A deep dive into the origin and vision of ZenApe.
Author: Yilan, Council of Apes
ZenApe is an NFT community centred around the core values of wisdom, virtue and mindfulness with a mission to make a positive and creative impact on the world.
Lore: Origin of Zen
In a land before time, the Monkes and the Kongz dwelt in lush jungles and feasted on bananas. The arrival of humankind destroyed the balance of that world. The forests were plundered and made barren. While the kongz pursued evolution and technological progress and became the mighty Cyberkongz, the monkeys sought refuge in the Mountains and jungles to find spiritual peace and deeper connection with nature. Those apes that sought the path towards enlightenment are now known as the Zen Apes, a band of Monkes following The Noble Apefold Path and the way of the DAO.
Now, the time is ripe for the ZenApes to spread their teachings with the world, beginning with a group of 5000 brave monkes venturing down the Mountains.
The Philosophy of the ZenApes
Zen originally comes from a Japanese school of Buddhism that literally means ‘meditation’ or ‘awareness’. It brings together ideas of peacefulness and wisdom.
Ape is used colloquially to mean crazy or eager often in an unthinking way, representing a ‘gung-ho’ attitude to life that is willing to throw oneself at new things.
The idea for ZenApe is therefore the combination of those two elements — they represent the forces of yin and yang within us. ZenApe is about helping each of us find balance in our lives to effectively use thoughtful action as a force for good.
The Elder Apes conceptualised the way of life for the ZenApes as being centred around 3 core values that make up the Noble Apefold Path:
- Wisdom — the world is difficult navigate and full of complexity. Let the mind settle and the water becomes clear. ZenApes are committed to lifelong learning, keeping an open mind and patiently separating the signal from the noise. We believe that knowledge should be shared to enrich the lives of others.
- Virtue — with virtuous thought comes virtuous action. We believe in easing suffering and bringing joy to our fellow apes. Where we can, we wish that we can leave a positive imprint on the lives of others and the planet.
- Mindfulness — there is great strength that can be gained by being mindful of our thoughts and emotions. Finding peace in ourselves is a journey that every Zen Ape goes through. Who are you? What do you want in life? These are questions that each of us must answer. We take great care in helping our fellow apes find balance within themselves because that is the most important thing.
I believe one of the most valuable things we have as people is our knowledge and the ability to synthesize ideas. I have always wanted to create a place for people to share their ideas and educate others. (Rory, Council of Apes)
The three core values of the Zen Mantra / Apefold Path is a beacon of light, helping to guide the direction of what we seek to create as a community. However, they are not the be-all and end-all. Never take anything for granted. Always question.
ZenApe — a uniquely valuable community
Successful NFT projects derive their value in three ways: art (aesthetic value), token utility (financial/utilitarian value), and community (interpersonal value).
For ZenApe, the art speaks for itself — pixel art of cute meditating apes. Token utility — all revenues goes into a community treasury for the benefit of holders, with joint ownership of communal assets like Sandbox land, future breeding mechanics, priority access to services and events (to be discussed). While we seek to create value in all three ways, what differentiates ZenApe is actually the fact we see value as being largely community-centric.
“I hope to promote a community of kind, generous, intellectual and funny people who care about their own wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others around them. I also hope that while this project changes our lives, it changes the lives of everyone else in the community’s for the better!” (Minnie, Council of Apes)
Through collaborative networks, sharing of knowledge and interpersonal connections, every ape brings value to every other ape.
“Community is king. If there is any key takeaway I have gotten from starting ZenApe, it is that in order to deliver and create long term value for your project, if you are not putting the community first, you’re missing the point. I believe being able to build a community of positive like-minded individuals that are aligned with your values is the key to building a strong foundation for any project. The NFT space as a whole has opened up so many opportunities for people to better themselves through providing and gaining value from each other. (Hunter, Council of Apes)
Tokens are just a way to bring people together by providing a tangible sense of identity.
“NFTs to me are a unifying factor. It breaks down the barriers of identity obsession based on tribes, nationalities, etc that ultimately divides humanity. A house divided cannot stand…The Zen Apes can be a decisive factor to bring balance. A community where its members (Citizens) help one another self develop and to realize their maximum potential.” (George, Council of Apes)
The need for true internet-native communities cannot be understated. The ideals of the world wide web was always to create openness and connections that could bypass the boundaries of geography.
