Zen and the Art of ShakespeareLike all Buddhism, Zen is a means through which one can reach Buddha consciousness, or indeed "consciousness total". “Total consciousness” means being aware of the true self and its role in relation to the infinite cosmos of all existence. This awareness allows us to penetrate or perhaps understand the Tao, the essential singularity to which all things belong. Understanding the Tao, for both Taoists and Zen Buddhists, is the equivalent of Nirvana, loosely described as the ultimate fulfillment of one's existence. With all its lofty and mystical terms and ideas, it may seem very difficult to talk about Zen Buddhism, much less understand it. and follow. The beauty of Zen, however, is its practicality, its simplicity, its ingenious understanding of the obvious. There are few traditional Buddhist rituals or ceremonies in Zen. It is known as the "Way of Sudden Enlightenment". It is a lifestyle that brings you closer to the experience of satori. Satori is enlightenment itself and, therefore, the complete understanding of the truths of Zen. A very important part of Zen is to avoid making distinctions. In a world full of apparent opposites. Zen recognizes that opposites are in fact merely apparent. Good cannot exist in the absence of evil. Light cannot exist separately from darkness. This goes back to the nature of the Tao as the essential unity, or the bond that binds all objects, thoughts and beings. Therefore, the Zen thinker does not consider the action moral or immoral because to make such distinctions is to delude reality with extraneous and unnecessary ideas. Zen life is aimless; but that's where the beauty lies. What is happier than living just for the sake of living: being...... middle of paper......Kampolsky, Philip. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. New York: Columbia UP. 1967 Leggatt, Alexander. “The fourth and fifth acts”. The Merchant of Venice. William Shakespeare. New York: Seal (178-191)Shakespeare, William. Cymbeline. Ed Richard Hosley. New York: Seal. 1987Shakespeare, William. MacBeth. Ed Sylvan Barnett. New York: Seal. 1987Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed Kenneth Myrick. New York: Seal. 1987Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed Robert Langbaum. New York: Seal. 1987Shakespeare, William. Twelfth night. New York: Penguin Books. 1996Shakespeare, William. The complete works. Titus Andronicus, Antony and Cleopatra. New York: Portland House. 1997Suzuki, Daisetz. Introduction to Zen Buddhism. New York: Grove Press. 1991 Watts, Alan. The Way of Zen. New York: Vintage. 1989