There are in Zen culture and thinking what is called the Four Dignities of Man. They are, “Walking, Standing, Sitting, and lying.” Zah-Zen is the Japanese word for,”Sitting Zen.” Sitting Zen, because it’s easy to understand is generally what the western mind associates with the idea of Zen, or a Zen Lifestyle. But that is an oversimplification that surprisingly enough - has the effect of overcomplicating people’s ideas of a Zen consciousness. Already it’s Zen, “an oversimplification that overcomplicates.” For example, if I think Zen consciousness can be achieved by sitting cross legged on the floor for an hour or two a day I will become frustrated and stiff legged and write off Zen as a bunch of hocus pocus where practical people can’t survive. After all, who can spend their day sitting in a corner when there are things one needs to attend to?

People are often disappointed when they find out that there is more, (or really less) to Zen consciousness then sitting in the lotus position. The most ancient, the most practical Zen includes the four dignities, and is a way of life; “Walking, Standing, Sitting, and Lying.” Imagine sleeping in Zen consciousness. Zen has been described as, “When hungry eat, when tiered sleep.” The Zen student asks the Master, “Well don’t people just do that, walking, standing, sitting, and lying?” and the Master replies, “No they don’t. When hungry they don’t just eat, but think of ten thousand things, when tiered they don’t just sleep, but dream innumerable dreams.”
A lot of people, in the West, would like to be able to sum that Zen up then with simple truisms such as the old saying, “When using a hammer, use it with all your might” or the English school motto, “Auge dum augus” meaning “Act when you act”, or “while you act.” But it’s more than that and escapes reasonable explanation; but perhaps a story will help: Here’s an acting story for you …
Paul Repps who drew a lovely book called, “Zen Telegrams” once asked a Zen master to sum up Buddhism in one phrase, and the master said in heavily accented English, “Don’t act, buuuut act” and this delighted Repps because it seemed to confirm what is the Taoist notion of “Wu-Way” that which is, “action in the spirit of not being separate from the world.”
Realizing so fully that ”you are the universe too” , that your action on it is not an interference, but a rather a reflection of the totality. You see Repps saw it as a Zen Koan where an action is turned on itself to the point of absurdity and is designed to paralyze the student into an awareness of only the moment, “Don’t act, buuuut act.” But you see it turned out later that Repps had simply misunderstood the Master, that what the master had really said was, “Don’t act baaaaad act.” And I suppose if you think that I twist you around sometimes and say one thing and then another or meant one thing and then another – well it all boils down to, “Don’t act baaaad act.” That’s what I’m always saying.
I spoke to you last week about the over use of the word, “Bliss” that is has come to mean in popular culture a sort of generalized glee. I went on to explain that bliss is really only, “The Moment” -The explicit awareness of the now.” And that the study of acting, being the art of the moment, is as sure a path to bliss as any; but not an isolated and extraordinary kind of bliss, rather the most authentic and usable bliss, the bliss described in the four dignities of man, the simple truth that each moment, should it not be wasted in the lulling about in the past or twitching about the future, is a bliss state. Just like that – there is one – and there is one – and there is one – and so on like that. The actor is aware and lives in the Four Dignities.
“Wu-Way” action in the spirit of not being separate from the world. Realizing so fully that,”you are the universe too” that your action on it is not an interference, but a reflection of the totality.
Assiduus usus uni rei deditus et ingenium et artem saepe vincit - Constant practice devoted to one subject often outdoes both intelligence and skill. (Cicero)

Cameron Thor