In Zen Buddhism, what does "one should seek out the abundance of the empty moment" mean?

Answer 1

To become enlightened one needs to clear their minds of all things in order to disconnect from the world.In those "empty moments" you free yourself from the restraints of this world and there is an abundance when the things of this world mean nothing to you.

Answer 2

before I start to interpret this, I'm gonna say this, that a simplified version of this which contains the same philosophy is, live in the moment.

What this is saying is, basically, a contradiction. How can something that is empty, be abundant? It can't. The trick of zen is, it's just intelligent sounding enough to make you believe in something, but really the potential is a dangerous one, to actually believe in nothing.

Buddhists use the term emptiness to mean fullness, but here's where it gets complicated. Their concept of emptiness what other philosophers say as being the concept of the soul. But Buddhists don't believe in soul. Another contradiction. They like to think that oneness with emptiness is somehow liberating, and many Buddhists might actually be meditating correctly or really tapping into their inner spirit. The problem is, how they describe it is just off. How can life be empty when in fact you are only happy when you are full?

My solution is this, go with actual Buddhism, not Zen Buddhism. read the Buddhist sutras and start to analyze what Buddha actually meant when he said that life is suffering and suffering is caused by desire. In my experience, Buddhism is a very healthy and prosperous philosophy of life, but there are a lot of interpretations to Buddhism that could potentially be unhealthy.

Answer 3

You must meditate on it and come to your own answer. I'm not Zen, I'm Tibetan Buddhist but in order to better understand the concept of emptiness (form is emptiness, emptiness is form) then you honestly have to study and think on it yourself. Too many people have a terrible misconception of the word "empty" and "emptiness", so I'm not being flip about this... I'm sincere.

I'm editing my answer because I see some scary interpretations of it being put out there and to support Julian's reply. Emptiness isn't some nihilistic thing. It's not "nothingness". There really is no such thing as true "nothingness" because EVERYTHING has form and "somethingness", not even a (space) vacuum lacks form and substance. All things in the universe arise due to causes and conditions, are impermanent and are changing. Emptiness is about being able to see somewhere in the middle between materialism (not the "buy buy buy" version) and nihilism. It's a difficult concept, sometimes, for the Western mind to wrap around and I'm already seeing a few people answering you with scary answers about it... which is why I say that if you want to try to understand, grab up on some books on it and work through the explanations that some good Western teachers can give about it, like Pema Chodron, Venerable Thubten Chodron, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, etc.

I hope this helps you because it can be very confusing to many Western thinkers.

_()_

Answer 4

One should seek out abundance of empty moment means one should seek for the opportunity to be available to do meditation . Empty moment means , the moment which one have time to be alone , it is not occupied , so you can further your practice of meditation

Answer 5

It means live in the present without attachment.

My advice is to take Zen sayings like a beautiful painting. The longer you stare at it, the more you'll get from it.

Answer 6

It means that seeking silence of the mind is the path to finding "the Jewel". The jewel is usually a personal experience that brings you closer to illumination. So if you sit to meditate often, you have a better chance at finding the "abundance" of enlightenment.

Answer 7

Once you have an empty moment you can experience Unity. That is the abundance.

Answer 8

What did the Zen Buddhist say to the hot-dog seller?
answer: Make me one with everything.

Answer 9

Ben has your answer.