The Art of Zen: Finding calm and peace in chaotic world

Western civilization places so much emphasis on the idea of hope that we sacrifice the present moment. Hope is for the future. It cannot help us discover joy, peace, or enlightenment in the present moment”.- Thich Nhat Hanh 

In today’s world, stress and busyness have become the norm, pulling us away from the present moment and toward endless to-do lists, anxieties, and ambitions. What if there was a way to cultivate peace and calm as an antidote to all this busyness? That’s the promise of Zen—a Buddhist tradition that teaches us how to find balance, even in a chaotic world.

Our well – known course Be Calm Be Happy is now becoming The Art of Zen. First in the pathway of the Mindfulness courses offered through Plum Village UK keeps the great and tested course content, however new title reflects more clearly the roots and the aim of the course: to help you find joy, peace, and clarity through mindfulness.

What is Zen? A Path to Peace and Presence

Zen is a Buddhist tradition that emphasizes “peaceful and calm” awareness—a state of being we can develop to counter the stresses of everyday life. As Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, affectionately known as Thay, explains, our culture often places so much importance on future hopes that we sacrifice the present moment. In his words, “Hope is for the future. It cannot help us discover joy, peace, or enlightenment in the present moment.”

The Art of Zen offers an introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings and practices. Though Thay developed his Zen practice in his native Vietnam, he adapted it for Western audiences with incredible skill, founding Plum Village in France, which has become a worldwide centre for mindful living.

Finding Peace in the Present

The Art of Zen aims to help each participant rediscover the “joy, peace, and enlightenment” available to us when when we stop rushing into the future or replaying the past, allowing ourselves to be present in the here and now: 

“The technique, if we have to speak of a technique, is to be in the present moment, to be aware that we are here and now, and the only moment to be alive is the present moment”

We launched this course in 2016 under the title Be Calm, Be Happy to reflect our belief that calm and happiness are within reach right now, in this very moment—not something we need to chase into the future. However, we’ve since learned that the title may have felt like a command, as if participants needed to achieve calm and happiness by the end of six weeks.

But mindfulness isn’t about achieving specific outcomes or “passing” a course. It’s about starting from where we are and taking steps toward greater awareness and peace, at our own pace. With The Art of Zen, we hope to remind everyone that peace and calm are available in every moment.

Why Zen and Mindfulness Are So Needed Today

So much of the busyness of life pulls us away from the present moment. We are often caught in fears and anxieties about the future, both large and small. If we feel lonely, isolated, or overwhelmed, we believe it is too difficult to put those feelings to one side and practise mindfulness or learn to meditate. Yet when we give ourselves permission to stop, slow down and take the blinkers off, to see what is around and within us, a whole new life opens up. And it only takes a breath or two to change our mind, to calm our nervous system and feel different. 

Society impresses upon us the need to acquire, always striving for the next thing, not to be content with what we have and where we are. Mindfulness is going in the opposite direction, which is why Thay calls it a resistance movement, resisting those strong pulls and pushes in society which tell us, we are not enough, we don’t have enough, we need more. Mindfulness encourages us to be content with what we already have, who we are right now, and to resist the constant pressures to be different, to have to improve ourselves and our situation. 

In contrast to the relentless push for improvement, mindfulness asks us to slow down, to look within, and to find contentment in what’s already around us. Practicing Zen helps us reconnect with the simple joys of life, free from the need to achieve or acquire.

Consumerism is rife in our society, yet it doesn’t bring happiness. Indeed, it often feeds the opposite, and leaves us feeling there is always something missing, something more that we need, something that we don’t currently have, something else, something better. We can spend our whole life chasing that ‘something better’ and still not feel content or peaceful. 

The answer? Stepping off the never-stopping hamster wheel turning and giving ourselves time to rest. Honestly looking at what we have and taking a moment to appreciate it. The value of a simple life is that we can discover many conditions for happiness already available to us in friendships, the beauty of nature, and fresh air, to name just a few. Instead of striving for perfection, which is only an idea, why not embrace our imperfect life as it is? 

What Can You Expect from The Art of Zen?

This course offers different outcomes for each person, based on their unique journey. Here are just a few possibilities shared by past participants:

• A practice that counterbalances anxiety and trying to fix things
• Feeling more relaxed and joyful
• A resolution to practise mindfulness meditation every day for 10 minutes or more
• Taking a mindful walk regularly and slowing down enough to engage with what is happening externally
• Bringing the concept of informal mindfulness into daily life, such as stopping whilst boiling the kettle and breathing instead of rushing off to fill those few minutes with jobs
• Being kinder to self and others through practising mindful communication
• Finding a group (Sangha) to practise with as well as meditating alone, something they wouldn’t have contemplated before the course
• Regularly stopping for 10 breaths instead of rushing through the day at full speed.

Ultimately, what we hope you gain from The Art of Zen is simply this: that you become more mindful than when you started. And while that may sound small, it’s actually a lot.

Join Us on This Journey

The Art of Zen is an invitation to slow down, step out of the rush, to resist the pressures of society, and to embrace a life of calm and contentment. By letting go of constant striving, you may just find the peace that’s been within you all along.

We look forward to seeing you on the course and supporting you as you explore this transformative practice!