BOOKS

Mzansi Zen (Jacana) published in 2016

Mzansi Zen is an affectionate, challenging and witty blend of stories, commentaries and poems about life in present-day South Africa. These are threaded through a day in an actual Zen retreat and are accompanied by wonderful photos and original drawings.

The author’s familiar and authoritative Zen style inspires us into taking up this life with both hands, calling us into an intimacy that is already beneath our feet.

Read it. It will change your mind and open your heart.

 

Zen Dust (Jacana) published in 2012

In this follow-up to his much loved Stoep Zen, Antony takes a trip down the lesser known back roads of the Karoo, from Kimberley to Colesberg, finding divinity in the dust and a Buddha in every pothole.
We are all of us on our way home. And, as Osler’s journey teaches us, as long as our eyes and hearts are open we belong wherever we go. In this way, however far we travel, our true home is always where we are.
With gentle wisdom and deep compassion, Osler connects with the people he meets along the way and shares their stories, past and present, as well as his own personal history and insights. The road is sprinkled with his special brand of poetry and interwoven with a fresh telling of the tale of Gotama, the man who would become Buddha.
Whether on familiar terrain or new territory, Antony never loses his sense of wonder. And he doesn’t shy away from the conundrums of a country in flux. Instead, he delights in the ordinary and infuses it with grace. Each encounter is a gift and his generosity in sharing will become a treasure on every bookshelf.

 

Stoep Zen (Jacana) published 2008

Lao Tsu meets Oom Schalk Lourens in this delightful meditation on what it means to practice Zen in a changing South Africa.
Antony Osler contemplates life as it passes by the stoep of his Karoo farm, sharing anecdotes and conversations, poetic images and indelible characters, watching the seasons, the people and his country as everything changes - sometimes radically - just so.
South Africa has experienced one of the most riveting, frightening and inspiring political revolutions in history. How, Osler asks himself, do we dance with this? How do we reach down through swirling emotions into quieter space where we can see a little further, love a little deeper, laugh a little louder?
‘I lift my eyes to Loskop and fear no evil. But if I don’t watch my step, I will fall into an aardvarkgat.’
Zen practice is to find the heart of each moment. Osler’s book is as full of heart as it is of wisdom; his musings on humility, acceptance, reconciliation and love are gentle - and often humorous - reminders of what it is to be human.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRACTICE NOTE

Zen is the practice of connection. Connection to everything – to ourselves ‘internally’ (our personal life history, our psychology, our life of body, heart and mind) and to ourselves ‘externally’ (our environment, our society, the place where we live and the people amongst whom we live).

In this relatedness, there will be times when we experience life so deeply that the distinction between internal and external disappears and, as the tradition puts it, there is ‘No inside, no outside, only Just This!’ These are key moments in our practice, moments when we tune into ourselves as an integral part of this universe; moments where we move beyond seeing ourselves as separate to the rest of creation; moments when we experience a unity of existence in what we call our ‘spiritual life.’ Zen as spiritual practice.

But we are not only mystical beings living a life of oneness, beyond considerations of self, society and planet. We are also ourselves in the ordinary, daily-life sense; us in our family, our work, our knowledge and skills and experience, our politics, our causes and hobbies, our friendships. Zen as daily life.

And, if we look carefully, we find that we move between these two modes of experience – these differing ‘selves’ - in ways too continuous, fast and subtle to grasp. But they are both ‘me.’

This means that we need to see our Zen practice as the whole of our life, as consisting of both our moments of selfless unity as well as our normal day-to-day experience. There is a temptation (often encouraged by Zen insiders) to limit Zen to dramatic moments of ‘selflessness.’ But our practice is more than that; it is also the integration of such moments into our daily life, so that each day carries with it the scent of connection. To put it differently, our practice is to discover our connectedness with whatever or whoever is before us, and then to embody this intimacy in our everyday activities and relationships. To use traditional jargon, the direction of our Zen practice is to be the Buddha in every moment.

Talking about all this is a hazardous thing. Language is conventionally the terrain of ordinary self. It is less at home when trying to describe our spiritual life, the life beyond words and definitions – where we have to resort to poetry, illogicality and humour to make our meaning plain.

This caution about language is consistent with the Zen teachings (the Dharma), that tells us we need to move beyond words in our experiences of Just This. In fact, though, we find this out naturally by ourselves. We don’t need to actively demolish words and concepts because this is something that happens naturally as we practise. We already know when to use language like ‘Today I will take you to the shop to buy a toothbrush’ and when to use language like ‘LOOK! WHAA! BOOM! HAHA! BOOHOO!.’ Then this life falls into place as naturally as putting out your hand when you fall.

So it’s time to stop talking. Have a good day. Don’t forget to feed the dog/ cat/ goldfish/ baby.

And please look after yourselves.

With affection and gratitude to you all,
Antony and Margie Osler (Dae Chong and Tae Ja Do, Oshos)
Poplar Grove Zendo, September 2024