Zen Filter

An Introduction to Zen Book Review

2011-11-28T19:28:00.000-06:00

Click on the title of this post to go to the Japan Subculture Research Center, where there is an extensive review of the book, An Introduction to Zen.

Is That So?

2011-06-16T21:28:00.002-05:00

Reference Points

2011-03-28T17:27:00.002-05:00

Poems about Life

Reference Points
he was a man
of awareness

now he's an
awareness
of a man

Buddhist Hip Hop: Skillful Methods Records | A Cultivator

2011-03-22T14:54:00.001-05:00

Skillful Methods Records | A Cultivator: "A CULTIVATOR aka Spencer Sanchez is a Buddhist rapper who brings a fresh message to hip hop without beating people over the head with his message. But for every line about peace and love, he balances it with a real life understanding of “Samara” and never backs down from taking shots a the corrupted values of popular culture."

Meditation Techniques

2011-02-14T11:45:00.001-06:00

Meditation Techniques
"The natural goal for anyone beginning meditation is to experience some real degree of stillness. It is easier said than done. How many of us continue would continue to meditate without getting some sense of the benefits? In the beginning that obvious benefit is some sense of peace. One needs to experience a degree of peace and relaxation that can be without a doubt attributed to the fact that one has meditated."

Read more about meditation techniques

Lectures and Articles by Nishijima Roshi

2010-11-17T20:47:00.002-06:00

Gudo Wafu Nishijima is a very senior and well respected Zen practitioner in Japan. This link will direct you to a web page where you will find a number of articles written by him on various aspects of Zen practice.

Into a Cloudless Sky

2010-11-11T13:21:00.002-06:00

my chest is bare

in the path of an arrow

with eyes affixed

i embrace this last breath

savoring sweet intrigue

before being struck

will you also be blinded

by the brightest of mirrors?

will we wobble together

with poor eyesight

drunk on romance

near the cliffs at lovers cove?

if so, let us fall in unison

yet not towards the beach

covered in shells

but away from our bodies

into a cloudless sky

Naked and Free

2010-11-11T13:18:00.003-06:00

as i lay on grains of sand

near tide pools by the shore

my looking glass is cracked

the sun has proved its patience

and left all yearning bleached

i hear a gentle call

not from saviors made of stone

for their touch is but skin deep

but from a gentle pulsing

past the center of my bones

telling me to rise and meet the sea

to let each step find its stone

with equal balance and grace

while creatures scurry

remembering my march

oceanic and wild

i reach the door

let me pause to salute her beauty

to greet her shimmer with my own

and praise her dynamic nature

the time has come to jump

and sink in these salty depths

naked and free

Anarchy and Order

2010-11-11T13:16:00.001-06:00

zen fire, zen wind
carry this ash far away

past all vulnerable notions

of social right and wrong

so we may revel unclad

attuned with the cosmos

dancing in complete contrast

with confident vibration

to telegraph authentically

both cacophonous discord

and notes of harmony

to illuminate the relativity

of anarchy and order

Zen Breath Counting Meditation

2010-11-08T19:27:00.005-06:00

On the subject of Zen Breath Counting Meditation:

"Following the breath while counting (breath-counting) is simply counting 1 to 10, which can be exhalations (most typically), inhalations, or even both (1 on inhalation, 2 on exhalation, 3 on inhalation, etc.). The idea is to keep returning to 1, and notice where you mind was. If you get to where you can't remember whether it was 5 or 6, return to 1. If you get to 35 or 47 (the mind having gone off on its own parallel track)—return to 1. Again, that noticing is the point of perfect awareness."

—Genko Rainwater

This quote is taken from an interview with Genko Rainwater at MeditationHow.info.

This six part meditation testimonial and interview features Genko Rainwater who speaks on Shikantaza Meditation, Breath Counting Practice in Meditation, Following the Breath, Kindness and Compassion, Meditation Teachers, and Zen Buddhist Meditation Experiences.

Zen on Love, Zen on Ego

2010-10-13T07:08:00.000-05:00

Zen on Love
there is something
at the heart
of all things

deep empty full
alive simple vast
sweet innocent free
courageous profound
still perfect clear
lovely loving love

***

Zen on Ego
the subtle and illusive
assumption of existence
a starting place
for other thoughts
an assumed reference-point
the thought of "I"
the "I" thought
where division begins
and wholeness breaks apart
dividing our world
into names and things

***

Short Zen Poems, Koans

Christian turned Zen Buddhist (Christianity, Buddhism)

2010-09-11T12:19:00.002-05:00

Christianity, Buddhism

"Sometime in 2007, it fully dawned on me that I did not, and indeed, could not believe some of the things that, more or less, one is required to believe to call oneself a Christian, and that no amount of deciding or effort was going to change that. Additionally, I realized that I actually never had. One of the ideas that my mind would not sit still for was an externalized, interventionist God. I simply didn't buy it.

Now that was troublesome, having been raised a Christian, and it took some time to actually admit what I had already realized because of fear of damnation inculcated since childhood in the church. Once that admission was made, though, I let go of Christianity. I decided that I wanted a spiritual life that would work for me, not the other way around, and for the first time felt free to look outside the faith I was brought up in."

—Will Collum

This quote is taken from an interview with Will Collum at MeditationHow.info.

This four part meditation testimonial and interview features Will Collum of Columbia, South Carolina, who shares his experiences shifting from Christianity to Zen Buddhism, cultivating Inner Awarness, Zazen Shikantaza (Sitting Meditation), and his process of Letting Go.

Article: Mind the Grid, by Robert Wright

2010-09-06T08:26:00.000-05:00

Robert Wright gets off the grid and into mindfulness:

in addition to unplugging from the wired world, I plugged into a regimen that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I was at a silent meditation retreat. My fellow yogis and I did about five hours of sitting meditation each day and five hours of walking meditation. Then each night we listened to a talk about the context of all this: the Buddhist worldview.

So I’ve failed to control my variables. Who knows how much of my newfound calm is due to escaping modern technology and how much is due to immersing myself in an ancient discipline?

Review: The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography

2010-09-02T09:57:00.008-05:00

Although not a Zen book, this is definitely a book worth buying. This biography focuses on the conflict between China and Tibet, and shows the suffering that the people of Tibet endured. The message throughout is that only a non-violent struggle will result in a return of the Tibetan people to Tibet and peace with China.

The drawings are typical of the manga style, so if this is your first time reading manga, get ready for some exaggerated expressions. That said, I thought the drawings added a lot to the story. This is an excellent book and well worth reading. It will be available September 28, 2010.

Love letter # 4

2010-08-31T08:46:00.004-05:00

Karma - Habit Mind

2010-08-22T12:21:00.003-05:00

"Karma is very simple. We say that a person's karma is his/her's mind habits. My mind, my thoughts, likes, dislikes, opinions, history, etc is different from yours and from everyone's in this world. This is just the energy that our mind has accumulated and keeps on going on and on as we keep on having life experiences. Karma is not good and bad, we all have our mental make-up or karma. The problem is when this karma controls us."

