To study Zen is to study life.
“Zen “ is used to sell air fresheners and MP3 players. The word Zen is used as an adjective to describe or “modify” a person, place or thing. In common use “Zen” the adjective describes something that is mellow, calm, earthy connected to the land, natural and accepting. Plus there is a bit of the hipster or coyote spirit in “Zen”.
Zen is often associated with its traditional ritual. Black clothing, Chinese bells, chanting, incense, Buddhist vows, meditation, bowing and shaved heads all bring Zen to mind.
Zen is simply a result of paying attention and acting accordingly. In the earliest Zen monasteries meditation was the technique used to study or “pay attention” to the mind. Later in China nature was understood as an extension of the mind. To study nature is to study the mind. “The Way” or practice of Taoism and Zen is the active participation in the world from the understanding developed by paying attention.
Zen understanding is grounded in biology or life. The universe itself is a living organism. Zen would have surfaced and does surface in every human population. Every time we pay attention and act accordingly we are practicing the ancient way of Zen.