---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social Order…"
description: "\"ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social Order. ZENARCHY is the Social Order which springs from Meditation. As a doctrine, it holds Universal Enlightenment a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/kerry-thornley-42114_abolition_zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order_2235714.jpg"
---

#  ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social Order. ZENARCHY is the…

![“ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social Order. ZENARCHY is the Social Order which springs from Meditation. As a doctrine, it holds Universal Enlightenment a prerequisite to abolition of the State, after which a State will inevitably vanish. Or - that failing - nobody will give a damn.” quote by Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/kerry-thornley-42114_abolition_zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order_2235714.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/kerry-thornley-42114_abolition_zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order_2235714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/kerry-thornley-42114_abolition_zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order_2235714.jpg)

> “ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social Order. ZENARCHY is the Social Order which springs from Meditation. As a doctrine, it holds Universal Enlightenment a prerequisite to abolition of the State, after which a State will inevitably vanish. Or - that failing - nobody will give a damn.”

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Zen leads to a social order rooted in meditation; true enlightenment eliminates the need for a state, which will then disappear.

**In simple terms:** Meditation creates a peaceful society; state becomes unnecessary.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate mindfulness to foster harmonious communities.

Themes

spirituality political philosophy anarchism enlightenment

Mood

thoughtful critical philosophical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal practice
- community governance
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

meditation social organization philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- Can a society thrive solely on personal enlightenment?
- What structures replace state functions?

A Different Perspective

May underestimate practical governance challenges without a state.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abolition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolition/) [Damn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Meditation Archy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-archy-5047326/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Order Zenarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order-zenarchy-5047325/) [Prerequisites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prerequisites/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-order/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Universal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal/) [Zen Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zen-meditation/) [Zenarchy Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zenarchy-social-5047327/)

## Related quotes

> [It is hard to produce work in New York. You kind of have to center yourself - do some Zen meditation exercises and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/it-is-hard-to-produce-work-in-new-york-you-kind-of-have-to-center/)

[Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/)

> [Zen is meditation, the actual experience of life directly, immediately with no buffers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-is-meditation-the-actual-experience-of-life-directly-immediately/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Those who are already adept at some disciplines of the body will find that the study of Zen and meditation will give you much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/those-who-are-already-adept-at-some-disciplines-of-the-body-will-find/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Abundant choice doesn't force us to look for the absolute best of everything. It allows us to find the extremes in those things we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/abundant-choice-doesn-t-force-us-to-look-for-the-absolute-best-of/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

> [“passing current that does not affect you.  When a thought arises, a careful approach would be to simply “watch” the thought without judging it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonali-perera/passing-current-that-does-not-affect-you-when-a-thought-arises-a/)

[Sonali Perera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonali-perera/)

> [“in Zen, meditation is key to getting to know and find our true selves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-tuhovsky/in-zen-meditation-is-key-to-getting-to-know-and-find-our-true-selves/)

[Ian Tuhovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-tuhovsky/)

> [“When it came to producing a state of focus, quiet contentment, and inner peace, Zen meditation ran a very distant second to caffeine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/when-it-came-to-producing-a-state-of-focus-quiet-contentment-and/)

[Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/)

> [Zen purposes to discipline the mind itself, to make it its own master, through an insight into its proper nature. This getting into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-purposes-to-discipline-the-mind-itself-to-make-it-its-own-master/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [When you are free of form and not confused, you are focused. To be free of form externally is 'Zen.' Not to be confused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-porter/when-you-are-free-of-form-and-not-confused-you-are-focused-to-be-free/)

[Bill Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-porter/)

> [“It is possible to access secrets of mind reprogramming with effortless methods. However, they are very dangerous to apply, and often, the consequences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/it-is-possible-to-access-secrets-of-mind-reprogramming-with/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [Rigging is like Zen meditation. You must bend over the boat until your back is breaking, until your brain is filled with numbers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/rigging-is-like-zen-meditation-you-must-bend-over-the-boat-until-your/)

[Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/)

> [“Overall, the goal of Zen Meditation is to see things for what they really are. This includes yourself and the world around you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-tuhovsky/overall-the-goal-of-zen-meditation-is-to-see-things-for-what-they/)

[Ian Tuhovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-tuhovsky/)

> [“Types of Meditation   While there are myriad of meditation techniques out there, there are two basic types of meditation that we are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonali-perera/types-of-meditation-while-there-are-myriad-of-meditation-techniques/)

[Sonali Perera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonali-perera/)

> [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/)

[Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/)