—Carlos Montero

This quote is taken from an interview with Carlos Montero at MeditationHow.info.

This five part meditation testimonial and interview features Carlos Montero, Dharma Teacher and founder of The South Florida Zen Group, who speaks on Forms of Meditation, Understanding Karma, Bowing Practice, and finally gives some Meditation Advice.

Love Intelligence

2010-07-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

Existence need not be a fight for survival! It is a celebration, a dynamic play for our enjoyment. Love-Intelligence is the ability to see the universe with loving and wondrous eyes. To see a ocean fog rolling over the mountains, crashing ocean waves hitting a cliff, desert dunes illuminated by a purple sunset; this is enough to be in sheer awe. To be among the birds, the insects, the plants and trees, and all the unique people in a bustling city; this is enough to feel grateful. When we see life as being this colorful, this beautiful, this far-out, this psychedelic, we can only celebrate!

A man who loves a woman cannot justify why it is so. He may use many words like beautiful and kind to explain his feeling, but there are many women on earth that fit this description. There is no explanation why he has chosen her, or why he is drawn to her; to him it is a mystery.

A man who sees the beauty in the moon or a sunset does so with loving eyes. What is there to gain from the moon? How can a sunset give you anything that is not already inside of you? Love-intelligence is the ability to see the sunset within every person, to see the full moon in every stone.

To taste, to see, to breath, to feel, to think, be be alive is miraculous. To have life passing through you is enough to be thankful. We have been chosen for this gift of consciousness. When we are overwhelmed by love and gratitude there is no better place to express it than the here an now. There is no man-made temple as worthy to bow to as you body, the earth, or the sky.

No questions need be answered. Love-Intelligence is the ability to realize the futility in all questions and answers. We need not seek to explain everything, we are already who as we are; we are whole in our not-knowing. Therefore knowing cannot make us more whole. True peace comes from an acknowledgement of bewilderment. Like socrates exclaimed at the end of his life, “the one thing I know is that I know nothing”.

From Food to Sex – The Art of Enjoyment

2010-07-28T08:31:00.000-05:00

There is an art to the act of being consciously aware during situations that normally bring us into a state of unconsciousness. One of the most common activities when control is lost is during eating. For instance, have you ever eaten so fast that you became full within a few minutes and you left the table feeling unsatisfied because you failed to enjoy what you were eating? What happens is the degree to which we are aware of the present moment goes down and the number of thoughts in our brain rises. Our perception of time is skewed and we begin to focus on what comes next, the next bite, the desert, instead of what’s in our mouth right now. Or thoughts may arise comparing this meal to the similar one we had last week. Judgmental thoughts of ourselves may also take us far away from the present moment. I have been around people who the moment they stop eating, life comes back into their eyes, and they glance around the room with a slightly confused look on their face. Let us practice our ability to bring awareness into the various situations where unconsciousness tends to takeover, from mundane task to sex.

We can view the art of being fully conscious during all activities as a noble quest. Our ability to enjoy experiences, and to not be controlled by our mind and body, is directly related to the degree of our conscious awareness. During intimacy a constant reminder to stay connected to the now is most needed. We can enjoy being in the presence of other people, whether we find them sexually attractive or not, with no goal, no seeking, no need to get somewhere. If we can enjoy the human form in its various shapes and sizes without judgement, internal beauty becomes so much more vivid. We can simply relax into our natural state of spontaneous excitement.

Why has sex become taboo? It is such a natural thing, it is the most natural thing. Sex starts the moment we look at our partner. It is expected that instinctual impulses will try to take over and we will begin to slip away from conscious awareness. This is because the desire to procreate is strong and we are, after all, animals. A disconnect with reality, a loss of control, is what is feared by man, which is why sex has been so repressed throughout history. It has been believed that the ability to control oneself during sex or in the presence of a woman is impossible, therefore, the only option is abstinence or celibacy. This is not true, if we can understand our impulse is simply a flood of chemicals in the brain, its power over us can be transcended. The loss of control is a loss of conscious awareness aided by distracting thoughts and emotions.

If we fail to listen to the thoughts and emotions, if do not let them carry us, while simultaneously relaxing any tension, we then become fully receptive to the experience. With practice we can pull ourselves more and more easily out of unconsciousness. We can passively allow ourselves to be loved. We can also give love with more intensity and authenticity. We can stop the incessant mind chatter that is constantly trying to predict the future, monitor our performance, or remember past failures. With this approach intimate situations become immensely more profound. Sensations are alive in all their colorful potency. A level of satisfaction radiates from within and there is no need to dominate, only a subtle willingness to share, to become one. To drop all barriers and allow the soul to see the self in the other. This is when sex becomes more than a physical act, it is a union. A blissful journey to the highest peaks and the lowest valleys.

CALIZEN

2010-07-28T08:27:00.000-05:00

Check out this new blog www.calizen.net!

CALIZEN simply represents a merging of materialism (California) and spirituality (Zen), which have been conflicting forces throughout history. In the east, spiritual obsession and asceticism has been predominantly pursued in hopes of a more pure existence; in the west, indulgence in worldly pleasures seems to be a top priority and sought by the masses. Both extremes are wrong and have been the cause of much suffering. There is a middle road, to walk the razors edge between materialism and spirituality. Let us be in touch with our true nature, our spiritual being and our purpose in life, but let us also enjoy the various comforts that life brings without attachment or dependence.

Sitting Meditation - Sitting Practice

2010-07-10T13:37:00.005-05:00

"The intent to meditate itself arises in the form of an idea, usually tied to something like "stress relief", "peace of mind", "spiritual development", and the like. However, so long as we hold on to these kinds of ideas of developing one outcome or another through meditation, we just remain in the realm of ideas and outside of meditation practice. Even in relation to our ideas themselves, we end up perpetuating the very circumstances that we were hoping to change."

— Seikan Čech

Seikan Čech is a Zen monk based in Melbourne Australia. The quote above is from a recent interview at MeditationHow.info on sitting meditation (or sitting practice).

In this seven part meditation testimonial Seikan Čech discusses Just-Sitting, Thinking-Mind, How to Practice The Way, Sitting Practice, Here And Now, Letting Go, and Form Is Emptiness.

Silence Speaks

2010-05-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

Silence as the path to experience in which a person senses the presence of Being in himself is practiced in the art of meditation, i.e., silent concentration. This exercise has its roots in an entire culture of stillness, which is typical of the East in general and Zen in particular.

Silent contemplation is the central element in the life of monks, but sitting in silence is not practiced only in monasteries. It is, on the contrary, a natural part of life in the East, whenever it respects the old traditions. But even in the East, only those who know what they are looking for find the greatest treasure it has to offer: contact with what we really are.

