As far as the wisdom of "Zen" goes, I have only yet to scratch the surface. However, I was slightly put off last night by a friend of mine that claimed to "practice Zen". I turned to him and said, "John, you cannot claim to practice Zen. It is like proclaiming 'I am practicing breathing'." I know that you CAN practice breathing (I've spent over two years doing just that), but the point I mean to make is simple. You do not stop Zen when you are not practicing. It does not dissipate when you are not looking. If you are not praying right now, does your relationship with your Higher Power stop?
There are too many people that enjoy the concept of Zen that have no idea what it is. They say, "Well, it's the search for enlightenment. The object is to be enlightened. And then you are a Zen master. You know... Nirvana and stuff." What they always seem to miss is that Zen in true form is simply awareness. That's it. It is the absence of noise. It is focus in your field of thought and basic listening and seeing. You percieve without corruption and interruption. The old saying "Perfection is a road, not a destination" applies directly to the concept of Zen.
Sorry, I just wanted to say "Zen" one more time in this node before I end it.