By Noreen Braman
New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program Communications and Technology Manager
Many of us remember “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” the novelistic autobiography by Robert M. Pirsig published in 1974. This book of philosophic musings on how to live a meaningful life became a bestseller and spawned scores of articles and books with the title “Zen and …,” including many for lawyers, such as “Zen and the Art of Becoming a Lawyer,” “Zen and the Art of Law School Success,” “Lawyers Go Zen, With Few Objections,” and so on.
When Pirsig’s novel was published, the notion of lawyer well-being was not as common as it is now. Today, Zen has been rebranded as mindfulness and meditation. Whether or not you have incorporated these practices in your life, the basic idea is to be present in the moment.
Some achieve being present in the moment through meditation, others find it through intense focus. But it’s not a matter of either emptying your mind or filling your mind (mindful or mind full?). Rather, it is through finding the practice, interest or activity that your mind gets in the meditative state called “flow,” the feeling when you are so involved with or focused on something that time passes without notice and no other thoughts or concerns intrude.
What brings you to that state? How do you find your Zen?
Check out these articles on Zen and the law:
How this lawyer finds Zen at the racetrack
Chuck Zauzig and the Art of Zen Maintenance
Zen and the Art of Becoming A Lawyer
Lawyers Go Zen, With Few Objections
Seeking Serenity: When lawyers go zen
Zen and the Art of Lawyering
Zentangle is the Meditation Hack You Need Right Now
Zen Lawyer, Chapter 1
Zen Meditation for the Family Lawyer: Part 1
Zen and the Art of Law School Success
Zen and the Art of Jurisprudence
Zeal Meets Zen: How Mindfulness Promotes Diligence in Law Practice
The Careerist: Zen and the Art of Lawyering