All the masters tell us that the reality of life -- which our noisy waking consciousness prevents us from hearing -- speaks to us chiefly in silence. D.T. Suzuki:
"In the working of the Eastern mind, there is something calm, quiet, silent, undisturbable, which appears as if always looking into eternity. This quietude and silence, however, does not point to mere idleness or inactivity. It is the silence of an 'eternal abyss' in which all contrasts and conditions are buried; it is the silence of God who, deeply absorbed in contemplation of his works past, present, and future, sits calmly on his throne of absolute oneness and allness. Woe unto those who take it for decadence and death, for they will be overwhelmed by an overwhelming outburst of activity out of the eternal silence."

Meditation Testimonials- Stories- Interviews

2010-04-07T16:21:00.002-05:00

My name is Benjamin. I have been conducting interviews with people who meditate, both teachers and students. I'm learning a great deal. There are those who do sitting meditation, walking meditation, standing meditation, and the list continues. I just interviewed a surfer who practices mindfulness techniques. There are so many paths.

One of my latest interviews was with Zen Meditation Instructor Abbess Myoan Grace Schireson. Grace is a Dharma heir in the lineage of the great Shunryu Suzuki-roshi—founder of the San Francisco Zen Center. She had a lot to say about breathing techniques and various other methods and approaches to meditation in general.

I am looking for more people to interview. My fascination is endless. If you are interested, drop by and tell me your meditation story or testimonial by interview. Namaste.

If You Love Love Openly

2010-03-27T10:43:00.000-05:00

Twenty monks and one nun, who was named Eshun, were practicing mediation with a certain Zen master.
Eshun was very pretty even though her head was shaved and her dress plain. Several monks secretly fell in love with her. One of them wrote her a love letter, insisting on a private meeting.
Eshun did not reply. The following day the master gave a lecture to the group, and when it was over, Eshun arose. Addressing the one who had written her, she said, “If you really love me so much, come and embrace me now.”

From the book: Zen Flesh Zen Bones : A collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings; compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki.

Fits and Starts - Zen Poem

2010-02-02T19:24:00.001-06:00

Fits and Starts

question and answer
beginning and end
post and comment
fits and starts

these all dissolve
beautifully into one
(a one with no parts)
when we let go
of our heads
and enter our hearts

Short Zen Poems for Meditation - Koans Quotes

© 2010 Benjamin Dean

Zen, the Movie.

2010-01-30T19:26:00.000-06:00

To cast away everything, surrendering yourself to the flow of nature and just sitting in meditation. This is the essence of Dogen's Zen Buddhism. In the 13th century, Dogen, a young Japanese monk traveled to China, determined to find his true master. There he found a monk who taught him that sitting in Zen meditation is the true and only path to enlightenment. Returning, enlightened, to Japan, Dogen risked his life to pioneer Zen Buddhism, inspiring the millions of Zen Buddhists who practice around the world today.

Buddha Brow

2009-12-22T11:24:00.004-06:00

Buddha Brow

leaning towards Buddha
the Buddha
(unbeknownst to himself)
studies a pamphlet
on meditation
with a furrowed brow

to be that close
to doing away with
measuring distances

Meditation How - Interviews with People who Meditate.

All In The Mind

2009-10-15T10:31:00.000-05:00

Interview with Thomas Metzinger:

"I don't deny that there is a self-y feeling. I certainly feel like someone, but there is no such thing. There is neither a non-physical thing in a realm beyond the brain or the physical world that we could call a self, but there's also no thing in the brain that we must necessary call a self."

Don't miss the discussion of this interview on Metafilter

Bigfoot Zen: Bigfoot, Big Boat, Big River, Big Zen

2009-10-05T10:12:00.000-05:00

From a post on new Zen blog "Bigfoot Zen":

"Picture yourself on this boat on the river. In that very moment, there is nothing other than the world of the boat. Just as your poling is what causes the aggregate to be a boat, the boat is also defined by the river, and the river is defined by the shore, and the shore is defined by the land just as the land is defined by the sky. In fact, everything in the universe is defining every other thing in the universe, and they are all defining the boat, and you are pushing the boat, and at the same time, the boat is carrying you."

Summer series links Zen and creativity

2009-07-20T06:18:00.000-05:00

"'What Zen does is basically take the flow state or the intimacy that happens at peak moments … and you learn how to take that moment and basically have it all the time. When I'm driving a car and talking with you, it's the same mental state that I have when I'm on stage.'"

Zen in their bedside manner - Los Angeles Times

2009-06-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

It's not clear in this article if they're actually talking about Zen Buddhism or just Buddhism: "According to the American Hospital Assn., about 68% of public hospitals have a chaplaincy program. But few have Buddhist monks, and none compares with the program at Beth Israel -- where more than 20 Buddhist chaplains and chaplains-in-training offer bedside meditation"

Zen Master Dogen

2009-05-25T20:51:00.001-05:00

Dogen was a great reformer of Buddhism, and the founder of the Soto Zen sect of Buddhism. I came across a blog entry about him. A small portion is excerpted below. If you click here, you can read the whole thing.

Dogen speaks clearly of the mind that seeks the way with clarity and how to maintain the intensity of practice over time. We couldn’t ask for a world of more distraction than the one we currently inhabit. To maintain our commitment to practice over 50 or 60 years requires that we find a way to refresh ourselves daily; there is no formula that works for everyone. We each find our own life koans to keep us awake. And we are not in monasteries where the routine is set up for us, responsibilities provided, and practice times reliable. One cornerstone of waking up is meditation and finding the strength of commitment to the Way to return to our practice daily.

However far we “stray” it is always good to remember

The key to cultivating the Way is knowing that your own mind is originally pure, that it is neither created nor destroyed, and that it is free of discrimination. The mind whose nature is perfectly pure is your true teacher and superior to any of the Buddhas of the ten directions you might call upon.

Zen At The Movies - Treeleaf Zen

2009-05-06T06:39:00.000-05:00

"'Awakening' though Zen Practice occurs when we come to see clearly that the show is just a show and we see the wondrous timeless light sweeping 'us' in too that arises from some half-hidden projector beyond our view and how the story is largely written by us too thus change the mind and radically change the movie script"

He takes this analogy interesting places. A good read.

The Gangster That Became A Buddhist Priest.

2009-04-07T11:29:00.000-05:00

Tadamasa Goto, one of Japan’s most notorious underworld bosses, is to enter the Buddhist priesthood less than a year after his volatile behaviour caused a rift in the country’s biggest crime syndicate.

As leader of a yakuza – or Japanese mafia – gang, Goto amassed a fortune from prostitution, protection rackets and white-collar crime, while cultivating a reputation for extreme violence.

Tomorrow, his life will take a decidedly austere turn when he begins training at a temple in Kanagawa prefecture south of Tokyo, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper said today, citing police sources.

