Zen Filter

Zen Buddhist websites, news, and discussion

Monday, September 17, 2007

Beginner's Mind Workshop, presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi

A good intro to Zen and intro to meditation, with detailed instructions. Zen 101, if you will. It's a little long, but good. Here's a part near the end:
In this moment, the colours are as they are, the sounds are as they are. When you stand up, you stand up. When you sit down, you sit down. And so there is a simplicity and a clarity that is present in this moment which is not based on simplifying things, in terms of trying to get rid of complexity. Instead, the complexity happens when we are not aware of the richness of our experience of this moment. The simplicity of this moment consists of richness which has many different facets and many different capabilities. In this moment, we are able to see, we are able to hear, we are able to move, we are able to think, we are able to feel and if we can allow the energy of our attention to express itself as the whole of our experience, rather than fragments, that means that we will have all of our energy available to us right now. We will be able to do whatever needs to be done without hesitation, without fear, without rehearsing, but just simply doing it.

So no matter how complex our experience might be, at the same time there is a simplicity which is available to us. There is a clarity which is available to us. This is not something outside of us; this is not something that we need to gain. This is not something that we need to fabricate or acquire or manufacture in any kind of way. It is simply something that we need to wake up to. And so this is called "Zen", which is a form of Buddhist practice.

Labels: , ,

Monday, September 10, 2007

Groundhog Universe

"RT: Now imagine if the dharma were taught on network television...
MR: What would that look like?
RT: It would look like The Matrix with less shooting."

An interesting interview with Robert Thurman. Much food for thought, and room for disagreement.

Labels:

Listed on BlogShares