Types of Aid -
Undergraduate Students

Essay Question for The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation
Undergraduate Scholarship in Religious Studies

Essay Guidelines:
Write 3-4 pages on the topic stated below. Use a computer and print out your essay double-spaced with a 12 point font size. Please place your name and the name of the scholarship on the essay.

Essay Question:
The following question reflects themes that are important in the work of Frederick P. Lenz as well as being central to the Buddhist tradition in general. However, the question is stated broadly so that you can draw on your own experience and background. You should include comments on Lenz's perspective regarding the topics of this essay question. Some pertinent quotes of his are provided below, along with references to other sources. You do not necessarily need to answer all facets of the following question, but you should substantially answer the question as a whole:

Why have you chosen to engage in contemplative practice and the study of religion? What role does the desire for personal change and transformation play in this? What sort of changes do you wish to bring about? How will this benefit yourself and others? How does one bring about such personal transformation? How do study and contemplative practice contribute to this process?

In addressing these questions, consider the following two excerpts from the writings of Frederick P. Lenz:

"What we're learning to do is really change a lifetime of habits of taking our perception and having it go into the senses or into thoughts or into emotions, and we're retraining our perception to go into the void…[W]hat we're doing is changing the course of a mighty river, and we do it in steps. We're creating a new pathway for it…We're learning to take our perception and place it in one place. By focusing on something, we do that. And be not discouraged. Everyone goes through the process you're going through. Takes a while to do it. Takes a number of years…Our current perception is very cloudy and all screwed up and as our perception increases through meditation, we're seeing life more correctly."[1]

"So in the West, people spend most of their time and energy working, and it would be a difficult thing if we couldn't gain something more than just dollars and cents from working. Because if you meditate for an hour in the morning, you have to get up an hour earlier than everybody else. And if you need to meditate for an hour at night, well, gee, there's not much time but just to meditate and work. And the problem is, of course, you come home and you're so tired from work you don't have much energy to meditate…[I]f you use work as meditation, if work becomes meditation, then eight hours of work is eight hours of meditation. It's still important to do a morning and evening silent meditation, meaning a sitting meditation, because it's an entirely different level of experience. And…that will enable you to do a strong work meditation all day…[I]f you do that, when you come home, you'll be able to meditate well again because you won't be as exhausted."[2]

Additional Resources:

Excerpt from the Zen Tapes Series - Happiness (p. 281):

Just to exist. Just to be. To take a breath, to feel that. Whether it's pleasure or pain, loss or gain, just your experience in life is unique to you. No one sees life like you do. Because you're no one. You change constantly, like the light outside the window…Happiness only comes when you let go of who you think you are. Because even if you think you're wonderful, if you think you're enlightened, if you think you're wealthy and powerful and noble and truthful, or horrible and demonic, or whatever it may be, however you "conceive" of yourself, its all a waste of time.

Excerpt from the Zen Tapes Series - Happiness (p. 292):

So then, in summation, happiness comes not from external things, as we're really taught, as children, it doesn't come from Santa Clause bringing you a good present, nor is happiness lost in unfortunate circumstances. Happiness is not dependent upon circumstance. Happiness is from within your mind. Just realizing that in itself will change your whole life. If you just meditate on that, ponder what I've just said. Happiness does not come from external circumstances, it comes from within your own mind. Then you'll stop trying to do things to make yourself happy, and you'll start to see that happiness is a state of mind. Because otherwise you're a slave to circumstances

In addition to the quotes above, you may consult the four talks on meditation that are attached. These are drawn from the same source as the first quote above, namely, Lenz's Tantric Buddhism: Twenty-Seven Talks, chapters 13-16. Please note that, as the title of the book indicates, these chapters at times refer to tantric teachings. There is no presumption that you have any familiarity with tantric Buddhism, nor is there any expectation that you will necessarily refer to tantric Buddhism in your essay. The talks may still be useful to you as they specifically discuss with meditation.

For a general orientation to Lenz's teachings, you can also consult the following books: Surfing the Himalayas, Snowboarding to Nirvana, or Insights: Tantric Buddhist Reflections on Life (These and his other works are available through the "Storefront" at http://www.fredericklenzfoundation.org/.) Please note that you are not required to purchase any materials in order to write your essay.

[1] Frederick P. Lenz, Tantric Buddhism: Twenty-Seven Talks (Beverly Hills, The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism, 2003) pp. 190-191.

[2] Frederick P. Lenz, The Englightenment Cycle Tape Series, Career Success.