The 66-year-old, whose eponymous gang belonged to the powerful Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate, was expelled from the yakuza fraternity last October after a furious row with his bosses over his conduct.

Wild Fox Zen: The Other Shore Arriving

2009-02-04T14:24:00.000-06:00

"Do not think practice leads to the other shore. Practice exists as the other shore arriving as our practice because this practice is always this arriving of the universe."

Tao Teh Ching

2009-01-12T08:53:00.001-06:00

"This web site is a tool for the study of how different English language translators rendered the ancient Chinese text of the Tau Teh Ching."

Of equal if not greater interest is the discussion this site sparked on Metafilter.com

Hipster Poem

2009-01-10T12:10:00.003-06:00

They run into eachother in the grocery store
by the cauliflowers
they just saw eachother down the street
She says hi, he says hi again
She asks him are you really tired?
He says why? do I look like I'm tired?
You look either really tired or just sad
Yea, he thinks:
It's january, and it's cold and I'm lonely
...but not for long
She has already walked the length of the brocolli aisle.

You and Your Research

2009-01-05T09:08:00.000-06:00

Interesting article:

"There's another trait on the side which I want to talk about; that trait is ambiguity. It took me a while to discover its importance. Most people like to believe something is or is not true. Great scientists tolerate ambiguity very well. They believe the theory enough to go ahead; they doubt it enough to notice the errors and faults so they can step forward and create the new replacement theory. If you believe too much you'll never notice the flaws; if you doubt too much you won't get started. It requires a lovely balance."

What has this got to do with Zen? Perhaps nothing.

Obama’s Zen State, Well, It’s Hawaiian - NYTimes.com

2008-12-25T16:57:00.000-06:00

A bit off topic, but a good read none the less:

"“He gives off a little oasis of calm,” said Mr. Abercrombie, who is spending the Christmas holidays in Hawaii. “He is peaceful water in the maelstrom, which will serve him very well in these circumstances when there happens to be a crisis.”"

Learning to meditate was never so easy, and odd

2008-12-09T12:32:00.001-06:00

Well, it's not every day a cowboy/crocodile teaches you to meditate with a song. But this seems to be that day:

Buddha's Path in San Francisco

2008-10-26T19:29:00.002-05:00

A BLOCK off Grant Avenue in San Francisco’s Chinatown — beyond the well-worn path tourists take past souvenir shops, restaurants and a dive saloon called the Buddha Bar — begins a historical tour of a more spiritual nature.

Broken Koans and other Zen debris

2008-10-15T13:18:00.001-05:00

If you know your Koans, these will give you a good laugh:

"Not Dualistic
Three Zen students came out of a Dharma talk.
'What did you think of Roshi s talk today ' one of them asked. 'When he talked about true and false practice I thought that was kind of dualistic wasn t it '
'Ah ' said the second 'but your even saying that is dualistic itself don t you see '
'Look who s talking ' said the third. 'I m glad I m not dualistic like you guys '"

Buddhism And The Zen Of Punk Rock : NPR Music

2008-09-29T14:35:00.000-05:00

"What does punk rock have to do with Buddhism There's a disdain for authority. There s a strong sense that the individual is responsible for herself or for himself says Brad Warner a bonafide punk rocker and ordained Zen master. The former bassist of Ohio-based punk rock band Zero Defex is also the author of two books on the subject Sit Down and Shut Up which promises Punk Rock commentaries on Buddha God truth sex and death and Hardcore Zen which explores Buddhism and punk s overlapping approaches to rebellion."

Western Buddhist Culture

2008-09-07T20:22:00.002-05:00

One of the great things that I find about Buddhism is how the common thread of peace, truth and liberation of mind are present in all forms of Buddhism. Vajrayana(Tibetan being one example), Theravada, Mahayana(Zen being one example) are the 3 major schools, though there are many others. The basic principles are the most important thing, that the core teachings to do not change. It does not matter what coat of tradition you flavor it with, in fact, over the centuries, Buddhism has worked its way into the lifestyle of the culture where it sits and does not become the culture.

Its like flavoring water I think. You can have lemon water, coffee, Tea, tonic water or anything in between. As long as the at the basic level, water is the key ingredient and is not diluted too much, we have no problem. I study and follow a Soto Zen tradition, which has taken a most definite Western flare here in the States. However, I see it difficult for many western people to get past the traditions and hang-ups on conceived ideas about bald monks bowing to golden Buddha statues. This is why I think it is important, that we as Westerners find our own path. It is a great opportunity we have to build something new, that threads through the fabric of our culture, much like a yellow string sewn into a black shirt.

Here in America, especially, the teachings of Anatta(emptiness of self) are extremely difficult for many to understand. Where we raise our children based on pride and self worth, breaking down the illusion of self is much more difficult than in many Asian cultures where ego is not as ever present. We drive our big trucks, climb the corporate ladder and revel in our pride. This is obviously a generalization, relative to all other things, but if we can find a new way, using the strengths of what we do have, conceptual understanding and breaking things down to see how they work, maybe we can break through the ignorance of ego......slowly.

My 7 year old son saw the Dalai Lama on the TV a few days ago, pointed at him then pointed at me. I said to him, "He is a Buddhist man, Tibetan, but he is me and you as well. Zen and Tibet, same thing, just different flavor of man" To which he quickly replied, "No! TV! Turn to Blue's Clues!."

"Sweeping Changes" - Zen Under the Skin

2008-09-05T15:17:00.000-05:00

Interesting blog post:

"Last week, I listened to audiobooks while cleaning. My earbuds kept falling out while I was cleaning the bathroom, and I was reminded of something I read or heard someone say about listening to dharma tapes while driving. I wish I could remember the source and share it, but it escapes me in the moment. But in a nutshell, it was suggested that when we drive, we could just drive. Maybe it is not the time to listen to anything... maybe it is a gift of time with ourselves where we can be quiet and focus on the wheel beneath our hands and the pedals beneath our feet and the road ahead. As my earbuds kept falling out I thought about this... how I was trying to make cleaning 'not cleaning'"

Tassajara Zen Monks Practice Firefighting

2008-07-13T20:03:00.001-05:00

Tassajara monks practice Zen of firefighting

Matthai Kuruvila, Chronicle Religion Writer

Thursday, July 10, 2008

(07-09) 19:24 PDT -- Fires snaked through ravines Wednesday in the Ventana Wilderness to within 3 miles of the oldest Soto Zen monastery outside of Asia, forcing the evacuation of firefighters and threatening the only access road.

The historic Tassajara Zen Mountain Center was left in the care of a handful of monks and practitioners who have refused to leave and have been rigorously preparing for nearly three weeks for the oncoming fire.

Some Tassajara staff also decided they could do no more and left, said Capt. Chuck Dickson, an information officer for the Basin Complex Fire.

"They decided that they'd done all they could," Dickson said. "It was time to go."

