Tarot and Zen
In the Osho Zen Tarot Deck the Practical Wisdom of Zen is Captured in the Rich Imagery of the Tarot
By Geraldine Amaral)
In over 20 years of studying the Tarot, I have not encountered a Tarot deck that has captured my attention as much as the Osho Zen Tarot deck. Based on the wisdom of Zen and in particular of the Zen master Osho, this thought-provoking deck and the companion book is based on the concept that the outer world is a reflection of the inner world -- of our thoughts, feelings, ideas and emotions. This notion applies to the unconscious mind as well -- whatever might be lurking there affects the outer world as well. The colorful images of the deck are bold and direct, with contemporary scenes which can assist even someone who has had no experience with the Tarot in identifying issues and gaining clarity about the inner self. But the rich and evocative imagery of the Zen deck is not meant to furnish you with quick answers or tell you what will or will not occur in your future. Rather, they are meant to help you access a deeper layer of wisdom and guidance. The commentaries from the companion book also capture the simplicity and practicality often associated with Zen wisdom. They may also present a paradox in which the ambiguity helps sustain a creative tension that allows the sincere Seeker to find his or her own truth, and make his own decisions. The deck’s promise is that you will be "touched by the wisdom of the master, to open the door on a shift towards consciousness . . .. a wake-up call to tune in to sensitivity, intuition, compassion, receptivity, courage and individuality."
What is Zen?
Zen is simply a voice crying, "Wake up! Wake up!" - M. Sangarakshita
The word "Zen" is a Japanese word, which means meditation. The history and background of Zen is complex because it went through numerous rebirths and changes through the ages. Zen is a division of Mahayana Buddhism and it began in China in the Sixth Century. It brought together Indian Buddhism and Taoism, blending metaphysics and practicality. Zen contends that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition, rather than through religious dogma. Zen followers, therefore, reject the worship of deities, the study of scripture and the enactment of ritual. Rather, the basis for Zen is based on direct religious experience -- responsibility for achieving enlightenment is solely upon the individual. The practice of meditation, which reveals insight into the nature of reality, instruction from the master and the studying of the Zen Koans, are the key components of Zen practices. Koans are intuitive brainteasers designed to be spiritually instructive, and they are meant to lead the student of Zen beyond the logical mind to sudden enlightenment. The goal of all the Zen practices is to foster a breakthrough from conventional thinking to absolute truth -- to break down ordinary rational perceiving.
The master Osho’s philosophy, or rather his non-philosophy (he often writes that he has no particular philosophy or dogma to teach), echoes the Zen ideology quite clearly. Osho’s aim is to deprogram us from dogma so that we can experience the truth directly, without encumbrances. His point of view is clearly expressed through the deck and accompanying text, both of which are able to capture the uncluttered spirit of Zen as well as the individuality, spirituality, mysticism and paradox that is often found in Zen. Meanwhile, the images of the deck also initiate you into the Tarot’s system of esoteric doctrines, as well as the Zen pragmatism. You can partake of this potent blend of systems through contemplation of the card, meditation on the corresponding commentary and an examination of what these provoke within your own heart.
Examples of Zen Koans:
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
What is the color of wind?The Structure of the Zen Deck
Like most Tarot decks, the Zen deck is comprised of 22 Major Arcana cards with one additional card, called "The Master" (which is an image of Osho) and which allows the Seeker to "leave the spiral behind, to take a jump off the wheel of death and rebirth." In general, the Major Arcana represents the various stages in your journey through life, the journey of the soul through eternal time. It shows you the many challenges that the soul faces and discloses information about what is inside the soul and its purpose here on earth. The Major Arcana represents mysteries or secrets of the universe, which are quite complex, such as confronting and understanding death. It shows the cosmic, spiritual and psychological forces which are influencing you. It depicts the totality of human existence, including the spiritual journey of humanity. By initiating yourself into the doctrine associated with each of the 22 Major Arcana cards, you are able to examine the principal themes in your spiritual journey as well as the more intense energies influencing your life.
The Zen interpretations of the Major Arcana cards are artistically and visually evocative. The portrayal of each card’s unique doctrine is unusual, fresh and exciting. The medieval figures from traditional decks have been replaced by more contemporary images, which are easier to understand, to relate to, and to integrate into your consciousness. One of my personal favorites is "Courage", Key #8 ("Strength" in most other Tarot decks), which shows a single flower doggedly, but gracefully growing out of hard rock. Such resolve! The text tells us that "the flower shows us the way . . .out of darkness and into the light. There is no point fighting against the challenges of life, or trying to avoid or deny them . . . if the seed is to become the flower we must go through [the challenges]. Be courageous enough to grow into the flower you are meant to be." For those times in life when you feel that life’s adversity is insurmountable, the image of this robust flower can provide some assurance.
Another daring interpretation of the Tarot Major Arcana is Nothing-ness, Key #5 (the Hierophant in most decks), which in the Zen deck is a completely blank and all-black card. It is empty. It is appropriately called "No-thingness." This "no - thingness" depicts the "state of pure potential that existed before the universe was created . . .. the empty gap . . .. the empty moment . . . something sacred is about to be born." Positive guidance like this is always reassuring when change is taking place, especially when the experience of transition is full of uncertainty. Sometimes before something new comes forth in our lives, we must release the old, and accept a vacuum, allow the emptiness. The message of the "no-thingness" card provides a reassuring perspective.