## More by Kerry Thornley

> [Intellectual respectability required mental health, and it was becoming evident to me by then that "mental health" consisted of trusting everyone about everything as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/intellectual-respectability-required-mental-health-and-it-was/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [Organized religion preaches Order and Love but spawns Chaos and Fury. Why?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/organized-religion-preaches-order-and-love-but-spawns-chaos-and-fury/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [Although a madman, Norton wrote letters to Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria which they took seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/although-a-madman-norton-wrote-letters-to-abraham-lincoln-and-queen/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [As for the Devil - that is somebody our religion tried to do without for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/as-for-the-devil-that-is-somebody-our-religion-tried-to-do-without/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [If organized religion is the opium of the masses, then disorganized religion is the marijuana of the lunatic fringe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/if-organized-religion-is-the-opium-of-the-masses-then-disorganized/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [Safe sex - with a condom, rubber gloves and a wet suit is fine as long as you don't fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/safe-sex-with-a-condom-rubber-gloves-and-a-wet-suit-is-fine-as-long/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [What we imagine is order is merely the prevailing form of chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/what-we-imagine-is-order-is-merely-the-prevailing-form-of-chaos/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [Before I was a Discordian, I took life much too seriously. When you take life too seriously you start to wonder what the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/before-i-was-a-discordian-i-took-life-much-too-seriously-when-you/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

> [Every few thousand years some shepard inhales smoke from a burning bush and has a vision or eats moldy rye bread in a cave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/every-few-thousand-years-some-shepard-inhales-smoke-from-a-burning/)

[Kerry Thornley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

[Explore all 10 Kerry Thornley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/)

## More Abolition quotes

> [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/)

[Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/)

> [Anarchism is a definite intellectual current in the life of our times, whose adherents advocate the abolition of economic monopolies and of all political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/anarchism-is-a-definite-intellectual-current-in-the-life-of-our-times/)

[Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/)

> [Anarchism as a political philosophy seeks to dissolve all forms of authority and power, and if possible, wishes their complete abolition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marshall/anarchism-as-a-political-philosophy-seeks-to-dissolve-all-forms-of/)

[Peter Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marshall/)

> [“I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lloyd-garrison/i-am-aware-that-many-object-to-the-severity-of-my-language-but-is/)

[William Lloyd Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lloyd-garrison/)

> [It seems like cloud cuckoo land. If anyone is suggesting that I would go to Parliament and suggest the abolition of the Pound Sterling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-seems-like-cloud-cuckoo-land-if-anyone-is-suggesting-that-i-would/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [We invite people working for peace to span generations and national boundaries, and gather together to communicate. Let us firmly join hands and foster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iccho-itoh/we-invite-people-working-for-peace-to-span-generations-and-national/)

[Iccho Itoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iccho-itoh/)

> [Insofar as we may at all claim that slavery has been abolished today, we owe its abolition to the practical consequences of science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/insofar-as-we-may-at-all-claim-that-slavery-has-been-abolished-today/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [ You have not been mistaken in supposing my views and feeling to be in favor of the abolition of war. Of my dispos\[i\]tion to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/you-have-not-been-mistaken-in-supposing-my-views-and-feeling-to-be-in/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [On this International Day for the Abolition of Slavery let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/on-this-international-day-for-the-abolition-of-slavery-let-us/)

[Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/)

> [Capitalism as a social order and as a creed is the expression of the belief in economic progress as leading toward the freedom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/capitalism-as-a-social-order-and-as-a-creed-is-the-expression-of-the/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [“What is, so to speak, the object of abolition? Not so much the abolition of prisons but the abolition of a society that could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-moten-and-stefano-harney/what-is-so-to-speak-the-object-of-abolition-not-so-much-the-abolition/)

[Fred Moten and Stefano Harney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-moten-and-stefano-harney/)

> [I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-can-only-say-that-there-is-not-a-man-living-who-wishes-more/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [As a long-termist, I acknowledge there are more pressing causes than the abolition of private property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sarkar/as-a-long-termist-i-acknowledge-there-are-more-pressing-causes-than/)

[Ash Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sarkar/)

> [Colonization was the idea that once slavery ended African-Americans should be encouraged - or required, in some people's view - required to leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/colonization-was-the-idea-that-once-slavery-ended-african-americans/)

[Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/)

> [I am for socialism, disarmament, and, ultimately, for abolishing the state itself... I seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-nash-baldwin/i-am-for-socialism-disarmament-and-ultimately-for-abolishing-the/)

[Roger Nash Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-nash-baldwin/)

[Browse all 229 Abolition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolition/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social Order. ZENARCHY is the Social Order which springs from Meditation. As a doctrine, it holds Universal Enlightenment a prerequisite to abolition of the State, after which a State will inevitably vanish. Or - that failing - nobody will give a damn.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kerry Thornley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order-zenarchy-is-the-social-order/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Abolition"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order-zenarchy-is-the-social-order/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/kerry-thornley-42114_abolition_zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order_2235714.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/kerry-thornley-42114_abolition_zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order_2235714.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/kerry-thornley-42114_abolition_zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order_2235714.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social Order. ZENARCHY is the Social Order which springs from Meditation. As a…” — Kerry Thornley",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kerry Thornley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-thornley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "ZEN is MEDITATION. ARCHY is Social...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order-zenarchy-is-the-social-order/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-thornley/zen-is-meditation-archy-is-social-order-zenarchy-is-the-social-order/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