The flight came as remaining Tassajara staff prepared themselves physically and mentally for fighting the fire directly. They were calm in the face of the latest evacuation order.

"We'll be moving more vigorously than usual," said the abbot, Myôgen Steve Stücky, as he watched staff practice rolling out new hose lines moments after firefighters fled. "And we'll be watching those tendencies to get overexcited. We'll stay calm and alert. We'll be ready."

Even as they stood at the fulcrum of two of California's largest wildfires - the Basin Complex and Indians fires - the staff at Tassajara saw the approaching blaze enriching their practice of Zen.

Indra's Net, a metaphor for the non-dual nature of all

2008-07-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

Interesting site discussing Indra's Net (or Indra's Web):

"The Net of Indra is a profound and subtle metaphor for the structure of reality. Imagine a vast net; at each crossing point there is a jewel; each jewel is perfectly clear and reflects all the other jewels in the net, the way two mirrors placed opposite each other will reflect an image ad infinitum. The jewel in this metaphor stands for an individual being, or an individual consciousness, or a cell or an atom. Every jewel is intimately connected with all other jewels in the universe, and a change in one jewel means a change, however slight, in every other jewel."

Chew, Chew, Chew

2008-06-18T06:11:00.000-05:00

A little "food for thought" from Seung Sahn:

"Digesting our understanding is very important. It's like a cow eating grass - eat, eat, eat, eat. A cow has two stomachs. The first stomach stores food and takes out the juice; later the cow chews her cud until the food is again swallowed to be digested and become energy. Not everybody digests their understanding in this style. They only eat, eat, eat. Then comes consciousness, questions, computing and thinking, thinking, thinking. Too much understanding. Everybody understands too much but they cannot use their understanding because it is not chewed and digested.

So what am I? Only meditate: what am I? Don't know. Chew, chew, chew. Then your understanding food becomes correct cognition. That is meditation; that is Zen. Complicated mind becomes simple mind."

More Zen Marketing: ZEN Green Tea Liqueur

2008-06-03T11:51:00.002-05:00

Finally, we can get drunk on Zen. But please remember, as the website warns: "Enjoy ZEN responsibly". And watch out for that Zen hangover, it's a doozy.

Notes on Contemporary Zen

2008-05-12T08:32:00.000-05:00

Some interesting thoughts from Fred Rossini on learning Zen, including this:

"It is fortunate that Zen is not dependent on 'things' as our lives are already cluttered with things."

Tell me about it.

Zen Habits blog

2008-04-09T20:54:00.001-05:00

First, I love Zen. I named one of my dogs Zen. I’ve read it, tried it, love its simple philosophy, love the meditation and love the aesthetics.

But I chose Zen Habits as the title of my blog because it describes the philosophy of the blog in a concise way.

This blog is really about setting and achieving goals, and the numerous goals that I want to achieve. But I believe that goals — especially ones that are worth reaching — are ultimately achieved through the building of good habits. Do I want to complete a marathon? Then I must cultivate the habit of running 4-5 times a week. I must cultivate the habit of positive thinking. It also helps to become an early riser, a healthy eater, and a non-smoker, as I’ve done.

These habits are not born overnight. You can’t tell yourself, “Hey, self, I am going to become an early riser, starting tomorrow morning!” Well, you can tell yourself that, but if you think that it’s going to happen so quickly, you are clearly delusional.

No, these habits must be cultivated through daily practice. It is my belief that you must practice a habit, as focused as possible, every day for a month. When I only do it for a week, it doesn’t take hold. But when I’ve done it for a month or longer, it does. And that doesn’t mean that I’m successful each and every day … but the important thing is that I try, and when I fail, I learn from those mistakes.

In addition to the habits, I hope to post Zen-related stuff now and then, just to give me a peaceful feeling and to justify the use of the cool blog name.

Oh, Woah We're Halfway There!

2008-04-03T16:57:00.000-05:00

Brad Warner rants about enlightenment:

"Enlightenment is always just over the next hill, available if only you’d just do this one more thing, and do it sincerely, cuz if you don’t do it sincerely it won’t work, but if you have trouble doing it sincerely send me your credit card number and I’ll help you out. That’s the nature of Enlightenment, that it’s just around the next bend. Or maybe the one after that. Or maybe after those three and a bunch of hills. But it’s always off in the distance. Not here.

And it will always be off in the distance because there’s nowhere else it can be. The very definition of Enlightenment might as well be “off in the distance.”"

Harcore Zen: Om and Ego

2008-03-06T11:27:00.000-06:00

Interesting post by Brad Warner about ego:

"it's not that we seek to destroy the ego, so much as to realize it's just a useful fiction. Shunryu Suzuki said that we have a personal self that appears and disappears. It's not a fixed thing. It exists in order that the universe might express itself, not in order that I can express my self."

More Zen marketing: Zen Zone | Spa | Things To Do in Walt Disney World

2008-02-25T14:19:00.000-06:00

Good to know that Disney is promoting Zen. Or at least, the popular misconception that "Zen" means "expensive spa":

"Treat yourself and those you love with the gift of pure relaxation at this mecca of massage in Pleasure Island. Sample water massage chairs, beds, and other therapeutic accessories for the latest in luxury and comfort."

Confusion_is_the_Mother_of_Wisdom

2007-12-18T11:49:00.000-06:00

I found this interesting, thinking of skin purely as one more sensory organ rather than the boundary between inside and outside:

"The people that you meet, the things that you do, arise within your experience. They are not outside of you. You might believe that your skin forms a kind of boundary between you and the world, but the skin is in fact simply another way of knowing the world. Do you feel the clothes on your back and on your legs? Do you feel the temperature of the room? This is what the skin does. It knows. It is aware and alive."

Zen and Culture

2007-12-17T15:48:00.000-06:00

Interesting answer to a question about Zen and culture; here's a taste:

"Some people think that Japanese culture is the same as Zen and that Zen is a Japanese thing. These people understand nothing. Zen is originally Indian. It is also Chinese. And then it was practised in Japan when Dogen zenji opened Kannon-dori-in. There is also Korean Zen. Now Zen is in Canada, America, Europe. Zen is about the art of being human, not any culture. Mind and body have no culture. Zen has no place because all places, all lands, nations, mountains and rivers are in the Mind of the Buddhas and this Mind is Zen."

Zen Insight: Emptiness: The Cup is Empty, Long Live the Cup!

2007-11-27T15:11:00.000-06:00

Interesting discussion of Emptiness, which includes this story:

"There was once a man who swept roads for a living. One morning he was sitting down with a friend and said 'You know I've had this broom for 17 years, this broom is my best and oldest companion'. The friend was amazed, '17 Years? That's a long time!'. The road sweeper explained, 'Yes it is! I've only changed the handle 8 times and the brush 5 times.'."

Also of interest is this somewhat academic discussion of what Inherent Existence means.