The Zen deck’s Minor Arcana is arranged similarly to other decks, although the suits have their own unique translations. The Minor Arcana depicts the simpler, more available aspects of existence. These are the events and experiences of your day-to-day living, the daily "soap opera" of our lives. The Minor Arcana explores how the energies of the Major Arcana are expressed through physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual events (that is, the specific lessons, challenges and opportunities that you face each day). In the Zen deck, the cups, which generally represent positive feelings and emotions, such as love, friendship, kindness and compassion are depicted as water or a blue triangle at the base of the card. The pentacles suit represents the material realm such as money, merchandise, the earth and the body and is depicted as rainbows or a multi-colored triangle at the bottom of the card. The swords suit, which portrays mental energy such as the mind, thoughts, ideas, boldness and challenges, is depicted as clouds or gray triangles at the bottom of the cards. The wands suit, which portrays career, hobbies, enterprises, talents and growth is depicted as fire or red triangles at the bottom of the card.
We typically think of the Tarot as a tool for expressing and developing the psychic mind, but it is also a powerful tool for introspection, personal transformation and a means of being one’s own source of wisdom and guidance. Because the symbolism of the Osho deck is so "user-friendly," it is easy to allow the imagery to speak to you and touch the deeper layers of your mind. The "lessons" from the accompanying book are similarly accessible. Perhaps it is this direct simplicity of both the images and the text that enables the Zen deck to challenge you and to encourage you to ponder your questions beyond a superficial level.
A student asked Soen Nakagawa during a meditation retreat, "I am very discouraged, What should I do?" Soen replied, "Encourage others." - Zen story
Personal Reflections
I love this deck because my personal preference for using the Tarot is less on the process of divination and more on what the cards can teach me about myself and about the processes of the unconscious mind. I recently had a personal breakthrough using the Zen deck. I’ve been working on a gigantic, life-long struggle with my "inner critic" -- the parts of myself, the voices from my past, that will not cut me any slack. My inner critic shows no mercy! I’ve been working with two cards from Osho, the Four of Water (Four of Cups in other decks) and the Eight of Clouds (Eight of Swords). The Four of Water (called "Turning In") depicts a woman in a meditative posture in the foreground, with shadowy images of blurred faces in the background. The faces are angry, contorted, with pointing fingers; they are meant to portray the voices of the inner critic. The book’s commentary invites the Seeker to watch the "antics of the mind . . . as if they were traffic on the road, or ripples on the surface of a pond." It counsels us that developing "the knack of taking a distance from the mind is one of the greatest blessings. It is what meditation is all about really - - just watching." Meditation on this card has enabled me to get some distance from my own inner condemning, critical voices, literally encouraging me to "watch" these voices as if they had no more importance than other thoughts passing through my mind. To be able to regard these critical voices as the "antics" of the mind, to train myself to simply observe their maneuvers, has helped me achieve greater peace of mind.
The Eight of Clouds, called "Guilt", has also aided me in getting in touch with a more negative side, my shadow side. It portrays a woman who is tormented by recriminations from past mistakes. Projecting this aspect of myself onto the image of this card and giving that piece of myself a personification has been very beneficial. Rather than denying and avoiding that ashamed piece of myself, by giving it a face and a name ("Guilt"), it allows me to "‘name the beast," to see it take form; it gives me permission to allow that piece of myself to be there. For so many years, I tried to get rid of it, make it go away, quiet it down. Somehow, that denial of the piece gave it even more control and power over me. Now that I have identified it, I am able to give it room, to let it be. My personal healing process prescribes acceptance and inclusion of all parts of myself. The text for this card cautions us: "When we punish ourselves for our failures by feeling guilty, we can get locked into a cycle of despair and helplessness that robs us of all clarity about ourselves and the situations we encounter. You are absolutely okay as you are, and it is absolutely natural to go astray from time-to-time." Sometimes, I am fearful about confronting this piece of myself, concerned about unleashing some forceful aspect that has been cast-off for so long, even though it feels like the right thing to do. As Dr. Carl G. Jung said, "The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely."
"The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely." - Carl Jung
Embracing Your Fears
I am particularly fond of this notion of embracing that which we wish to avoid, that which torments us. In my experience, I have seen that what you run away from ultimately controls you, what you avoid runs you. The more you hate something, the more you are bound to it. This idea is not new or unique. Jung suggested that the more you repress an idea, the more it controls you. He felt that one should embrace the darkness. He said, "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness visible." Marcel Proust had a similar notion when he said, "We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full." Rabindarth Tagore said, "Do not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them." And psychologist James Hollis says, "Make your fears your agenda." If you are seeking to journey within yourself, to examine the core issues that can help to set you free, to learn to include all parts of yourself, then the thought-provoking and challenging images of the Zen deck can be a helpful adjunct.
Allowing Spirit to Speak
How does one begin to utilize these potent images? I recommend a simple process of choosing one or two cards a day, either at "random" or as a conscious choice. A quiet meditation on a specific card can signal the unconscious mind that you want to contact it, and its vast resource of wisdom. Simply gazing at the card, even for a few moments, can quiet your conscious mind long enough for your inner voice to be heard. And when you begin to look at the card, you are automatically being initiated into the powerful wisdom associated with the image. Light a candle, study the card you have selected, read the commentary and quietly contemplate the message. Allow Spirit to speak to you and through you. Or, carry it around with you and let it act as a filter for perceiving the day’s events. Start small, allow your inner voice to speak gently to you through the Tarot’s imagery. Use it and practice with it every day, even if it’s only for a few moments. Be gentle in your meditation, allow the wisdom of Spirit to touch you in whatever way it chooses. Trust the process. Trust yourself and your inherent wisdom.
If the teacher is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own. – Kahil Gibran
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
