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Namaste! (∩☯‿☯)⊃━☆~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~

〜( ^▾^〜) ~~~This right here, is the Hare Krishna mahamantra!~~~（〜^∇^ )〜
If you'd like to hear it for yourself, I'd recommend looking up any version by Krishna Das on Spotify, YouTube, etc!
To get you started, here's one version I really love on an album called Gathering in the light.
Cheers!~(∩☯‿☯)⊃━☆~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे राम~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे राम~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे राम~~~हरे हरे~~~

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण , कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
हरे राम हरे राम , राम राम हरे हरे ||

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And uhhh, in case anyone is curious about the so called "definition" of Zen, I've thrown together some of my favorite Zen koans below to give you an essence of it! <3
(∩☯‿☯)⊃━☆~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~हरे कृष्ण~~~

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~~~"When the nun Chiyono studied Zen under Bukko of Engaku she was unable to attain the fruits of meditation for a long time.

At last one moonlit night she was carrying water in an old pail bound with bamboo. The bamboo broke and the bottom fell out of the pail, and at that moment Chiyono was set free!

In commemoration, she wrote a poem:

In this way and that I tried to save the old pail
Since the bamboo strip was weakening and about
to break
Until at last the bottom fell out.
No more water in the pail!
No more moon in the water!"~~~

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~~~"Hogen, a Chinese Zen teacher, lived alone in a small temple in the country. One day four traveling monks appeared and asked if they might make a fire in his yard to warm themselves.

While they were building the fire, Hogen heard them arguing about subjectivity and objectivity. He joined them and said: "There is a big stone. Do you consider it to be inside or outside your mind?"

One of the monks replied: "From the Buddhist viewpoint everything is an objectification of mind, so I would say that the stone is inside my mind."

"Your head must feel very heavy," observed Hogen, "if you are carrying around a stone like that in your mind."~~~

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~~~"The master Bankei's talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras not indulged in scholastic dissertations. Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners.

His large audience angered a priest of the Nichiren sect because the adherents had left to hear about Zen. The self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to have a debate with Bankei.

"Hey, Zen teacher!" he called out. "Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a man like myself does not respect you. Can you make me obey you?"

"Come up beside me and I will show you," said Bankei.

The Nichiren priest approached him and stood to Bankei's left side.

"No," said Bankei, "we may talk better if you are on the right side. Step over here."

The priest proudly stepped over to the right.

"You see," observed Bankei, "you are obeying me and I think you are a very gentle person. Now sit down and listen."~~~

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~~~"Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"~~~

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If you've read this far, you must be quite a curious cat! I gotta tell you about my man Richard Alpert, also known as Ram Das in the later half of his life. He has been one of the greatest positive influences in my life and I try to turn anyone else onto his life's work and show them what he's all about whenever I can!

By this point you've surely noticed the word Namaste a couple of times, Ram Das explains it as:

"[Namaste means] I honor the place in you where the entire Universe resides. I honor the place of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us."

Namaste my friend! (∩☯‿☯)⊃━☆~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~शम्भो~~~

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