Zen : A Guide To Your Inner Mindfulness what is Zen? It is a state of mind, an awareness, of your own thoughts and emotions while at the same time being incredibly aware of the world around you. It is a way to focus, to understand, and ultimately to gain enlightenment. Zen has come to be strongly associated with meditation. Certainly, meditation is one way to strengthen your ability to attain a Zen-like state of consciousness. Zen can also mean being so focused that you see and hear every detail of a situation or event