There is a clichT that says we usually only use a few percent of our brains. But in every generation of people there are a tiny number who seem to make use of their whole being to reach the highest levels of awareness of which we as a species are capable.
Such people have been traditionally referred to in the West as philosophers or wise men, while in the east they are known as masters or teachers. But whereas Western culture since the Enlightenment has been primarily rationalist, in keeping with the dominance of science in the material realm,
it has always had a distinctly hostile and ignorant attitude towards even the possibility of human enlightenment, let alone a widespread respect for people who reject the conventions of modern capitalist/nationalistic/consumer/mediated life in preference for ethical, spiritual, cultural, or intellectual
It is interesting to learn that Socrates rejected the democracy that condemned him to death only slightly less than the tyranny that preceded it, and believed that only a society governed by philosophers could help humanity reach its full potential for the good. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates) .
In a country where the virtues of a deeply flawed and corrupt democracy are reflexively and sanctimoniously intoned from all sides, it is refreshing to imagine that a being as exalted as Socrates would have been as critical of modern America as he was of ancient Athens.
Zen and the Socrates the man share much that is essential, although they differ widely in cultural context and emphasis. A Zen monk in ancient Athens would have gladly drunk the hemlock, and the Greek philosopher would have been welcomed in Buddhist monasteries.
Both schools of thought preach love, ethical conduct as the highest standard of behavior, and inner peace through contemplation of the good, although Zen masters would emphasize the need to clear one's mind of all words, concepts, and ideas.
Both teac...