All of Buddhism can be reduced to “peaceful abiding here, now.” It is the Dharma condensed to a phrase. The gift of emptiness, stillness and silence (one thing, not three). The heart of meditation. The core of the sutras. It is what everything Buddhist points to. Where everything Buddhist is going. There is nothing more to being Buddhist than “peaceful abiding here, now.”

M. C. Escher drawings are immediate favorites of everyone who views them–a spontaneous, automatic, natural, immediate, “direct arising in the moment” response, like enlightenment and liberation. No planning, no contriving, no practicing… Just experiencing the now with openness and innocence. All art that moves us is a direct experience of Zen. So is all music that moves us. And everything that moves us. Experience our life, and there is Zen. And Zen is like Buddhism, only lighter, more easy going, and more fun.