For the last 20 years, social media platforms and internet forums like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit have tried and failed to build meaningful human connection.
Social media has ‘social’ in the name, but no one ever makes real friends on Facebook or TikTok. They are places for sharing curated appearances, not the real self.
The problem we think is a lack of identity and joint purpose with real-world endeavours. We wish to solve this problem and help define Social Media 2.0. In NFTs, we choose our identity, making it more meaningful.
The Longterm Vision
Disclaimer: Plans are subject to change based on new information / ideas.
Within the short to medium term, there are many plans brewing. Here are some of them:
- Community treasury both to invest in and to fund projects that benefit the ZenApe community.
- Sandbox land — building Zentopia (literally, ‘a place of zen’), a home for all Zen Apes in the Metaverse.
- Entertainment and educational resources: Music parties, Podcasts, Newsletters, AMAs, streamed movies and classes. Education may cover topics such as mental health, career advice, Web 3 / crypto research, charity and much more.
- Launch of the Zen Guilds: Sub-communities within ZenApe that focus on collective interests/skills like Art, Programming, Consulting. The Programming Guild will have their own communal GitHub allowing coder apes to build open source projects together.
- Name + Bio changes — customise the story/identity of your Zen Ape by paying a fee in $BANANA.
- Public Gallery — display your Zen Ape (with name/bio) on a website gallery initially and in future possibly a gallery in the Sandbox. We may also display community art and writing.
- Merchandise — clothing, scented candles/bathing items, stickers, etc.
- Breeding of Zen Apes + launch of secondary collection
- Gamification — both in the Sandbox and separately. Economic utilisation of $BANANA.
What about long term goals?
We want to build ZenApe into a masternode for Web 3— a hub where people in crypto and NFTs can connect with like-minded people to do great things. In this sense, ZenApe should become a platform DAO from which a thousand projects bloom.
Here are some of the projects we have in mind…
- Philanthropy — The problem with many existing charities is that there is a lack of transparency and accountability as to how money is spent. It is difficult to measure how much of a donation trickles down to real action. With blockchain, we can build NGOs with a much higher degree of transparency and trustworthiness. We also think that there should be very clear reasoning about how to maximise the impact of each dollar donated — effective altruism. We may for example support research funding or early stage start-ups as well as traditional charitable causes.
- Jobs + consultancy platform — with the benefit of a highly talented community network organised into the Zen Guilds, we’ll be able to build a recruitment and consultancy platform for other projects and the world at large given the cutting edge nature of Web 3 and NFTs. Businesses both new and old will want to hire creators, developers and consultants to help them gain an edge. A subscription fee to use the platform could be paid for in various cryptos including $BANANA (but free for ZenApe holders).
- Wellbeing centres — A global franchise where ZenApes can meet each other, mediate, exercise, relax at a spa, enjoy a meal, and learn how to take care of body and soul in real life.
- Education — educational/training courses can be vertically integrated into the Jobs/Consultancy platform where advertised candidates can display relevant experiences and credentials including those directly certified by our courses. ZenApes value teachers.
“ZenApe grew from a small club of college students interested in helping each other learn about crypto and investing, to then a community podcast focused on teaching people Web 3, to now a robust internet community brought together by shared values. All along the way, the focus has been on sharing knowledge and supporting each other grow. But this is just the beginning. Picture this, a global community with a thriving Discord forum, its own podcast, newsletter, merch and research platform. You go anywhere in the world, and you can find Zen Apes there to meet and befriend, including at Zen Ape conventions. Want to learn to program smart contracts? There’s a place for you. Want to learn yoga and meditation? Namaste. Want to find a place to speak Spanish? bienvenido. Want to gawk at delicious looking food or cute pets? You’re in for a treat. ZenApe is centred on 3 ideals of the Apefold way — Wisdom, virtue and mindfulness — that drives a priceless culture of inclusivity and a desire to make a real world impact.” (Yilan, Council of Apes)
And this is just the beginning. Zen.