New book: "The Zen of Meeting Women"

2007-11-13T13:05:00.000-06:00

Just when you thought the power of Zen had been applied to every task, great and small . . .

"The Zen of Meeting Women is a milestone in the genre, combining for the first time the fundamental principals of Zen with the age-old quest for the perfect mate."

Hardcore Zen: responses to email

2007-11-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Some interesting thoughts from the always interesting Brad Warner:

"In order to live among your fellow human beings you need to be conversant with and able to navigate your way through the consensus view of reality held by most members of the society of which you’re a part. The problem is that this consensus view of reality is utterly mistaken. Buddhist practice can help you see through the consensus view and get to the underlying reality. But you need to take this process very slowly."

Dharma Seed - Dharma Talks

2007-11-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

Buddhist Dharma talks available for download (as MP3) or streaming. Includes "Quiet the Mind, Open the Heart", "Self & Society", and "Supporting and Deepening Daily Life Practice". Worth checking out.

What is Zazen?

2007-10-31T05:33:00.000-05:00

Part of Zenguide.com's guide to meditation:

"'Zen' is not simply a device for centering and calming the mind but also embracing the wisdom of enlightenment."

An Artist Empowered / Dharma

2007-10-12T18:01:00.000-05:00

I would like to introduce you to my latest book: An Artist Empowered: Define and Establish Your Value as an Artist—Now.

The main themes include the importance of dharma and Zen Buddhism to the arts; and after all, great art is born of non-attachment. Understanding is where you find it.

Dogma, as we come to learn, can creep into the most pure of understandings. Tradition can be good; mindless tradition isn't.

A recent endorsement:

"An Artist Empowered is an intriguing book that uses real-life anecdotes,thought-provoking reflections, and humorous insights to explore how to create and lead a life worth living. The powerful and timeless principles make this an evocative page-turner. Read it and reap."

--Sam Horn, author of POP! Stand Out in any Crowd and Tongue Fu!®

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

2007-09-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

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.

Groundhog Universe

2007-09-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

"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.

What is Zen?

2007-08-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

A brief historical look at Zen that intentionally avoids the deeper question.

Madi-Zen Avenue marketing - SunTimes

2007-08-03T08:08:00.000-05:00

A trend we've been noticing for a while here at Zen Filter--Zen marketing--finally gets noticed by the mainstream media:

Madi-Zen Avenue marketing
'GURU' SPOTS | When ads look East, some get offended

August 3, 2007
BY SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH Religion reporter/shogan@suntimes.com

The pillaging of religious stories and symbols, long a staple of advertisers and marketers, is taking another twist, this time targeting Eastern religions.

Comcast and Yellow Book USA are each running "enlightened guru" television ads, while retailers are selling home decor products advocating certain fabrics, colors and woods as peaceful, tranquil and Zen-inspired.

Comcast and Yellow Book USA are each running "enlightened guru" television ads, while retailers are selling home decor products advocating certain fabrics, colors and woods as peaceful, tranquil and Zen-inspired.

Feng shui? Good karma? That's the "exotic," "healthy," "mystical" way of the East, advertisers say.

And now you can have it, too.

"They're exploiting, commercializing and trivializing terms such as 'guru,' 'karma' and 'enlightenment' that are deep beliefs in Eastern societies," said Arran Stephens, founder of Nature's Path Foods, which produces organic products.

Nature's Path makes energy bars and cereal called "Optimum Zen." Stephens said the products' name reflects his lifelong involvement with Eastern spirituality.

"In our case, there's a real consciousness and value system connected to the product," he said. "That's a big difference."

Meditation

2007-07-28T09:18:00.000-05:00

Hard mind does open
Meditation sees ego
Ego vanishes

Zen is Understanding Yourself

2007-07-26T13:01:00.000-05:00

Interesting teaching, I liked this part:

"Not understanding yourself is not understanding the truth. That is why there is fighting among ourselves. If all the people in the world understood themselves, they would attain the Absolute. Then the world would be at peace. World peace is Zen."

On Finding a Zen Teacher

2007-07-12T20:54:00.000-05:00

Some good advice. I liked this part in particular:

"Sometimes you will feel intensely motivated to study and practice Zen. At other times it will fade out of your life to the point where you almost forget what you learned at all. ``Almost'' is the key word there. When you need it, you will be called back to it. It often takes some time to realize what you learned at all by just sitting and breathing. When it comes back, do not expect it to be the same, and do not expect to reach it the same way. Take it fresh and it grows deeper each time around."

Zen meditation can help prevent age-related cognitive decline

2007-06-08T12:55:00.000-05:00

Zen meditation can help prevent age-related cognitive decline: "Meditation might keep you young, especially Zen meditation, for a new study has found that regular practice of it, it can reduce stress in long run, as well as the cognitive decline associated with normal aging.
. . .
Researchers measured gray matter changes in 13 regular practitioners of Zen meditation and 13 control subjects matched for age and education level who never practiced meditation by employing voxel-based morphometry (VBM), a recent technique to measure gray matter changes from MRI brain scans, and a computerized task of sustained attention.

Researchers found that while both total gray matter volume and attentional performance displayed the expected decrease with age in control subjects, meditators did not show such a trend."

Dharma Talks online

2007-05-23T14:58:00.000-05:00

San Francisco Zen Center's online library of Dharma Talks in MP3 format for download. Check it out.

Zen Marketing; Zen Castors

2007-05-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

Roll your way to enlightenment.

The Zen castors are designed as a seamless addition to Furniture, shop fitting (shop fixtures) & displays rather than a jarring Industrial add-on.

Chicago bartender uses “Zen” to snag first in National Cocktail Competition

2007-05-09T13:07:00.000-05:00

More Zen marketing; Zen is now a liquer.

“Now and Zen,” a deep red cocktail made with Zen, a green tea liqeur, and garnished with lemon grass, is the cocktail that took Peek, a mixologist for acclaimed Chicago chef Rick Tramonto (Avanzare, Pump Room, Charlie Trotter’s), to both the regional and the national title."

Cops Raid Zen

2007-04-26T12:33:00.000-05:00

Those darn cops, why won't they leave Zen alone?

Emptiness Is Form

2007-04-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

"Emptiness (sunyata) must not be confused with nothingness. Emptiness is not non-existence and it is not non-reality.

What is emptiness then?"

Good question. Click the link and read on.
Emptiness Is Form

More info on Tree Leaf Zen

2007-04-16T11:26:00.000-05:00

I received this additional info by email:

I have made a personal vow to sit Zazen online, every day (rain of shine) for the next 9 years. It is and will be netcast from wherever life takes me, on happy days and sad, no difference. So far, we have people sitting along with me in the US, UK, various places in Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. They all share in common the fact that they cannot easily commute to a Zen Center. Some have serious health concerns, some are elderly and do not drive, some live in remote areas, or just have to stay home to take care of their kids or other family members. Each has been cut off from participation in a Sangha on a regular basis. Now, by 'tuning in' to our 'Daily Zazen' broadcast, they can join in a Soto Zen sitting and Sangha.

