“At its best, Zen leads us out of the hell of self-obsession, showing us what we took to be the self was just a mirage. At its less than best, Zen can devolve into a mish-mash of pop psychology, self-help, and New Age catchphrases. It can also devolve away from authentic experience, real discovery, and actualization into a nightmare of conceptualized practice—what the masters called ‘dead Zen’—which is Zen discussed, even ‘understood’ in its principles, but not actually lived.” -Henry Shukman

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Provide real-life examples of both sides of Zen described in tonight’s quote: “Zen at its best” vs. “Zen at its less than best.” Comparing those examples, what makes one version true and the other less than true?