Journey to Zen Buddhism, my first experience of Dharma

Rafael Téllez Romero

This happened to me many years ago, when I was a teenager. Was a real trip to the East, although not physically walked away from my city, Seville.
It was during a weekend in which a famous Zen Dojo Sevilla opened its doors for a conference Zen Buddhism Introductory Then, with a group of friends, all teenagers with their heads full of dreams and fantasies about feudal Japan Samuray and mysticism, attended these workshops.
The impact was tremendous: expected a conference or event colorful and instead we are in a minimalist room, surrounded by what we considered "elderly", some practitioners and other laymen like us. All sitting on zafus and trying meditate facing the wall. The amount of time trying to meditate is made eternal. After that we walked a bit around the room doing walking meditation and then invited us to sit in meditation for us again ... even childish minds that it was too put up with the situation as we could and we were relieved when it was over this new sitting.
That's when Zen Dojo members were invited to speak and share our impressions. Some of the assistant asked about breathing, posture, etc.. I remember I asked something about the Zen concept of winning without fighting, could not understand how to win without fighting against possible attack by a criminal ... one of my colleagues said he wanted to practice Zen archery and asked if it was possible to practice at the Dojo.
When question time ended the man who seemed to have more authority in the Dojo responded to each of your questions. In our group we looked impassive face and said: "You want to fight and win, to be champions of Karate, want to practice Zen archery ... but in this Dojo does not have any of that: there are no arcs or targets ... but if we have a toilet will you practice Zen cleaning the toilet? ... I assure you it is the same Zen "
Given this response swallow saliva and we looked at each other aghast. When the session ended and my friends and I left the Dojo, we press the fast pace and walk away muttering ...We had not understood anything and yet we received our first lesson of Zen: a priceless gift then but that which has been germinating seed with our maturation. Years pass and mature consciences. Even today, when I meet one of those friends remember this "war stories of the Dharma" and laughed out loud ... now understand that the Zen archery and cleaning the toilet are the same Zen (and practice the toilet is also available everywhere).