Zen is the realization that we are already complete.
Zen is not a religion, a creed, a philosophy, or something we can really understand.
It is a practice, a method, something we do — moment by moment, with our entire being.
We are not truly separate from the world, but intimately intertwined with all that exists. Yet we spend most of our lives trapped in mechanical patterns: our minds endlessly spin in fear and doubt, our emotions are reactive and habitual, our bodies are tight with resistance and stress.
These patterns are tied to the ideas we have about who we are. By binding ourselves to the personal self, we also bind ourselves to fear and pain. By standing outside the moment as it actually is, by holding on to stories of the past and future, we also cloud and diminish this magical reality.
When we let go of these automated ways of being, the life force is allowed to flow unhindered and freedom becomes immediately available. This freedom is the real point of Zen teachings. The practice is to reclaim it every moment.
With surrender, focus, and courage, we can embrace life's changes — loss, grief, illness, even death.
Lost Coin Zen
"The coin we think we've lost is the most precious thing we own and what we miss the most."
We look everywhere to find it again, but it turns out to already be in our own pocket."
Lost Coin Zen is an international organization with members in the USA and Europe, led by Daniel Doen Silberberg Roshi, and represented in Norway by Vegar Svanemyr.
Our method is primarily rooted in the Zen tradition, but also uses elements from Gurdjieff's Fourth Way , Tibetan Buddhism, modern psychology, and more.
We seek to develop our entire being through practice and training for the head, heart, and body:
Sitting
Sitting meditation, zazen in Japanese, is the cornerstone of Zen practice. Za means "to sit" and zen comes from the Pāli word jhāna , which means meditation. Initially, zazen is about concentration: following the breath and quieting the mind, but it is also the most powerful tool for self-insight and for uncovering the true basis of reality. Zazen allows us to discover the oneness of the self with all that exists, and in doing so we transform both our own lives and the lives of others.
Koan-study
The koans are stories, dialogues, questions, and statements from Zen history that are studied in depth and presented in a set order. We work with them as reflections of different principles and aspects of the teachings. The study of koans is a training in expanding and deepening our identity and being.
Teacher and student
The Zen tradition traces its roots back to Shakyamuni Buddha through more than eighty generations, by direct transmission from teacher to student of insight and being. As this transmission happens from being to being, the personal relationship between teacher and student is essential. The teacher fundamentally has nothing to give or teach, but is there to help navigate the difficulties we encounter on the path, and to remind us of the inherent perfection of our original nature.
Body practice
The body is our vessel for self-knowledge, the experience that embraces our entire being. In a spiritual quest, it is easy to get stuck in our heads, so a body practice provides us with a path to a deeper experience of reality. The body is also where we cultivate will, intention, and personal power.
Creative practice
Throughout history and across cultures, Zen has been closely linked to art and creative expression. Today, we draw on both traditional Zen styles and contemporary expressions to deepen our understanding of who we are. The Zen approach to art and creativity is not conceptual, but a living process of exploration and development of the relationship between artist, tool, object, and audience.
Intellectual practice
Our thoughts and intellect are an essential part of our humanity that we can cultivate and refine. When they are allowed to take their rightful place in our being, they become a portal to insight and development rather than an obstacle.
Way of Being
Our thoughts and intellect are an essential part of our humanity that we can cultivate and refine. When they are allowed to take their rightful place in our being, they become a portal to insight and development rather than an obstacle.