Here, Professor Harris talks about Zen Buddhism and the power of meditation. Zen is a sect of the Theravada. The literal translation of Zen is meditation, which is a major focus for those who practice Zen Buddhism. Many may remember the hippies and flower children of the 1960s turning on to Zen meditation, and while some from that generation became legitimate Zen practitioners, including writer Alan Watts and poet Gary Snyder, many were doing it just for the fun of it. Zen master Fukushima Keido wants to erase that image of Zen meditation and emphasize that it is a much deeper and more serious exercise, not a frivolous activity done just for kicks.
Meditation helps to clear and purify the mind.
The Buddhist concept of reality is that everything is in a constant state of flux. Whether we like it or not, change occurs. As humans, we have the tendency to attach ourselves to things through our ego and desire, which results from a false understanding of self. The consequence of such a mindset is often suffering. Meditation is a way to deal with the mind and allow the individual to see reality from a higher level.