Zen

Lao Tzu said, “The Way that can be spoken is not the true Way.”

If I told you I wanted to understand a flower, you might read me a dictionary or encyclopedia definition, but you would also tell me there is more to it than the definition. You would show me photographs of flowers, but that still wouldn't quite be satisfactory. You might share some poems and haikus about flowers. You may even ask me to look at a painting conveying the beauty of flowers. But none of that would be as helpful as simply handing me a flower and allowing me to touch it and smell it and look at it from different angles. Ultimately, the best way to represent a flower is a flower.

Zen works the same way. If you're truly trying to help someone take a step forward in their journey, you could quote any number of books and scriptures for them, and some of it may be helpful, probably will be helpful. But the best way to teach someone about the concept of Zen is to simply be Zen. If we lead by example, we shouldn't need to speak about it.