy the latest Dharma book, and instead study the Dharma of the spring flowers and mosquitoes. 

True Dharma doesn't even know the name "Dharma."