The broadcast is very simple: We chat online for the first 5 minutes about Zen practice and life in general, laugh and cry together. People send me emails, and I respond to them as best I can. After those first few minutes, we sit Zazen. A bell rings, there is 20 or so minutes of silence, then the bell rings again. At that point, the sitting is over until we sit again the next day. The program is meant to be participatory: After the 5 minute chat, the viewers and I are meant to actually sit together ... all without thought of 'near' or 'far'.

I am a Soto priest in the line of Gudo Wafu Nishijima, and I live and teach in Ibaraki, Japan. (If it is important, I am a member of both the American Zen Teachers Association: http://americanzenteachers.org and the Soto Zen Buddhist Association: http://www.szba.org/ The only reason I mention that is because those organizations are attempting to uphold basic standards for Zen practice and teaching in the West). I like to describe myself as "Brad Warner's nice-but-less-exciting older brother"). I also will soon start live broadcasts of Sesshin and the like, that people can join in from home.

Please have a look at our daily broadcast. The one I recommend especially is:

Meditating with Kids (& other 'Distractions')

http://treeleafzen.blogspot.com/

Treeleaf Zendo

2007-04-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

I was emailed the following announcement:

We would like announce that the doors are 'officially' open on our ONLINE ZENDO & SANGHA, and our VIDEO-BLOG. We also soon will begin LIVE online-video broadcasts of weekly Zazen sittings, talks and multi-day Sesshin:

http://treeleafzen.blogspot.com

The website, blog and broadcast sittings are meant for people who cannot travel to sit and be with others, perhaps due to health concerns, or not driving at night, having to take care of kids, or their living in a place without a Sangha close by. Our Zazen sittings and Sangha will always be close by.

For now, we have recorded Zazen sittings and talks, such as this "Sit-a-long Zazen":

http://treeleafzen.blogspot.com/2007/04/sit-long-zazen.html

We also have online and Ipod-ready Zazen timers. Although our online Sangha is meant mainly for people who cannot travel far from home, we hope anyone and everyone will feel free to use and download our timers and broadcast sittings. They are our gift to everyone who finds them helpful (for example, who might wish to use the Ipod/Mp3 version for some Zazen at work).

http://www.treeleaf.org/meditation.html

We are a Soto Zen Sangha in the lineage of Gudo Wafu Nishijima, with teacher Jundo Cohen (who resides in Ibaraki, Japan and, sometimes, Florida with wife and son). Our focus is on a very down-to-earth, 'Just Sitting' Zazen practice (not much for ceremonies, statues, beads, costumes or other bells and whistles).

http://www.treeleaf.org/aboutus.html

We hope to establish a true community, and questions or comments can be sent to Jundo at any time, or posted on the blog or community forum (www.treeleaf.org/meeting.html).

If you know anyone who, due to health concerns or the like, cannot commute to sit with others, please introduce them to our site.

Like life and the universe, it is all Free! Everyone is always welcome, and there is no being "far away."

Gassho, Treeleaf Zendo

http://www.treeleaf.org

Awakenings: Zen Figure Painting in Medieval Japan - Japan Society - Art - Review - New York Times

2007-04-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

If you're in New York, you might want to check out this art show:

". . . with four dozen paintings of Buddhist gods and saints hung in shrinelike alcoves, it is certainly visually transporting. And it covers a broad swath of time and geography, bringing together 13th- to 16th-century hanging scrolls not only from Japan but also from China, where Zen, called Chan in Chinese, originated."

My Zen Life - gatha on impermanence

2007-03-05T09:55:00.000-06:00

My Zen Life blog quotes this from the ‘plumb village chanting and recitation book’:

"the day is now ended.
our lives are shorter.
now we look carefully.
what have we done?

noble sangha, with all of our heart,
let us be diligent,
engaging in the practice.
let us live deeply,
free from our afflictions,
aware of impermanence
so that life does not
drift away without meaning."

Renegade Zen - Zen Stories

2007-03-01T13:40:00.000-06:00

A well designed website by, of course, a web designer. He has a page of Zen stories worth visiting:

"While Zen Stories often seem surreal and absurd at first glance, give them more thought and you'll find meaning relevant to much of your everyday life, even if you don't find enlightenment straight away."

A Lecture on Meditation: For Beginners - Soen Roshi

2007-02-20T15:28:00.000-06:00

Despite the tiny font, there is some interesting stuff on this site:

"When no thought arises, there is no need to drive thoughts away. When nothing is born, nothing dies. When nothing is good, nothing is bad. What you never had, you will never miss. What you do not see does not disappear. What cannot increase cannot decrease. This is true emptiness. This is samadhi. "

Zen Stories

2007-02-14T09:31:00.000-06:00

Many good stories here:

"It Will Pass

A student went to his meditation teacher and said, 'My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I'm constantly falling asleep. It's just horrible!' 'It will pass,' the teacher said matter-of-factly.

A week later, the student came back to his teacher. 'My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It's just wonderful!'

'It will pass,'
the teacher replied matter-of-factly."

More lawyers finding their Zen

2007-02-12T16:34:00.000-06:00

Interesting article:

"Lawyers are usually known for their analytical brains, persuasive prowess and take-no-prisoners argumentative skills. Zen-like tranquility doesn’t typically come to mind.

A growing number of law schools, though, are teaching the next generation of legal combatants that the system’s adversarial nature can be balanced by a commitment to personal insight gained through the practice of meditation."

Japanese Rock Gardens (Zen Gardens)

2007-02-09T09:01:00.000-06:00

Nice short page about rock gardens, I liked this quote:

'What's so special about the garden at Ryoanji?' I asked him, naming the famous rock and sand garden in Kyoto's most brochured and pamphleted Zen temple.
'The spaces between the rocks,' he replied, with his mouth full of toothpaste.'

The Zen Site

2007-02-05T11:25:00.000-06:00

Lots of good stuff to be found here

The ZenTeachings section includes teachings, teishos and commentaries by various teachers including Robert Aitken, Augusto Alcalde, Dogen,Thich Nhat Hanh, John Daido Loori, Amy Samy, Harada Tangen, Koun Yamada, (and other Diamond Sangha teachers), Hsu (Xu) Yun and many others. Go to the Commentaries and Teishos link. Also, this section includes translations of sutras, koans, information on the Five Ranks, the Shobogenzo, and the Hsin Hsin Ming.

Announcement: 2nd Annual Blogisattva Awards Nominees

2007-02-02T16:38:00.000-06:00

I'm happy to announce that Zen Filter has been nominated for the highly coveted "Best Niche Blog, Unusual-Function Blog, Blog Service, or Serial within a Blog" Blogisattva award. Many thanks to Tom for the nomination, and to everyone who reads Zen Filter for making it all worthwhile.

