Introduction - Zen and IT

Title: Intro – Zen and IT

禅 - Zen originates from Buddhism, was popularized by the 禅宗, and after reaching the West it has had a profound impact on Silicon Valley culture and the IT industry; its influence can be seen in many places. In this knowledge base I will share some Zen masters I have encountered.

CSS Zen Garden

HTML + CSS are the essence of web technology, and I’m always delighted when I write them 😄

http://www.csszengarden.com/

https://www.google.com/search?q=best%20css%20zen%20garden%20designs

http://www.csszengarden.com/212/

CSS Zen Garden

https://book.douban.com/subject/2052176/

Zen Of XX

The Zen of Python

The Zen of Erlang

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

https://book.douban.com/subject/6811366/

It always appears together with Hackers & Painters on the “must‑read” list for programmers. In fact it’s a philosophical book; the author is especially fond of the Dao De Jing. Also see:

• 阮一峰老师的读书笔记
• 与技术无关，但却值得码农们好好读一读的怪书

The Art of UNIX Programming

Rootless Root section: http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/unix-koans/

Excerpt: Master Foo Discourses on the Unix‑Nature

A student said to Master Foo: “We are told that the firm called Novell holds true dominion over Unix.”

Master Foo nodded.

The student continued, “Yet we are also told that the firm called OpenGroup also holds true dominion over Unix.”

Master Foo nodded.

“How can this be?” asked the student.

Master Foo replied:

“Novell indeed has dominion over the code of Unix, but the code of Unix is not Unix. OpenGroup indeed has dominion over the name of Unix, but the name of Unix is not Unix.”

“What, then, is the Unix‑nature?” asked the student.

Master Foo replied:

Not code. Not name. Not mind. Not things. Always changing, yet never changing.

The Unix‑nature is simple and empty. Because it is simple and empty, it is more powerful than a typhoon.

“Moving in accordance with the law of nature, it unfolds inexorably in the minds of programmers, assimilating designs to its own nature. All software that would compete with it must become like it; empty, empty, profoundly empty, perfectly void, hail!”

Upon hearing this, the student was enlightened.

Steve Jobs

https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-zen-meditation-buddhism-2015-1

Back in the Bay Area, Jobs continued to cultivate his meditation practice. He was in the right place at the right time; 1970s San Francisco was where Zen Buddhism first began to flourish on American soil. He met Shunryu Suzuki, author of the groundbreaking “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,” (https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?asin=1590308492&platform=browser&postSource=bi%7C54aeb3b5eab8ea751ee90a1a&postTag=biauto-46943-20&sc=false&type=AMAZON-AFFILIATE-LINK&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2F1590308492%3Ftag%3Dbiauto-46943-20&sessionid=16413692431757vzknaf9&tag=bisafetynet2-20) and sought the teaching of one of Suzuki’s students, Kobun Otogawa.

The Beginner’s Spirit of a Zen Practitioner

https://book.douban.com/subject/4898627/

Satya Nadella

A moment of mindfulness to start the day

The first thing I do when I get up in the morning, you get out of the bed and then you put your feet down and say what you are thankful for and what you’re looking forward to. That’s it. It’s the simplest thing, and given that it’s the first conscious act, very helpful.

What Zen Means for IT Professionals

In How To Become A Hacker (http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#attitude) there is a short poem that best captures the guidance Zen offers us.

As with all creative arts, the most effective way to become a master is to imitate the mindset of masters — not just intellectually but emotionally as well.

Or, as the following modern Zen poem puts it:

*To follow the path:
*look to the master,
*follow the master,
*walk with the master,
*see through the master,
become the master.

Everyone has a Master they admire; may this poem guide you to become a better version of yourself. Start by learning from and emulating the person around you you most wish to become, then gradually move on to top‑level masters such as Steve Jobs, Zhang Xiaolong, and others.

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Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on Masters. Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.