--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is only in the last 800 years that the…" description: "\"It is only in the last 800 years that the rules have come into being and conservative Zen has surfaced. It is not particularly popular in Japan at all...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/frederick-lenz-8_conservative_it-is-only-in-the-last-800-years-that-th_3112075.jpg" --- # It is only in the last 800 years that the rules have come… ![“It is only in the last 800 years that the rules have come into being and conservative Zen has surfaced. It is not particularly popular in Japan at all. Hardly anybody practices Zen any more because it's just too strict; there are too many rules.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/frederick-lenz-8_conservative_it-is-only-in-the-last-800-years-that-th_3112075.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/frederick-lenz-8_conservative_it-is-only-in-the-last-800-years-that-th_3112075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/frederick-lenz-8_conservative_it-is-only-in-the-last-800-years-that-th_3112075.jpg) > “It is only in the last 800 years that the rules have come into being and conservative Zen has surfaced. It is not particularly popular in Japan at all. Hardly anybody practices Zen any more because it's just too strict; there are too many rules.” [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that modern Zen has become overly rule‑bound and thus lost its popularity in Japan. **In simple terms:** Modern Zen is seen as too strict and rule‑heavy. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility over rigid rules. Themes Zen tradition modernity Mood reflective critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - Personal meditation - teaching Zen - cultural analysis Key Concepts Cultural shift religious practice institutionalization Questions to Reflect On - How can Zen stay true to its roots while adapting? - What aspects of rule‑bound practice hinder spiritual growth? A Different Perspective Zen’s simplicity may be lost in formalization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Introduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introduction/) [Japan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japan/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) ## Related quotes > [If you're very, very conservative and you like that sort of practice, go find a very conservative Zen master and just do traditional Japanese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-re-very-very-conservative-and-you-like-that-sort-of-practice/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The way of nothingness is the way of Zen. It is just a term. The contemplation of nothingness or everythingness is where everything starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-way-of-nothingness-is-the-way-of-zen-it-is-just-a-term-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I'm a poet who practices Zen. And it's not, I'm somebody who practices Zen who writes poetry. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/now-even-in-japan-zen-has-become-just-a-scholarly-study-zen-is-not-a/) [OSHO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [The secret of zen is just two words: not... always... so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-secret-of-zen-is-just-two-words-not-always-so/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Zen is just a lifestyle, your everyday life. 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There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-is-a-very-fast-path-to-enlightenment-fast-in-comparison-to-some/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Now when I speak about Zen, I have a problem, in the sense that the Zen of today has lost the essence, in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/now-when-i-speak-about-zen-i-have-a-problem-in-the-sense-that-the-zen/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Zen is about breaking out of your ideas and experiencing life and not ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-is-about-breaking-out-of-your-ideas-and-experiencing-life-and-not/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [In Zen we classify ten thousand different states of mind, different ways of seeing life. There is something beyond the ten thousand states of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-zen-we-classify-ten-thousand-different-states-of-mind-different/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Zen was an attempt to get back to the purest teachings of the Buddha -enlightenment without strings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-was-an-attempt-to-get-back-to-the-purest-teachings-of-the-buddha/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [After this happens again and again, we reach a point were there is nothing but satori, which is what nirvikalpa samadhi is like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/after-this-happens-again-and-again-we-reach-a-point-were-there-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Frederick Lenz > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. 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