What is Zen Punk?

When you think of Buddhism, what comes to mind? Images of monks or nuns with shaved heads and saffron robes? Maybe a statue of Hotei (often referred to as the fat Buddha) at your local Chinese restaurant?

Well, friends and lovers, a new face has emerged on the Buddhist scene. This new Buddhist has a fine collection of body ink (that's tattoos, for those of you in North Dakota), piercings, black t-shirts with skulls, and will as likely sport blue liberty spikes as a shaved head.

What's that you say? Punk and Buddhism mingling? That's like combining chocolate with peanut butter, Trekkies with Bikers, a houndstooth coat with flip flops! It's not natural! It violates the laws of nature!

And yet, more and more punks, goths and other sub-culture denizens are beginning to embrace this odd paring of ancient wisdom and alternative attitudes. But when you really look at what it means to be punk and what the Buddha taught, the two aren't as far apart as you might imagine.

People often seen punks as violent, wasted, criminal drains on society. Yeah, yeah, so some of us have a history. But the fundamental aspect of punk isn't violence or drugs. It isn't even the music.

Being punk means being authentic. It means questioning everything: rules, authority, and traditions. It means expressing yourself in ways that challenge the status quo.

At the same time, it is said that the last teaching that Gautama Buddha gave to his followers was to question everything teaching no matter who it was from. And it is here that punk easily makes the bridge into Zen Buddhist practice.

Zen Punks, or Dharma Punx as we are sometimes called, put every belief and teaching to the test. We take nothing on faith. We care little about sacred beings, past lives, or lineages. We are out to free ourselves from the misery and suffering of this life. Anything that doesn't do that gets scrapped.

Watch out, world! The Zen Punks are here! We are the Buddhists your sensei warned you about! So peace out, namaste and rock on!