Although there are many attractive facets to zen Buddhism and taoism, the line between the mental tools it offers and the religious paraphernalia. Buddhism is also prone to the magical thinking involved in professing faith in a peaceful philosophy, while simultaneously condoning violence.
Many explanations fall back to truisms that sound morose or deliberately melodramatic (“Life is suffering”). So it’s a welcome change to come across this wonderfully pragmatic approach from Shin-zen to describing the mental processes and potential involved (GoogleTechTalk).
He rules out nothing in removing the mystery from the mental discipline, including a “secular enlightenment”, if it gives more people the mental tools necessary to gain equanimity. The most appealing part of his talk is where he describes the enjoyment he gets because, as he says, he’s either doing something productive or getting a high from practising mental acrobatics while doing something simple.
Ah... naruhodo ne! 