ZenGate Chronicles: Part II
Introduction:
Welcome to the ZenGate Gallery – a symbolic visual meditation on the path of awakening. Each image, each symbol, carries a timeless message from the silent heart of Zen. May this journey be your mirror and your gate.
Empty bowls are not empty – they are full of possibility.
1. The Empty Bowl: Space for the Infinite
Symbol of receptivity and non-attachment.
“Only when the bowl is empty can it be filled.”
🌀 Koan:
A student came to the master, seeking wisdom. The master poured tea into his cup and did not stop – the cup overflowed. “Why do you keep pouring?” cried the student.
The master smiled, “Like this cup, your mind is full. Empty it.”
The mirror doesn’t judge – only reflects. In stillness, we see our true face before we were born.
2. The Mirror: Reflection of the Unseen
Symbol of self-reflection and pure awareness.
“The mirror is clear – but the dust of thought settles quickly.”
🌀 Koan:
A monk asked, “How can I see my true face?”
The master replied, “Wipe the mirror every day.”
No map, no destination – just the next step, fully taken. The path unfolds with each breath.
3. The Path: The Wayless Way
A winding trail through a forest or mountains, symbolizing the way.
“There is no path to Zen – Zen is the path.”
🌀 Koan:
Two monks looked at a flag flapping in the wind.
One said, “The flag moves.”
The other said, “No, the wind moves.”
The master said, “Mind moves.”
Just as mudras guide the flow of inner energy, mandalas offer us a visual path inward…
4. The Mudra: Hands Speak the Silence
Symbol of inner command and energetic stillness.
“Hands speak when words fall silent.”
🌀 Koan:
A student asked, “What is the essence of meditation?”
The master raised a single finger.
The mandala is not just design – it is the blueprint of being, spiralling inward and outward at once.
5. The Mandala: Sacred Pattern of the Present Moment
Symbol of sacred geometry and the unfolding universe.
“In stillness, the circle speaks.”
🌀 Koan:
A monk asked, “What is Buddha?”
The master drew a circle in the sand.
The gate is not somewhere else. It opens only when you realize – there’s nowhere to go.
6. The Gate: Enter Where You Already Are
Symbol of transition, thresholds, and awakening.
“Before entering, let go. After passing, do not cling.”
🌀 Koan:
“Where is the gate to enlightenment?”
The master said, “Look between the thoughts.”
The lotus blooms untouched by the dirt beneath it – pure, present, and free.
7. The Lotus: Born of the Mud, Open to the Light
Symbol of purity rising from the mud.
“No mud, no lotus.”
🌀 Koan:
“Master, how do I attain clarity?”
“Grow roots in the dark,” he answered. “Blossom in the light.”
8. The Two Monks and the Woman
A beloved Zen story – touching, freeing.
🌀 Zen Parable:
Two monks were traveling. They found a young woman unable to cross a river. One monk carried her across. Later, the other monk asked, “Why did you touch a woman?”
The first replied, “I left her by the river. You are still carrying her.”
“As the great Zen master said, pointing beyond all striving…”
🌸 Closing Reflection
Zen is not something to achieve, but something to remember. May these images and stories be doorways to your own stillness.
“You are already the light. The gate is already open.”
– ZenGate
As you journey through this symbolic gallery, may one image speak to you beyond words. This is the gate to the inner light.
The ZenGate Alignment – A Journey Through the Chakras
What began as a symbolic visual gallery has revealed something much deeper – a hidden order aligned with the seven chakras of the human energy body. Unintentionally, yet unmistakably, the images in this gallery follow a sacred descent from the crown to the root, each one mirroring a chakra’s qualities and deeper meaning. And like all things Zen, the order is not imposed – it emerges, when seen through the mirror of awareness.
This is the path as it has revealed itself:
1. The Empty Bowl – Crown Chakra
An open vessel turned upward, waiting to receive the infinite. It represents the crown – the point of divine connection and the quiet invitation to be filled by what lies beyond thought.
2. The Mirror – Third Eye Chakra
A reflective surface of insight and inner vision. This mirror of perception corresponds to the third eye, which sees beyond illusion and shines with silent clarity.
3. The Path – Throat / Breathway
A narrow trail through forest and breath, like the passage of the wind through the lungs. This symbolizes the way of expression, and the corridor of truth we walk when we speak and breathe consciously.
4. Mudras – Heart Chakra
Sacred gestures of the hands that speak without words. The mudras open and express the heart – our centre of compassion, presence, and subtle communication.
5. The Mandala – Solar Plexus Chakra
A radiant symbol of balance and structure, pulsing with geometric power. Like the Sun – this mandala resonates with our solar plexus, the core of energy, will, and identity.
6. The Gate – Sacral Chakra
A threshold of transformation, echoing the womb as portal. The gate represents creative flow, emotional depth, and our ability to birth something new.
7. The Lotus – Root Chakra
Blossoming from the mud, the lotus roots us in the earth. It embodies grounding, stability, and the eternal cycle of growth through suffering.
8. The Zen Story – Soul Star Chakra (8th Chakra)
Beyond the body, above the head – the eighth centre. This is the realm of symbolic knowing, where parables and Zen koans deliver truth not through logic, but through awakening. The story of the two monks and the woman by the river is one such mirror.
In this gallery, Zen is not just a theme – it becomes a living map of consciousness.
A gate, not only to see, but to enter.
From emptiness to earth, from symbol to soul.
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