The Spirit of the Ways
This is one of a series of posts intended to clarify the groups being formed in Lost Coin. The intention is that they be “ways”- a way to make your daily life a path and a practice of realization and excellence. This is what Lost Coin is about.
The roots of this kind of practice go back to the 12th century in Kamakura Japan. At that time it became the military capital of Japan and the Zen arts and “ways” were born and flourished.
To classify these “ways” and interpret them for our times here, we can say that the martial “ways” of strategy today would be the path of the entrepreneur: a self-reliant path to financial and personal freedom.
A second “way” is the path of what was the priest, and is now “the helper”: this would be the path of relationship or harmony, including personal relationships, parenting and the helping professions.
A third “way” is the “way” of art or spiritual insight through beauty. This can be practiced as traditional Zen arts (tea ceremony, painting, flower arranging) or our modern forms of painting, writing, music.
In this manner, our endeavors in life most of which would fall into these three areas become our “way.” Putting our vital energy (ki) and commitment into these areas we transform them into practices of realization and excellence.
Utilizing our contemporary activities is what makes Lost Coin an alive and modern Zen.
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