Soto Zen Now "Sony" Zen

From Big Red Buddha:

"It's true: Soto Zen is now Sony Zen," admitted [Sony CEO] Stringer. "At Sony, we are deeply committed to brand identity and quality consumer experience. We think Sony Zen's new name leverages the equity and goodwill associated with its parent company, while providing a sense of continuity and tradition."

More here.

Blue Lotus Sangha, "What is Zen"

Another Zen 101 page. I like these since it's a place to point people interested in Zen, along with a few good books if they remain interested. This one is very short, and contains this nugget:

“What do you mean that Zen does not focus on deities or the afterlife?” This means that when asked the question “Does God exist?” Zen would reply: “Just breathe.” A prominent Zen master was once asked if reincarnation was true. He replied: “We don’t know. No one has ever come back and told us about it. We don’t worry about it.” Live in the moment. Breathe.

The Tipitaka

Lurker no more. So-called "Engaged Buddhism" (is there unengaged Buddhism?). This blog has not been updated in a long time, so here goes:

Zen is a school of Buddhism in the Mahayana tradition, but the Mahayana still relies upon the teachings and the lessons of Theravada Buddhism. The Tipitaka (Pali ti, "three," + pitaka, "baskets"), or Pali canon, is the collection of primary Pali language texts which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. The Tipitaka and the paracanonical Pali texts (commentaries, chronicles, etc.) together constitute the complete body of classical Theravada texts.

The Pali canon is a vast body of literature: in English translation the texts add up to thousands of printed pages. Most (but not all) of the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are available on this website, the collection can be a good place to start.