zen monk

The term mendicant refers to begging or relying on charitable donations, and is most widely used for religious followers or ascetics who rely exclusively on charity to survive.

In principle, medicant orders or followers do not own property, either individually or collectively, and have taken a vow of poverty, in order that all their time and energy could be expended on practicing or preaching their religion or way of life and serving the poor.

Many religious orders adhere to a mendicant way of life, including the Catholic mendicant orders, Hindu ascetics, some dervishes of Sufi Islam, and the monastic orders of  Janism and Buddhism. In the Catholic Church, followers of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic became known as mendicants, as they would beg for food while they preached to the villages.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Digital Zen Alarm Clocks, available in maple, walnut, bamboo, and black lacquer

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Bamboo trees in Kyoto, Japan

Bamboo are a group of perennial evergreen (except for certain temperate species) plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae.  Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family.

Bamboos are also the fastest growing woody plants in the world.  They are capable of growing up to 60 centimeters (24 in.) or more per day due to a unique rhizome-dependent system.  However, this astounding growth rate is highly dependent on local soil and climatic conditions. 

Bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in East Asia and South East Asia where they are used extensively in everyday life as building materials, as a food source and as a highly versatile raw product.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Bamboo Chime Alarm Clock, for a progressive awakening

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

A kaiyu-shiki or strolling garden

Chaniwa Gardens are built for holding tea ceremonies.  There is usually a tea house where the ceremonies occur, and the styles of both the hut and garden are based on the simple concepts of the sado. 

Usually, there are stepping stones leading to the tea house, stone lanterns, and stone basins (tsukubai) where guests purify themselves before a ceremony.

tsukubai

Japanese gardens might also fall into one of these styles:

• Kanshoh-style gardens which are viewed from a residence.
• Pond gardens, for viewing from a boat.
• Strolling gardens (kaiyū-shiki), for viewing a sequence of effects from a path which circumnavigates the garden.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Bamboo yoga and meditation timer

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

torii gate, Meiji-jingu Shrine, Japan

A torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the sacred to the profane.  The presence of a torii at the entrance is usually the simplest way to identify Shinto shrines, and a small torii icon represents them on Japanese road maps. They are however a common sight at Japanese Buddhist temples too, where they stand at the entrance of the temple’s own shrine, called chinjusha and usually very small.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Bamboo Zen Timers, a meditation tool

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

calm the mind, zen timers by Now & Zen, Boulder, CO

In Medtitation everyone most likely experiences two of the five hindrances.  They are boredom, which is half-hearted action with little or no collectedness and restlessness-worry, which is the inability to calm the mind. 

The first three enlightment factors (mindfulness, investigation, energy) are to be used when experiencing boredom to regain collection, the last three enlightment factors (tranquillity, collection, equanimity) are to be used when experiencing restlessness and worry to regain collectedness.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Bamboo Zen Timers, a meditation tool

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383