Dharma Discourse: Not a Single Word by John Daido Loori, Roshi

2007-02-02T10:55:00.000-06:00

Your life is the buddhadharma. It’s to be realized right here in your life. Spirituality is not something that happens periodically, or when you’re sitting cross-legged on a pillow doing meditation. Master Dogen says, “Those who regard the mundane as a hindrance to practice only understand that in the mundane, nothing is sacred. What they haven’t understood, is that in sacredness, nothing—nothing—is mundane.”

Zanshin - Without Hesitation

2007-01-25T16:27:00.000-06:00

Good stuff in this teisho by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi:

“Beyond control” does not mean “out of control;” it means that the sense of solidity, comfort and predictability that self-image tries to maintain is completely irrelevant to one's actual experiences. You don't even know what this sentence is going to say until you have read it. Once you've read it, the black shapes and letters become words and meanings and then you have the sense that you have read it. It is only after a thought has arisen that you have the illusion that you have thought it.

Self-image arises as memory, as a contraction around the vividness of life as it is and, in order to ascertain a sense of its own continuity, it lumps things together, piles them up and strings itself along. It can only do this by ignoring most of the details of the moment, and it dulls their vividness by pushing and pulling itself into an imaginary “past” or “future.” However, the energy of the arising of this moment is the energy of our life itself, and by backing away from this vast energy we find ourselves lifeless, confined, hesitating, awkward, angry, judgemental, guilty, sad."

Building my Zen Garden

2007-01-23T13:34:00.000-06:00

Want to build a Zen garden? Want to read this book for free? This website has "draft chapters of the book, with photographs of each stage of the construction. " Cool.

Read about Zen Buddhism

2007-01-19T10:10:00.000-06:00

Somewhat a "crash course" in Zen, there's lots to read here. Then again, it's Friday and unlikely you were going to get anything done today anyway.

"Zen is known for rejection of reliance on written texts. In spite of this, monks are well versed in Buddhism's ideas and texts. It's the old story of knowing the rules before you break them."

Get The Gold

2007-01-19T09:57:00.000-06:00

A brief talk by Seung Sahn,

"Some people can answer many kong-ans, but they don't try. Then the kong-an never becomes theirs. So, the purpose of the kong-an is to give us correct direction so our life can become correct. 'If you go south ten miles you will find gold. Go over there and find it!'

Anyone can understand these directions, but if they don't actually walk ten miles south they will never get the gold. 'I understand that ten miles south of here there is a mountain. Inside the mountain there is a cave and inside the cave there is gold. I understand that completely.' Wonderful, but if you don't do it, you don't get it. So, only understanding a kong-an cannot help you; cannot help your life."

Essentials of Buddhism - core concepts

2007-01-18T12:36:00.000-06:00

A Buddhism "cheat sheet" that begins, of course, with:

"Four Noble Truths

1. Suffering exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path "

The 10 Bulls

2007-01-18T10:45:00.000-06:00

The 10 Bulls depict a journey, the goal of which is enlightenment. The bull is the eternal principle of life; one's true nature.

In the 12th century the Chinese master Kakuan drew the 10 bulls, basing them on earlier Taoist drawings. The earlier drawings had only 8 bulls, with the eighth representing the final stage of enlightenment. Kakuan went beyond this, illustrating that the moment of enlightenment is merely a beginning.

These bulls were drawn by the Kyoto woodblock artist Tomikichiro Tokuriki, and published in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps.

Tao Te Ching and Buddhism

2007-01-15T06:49:00.000-06:00

Interesting comparison of the concept of "emptiness" in Taoism and Buddhism:

"The most common misunderstanding people have about the Tao is that 'Emptiness' in the Tao has a similar meaning to 'Emptiness' (Sunyata, Chinese: Kung, Japanese: Ku) in Buddhism. This is because different words in Buddhism and Taoism were all translated as Emptiness in English.

Chinese character for 'empty'Several different Chinese characters are used for Emptiness in the Tao, but Chinese Buddhists mostly use the character on the right (pronounced 'Kung').

'Taoist Emptiness' is completely different to 'Buddhism Emptiness'. The Emptiness in the Tao is about restraint, patience, frugality, simplicity, lack of worldly desire etc. These are all good things for Buddhists, but they have nothing whatever to do with Buddhist Emptiness, which is about the inaccuracy of our 'externalist' perceptions of reality and the fictional objects that are created from that misunderstanding."

Groundhog Universe

2007-01-08T15:19:00.000-06:00

Interview with Robert Thurman

MR: Buddhism is not a religion?
RT: No, not primarily. The way we define religion today in religious studies is as a non-rational, sort of an emotional thing, where you put your science aside and you kind of commune with the world or something and you have a leap of faith and you’re saved and born-again. And therefore it’s non-rational, in fact, by definition anti-rational.
MR: So that experience can happen in a Buddhist context, like in the Vimalakirti Sutra you described earlier, even though Buddhism is not a religion? It sounds like you are saying the root of a conversion experience is not, in fact, religious.
RT: Yes, the real essence of that experience can happen in a Buddhist context because the real essence of it is not the blind faith or religious part of it, actually. The real essence is a deep contact with a different aspect of reality. The essence of that experience is a contact with the nirvanic nature of reality. That is what the essence of that experience actually is.

Warriorship - by Sensei Robert Joshin Althouse

2007-01-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

Interesting Dharma talk:

We are always in need of Bodhisattva warriors. This is why the traditions of warriorship are so sacred in other cultures. Such cultures had extensive rituals and rites of passage for transforming soldiers into warriors. We have very few of these rites of passage left in our society today. And what we see are the broken young men and women returning from war, many unable to find their way back home, in a civilian culture that is strange and foreign to them.

The New Year Comes and Finds Its Seat

2006-12-30T14:45:00.000-06:00

A poem by Zen Master Seung Sahn:

The New Year asks the dog,
"Do you know the New Year?"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!''
The dog only understands woof New Year.
Next, the New Year asks the cat,
"Do you understand the New Year?"
"Meow. Meow. Meow.''
The cat only understands meow New Year.

Deoxy Koans

2006-12-25T18:24:00.000-06:00

Koans from the Collection of Stone and Sand from 13th & 20th Century Japan

Happy Bodhi Day!

2006-12-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm a day early, but who can contain the excitement? Anyway, I thought this article was interesting, particularly this quote:

"'Our purpose is not to make a religious factory, but to give people the technology to live a good life,' he said."

Hooray For Our Side!

2006-11-21T10:39:00.000-06:00

Interesting post over at Hardcore Zen:

"Enlightenment is not the ultimate success and lack of enlightenment is not evidence of failure.

There is no success or failure in reality. Success and failure are judgments about reality based entirely — entirely — upon what your tiny ego thinks is good for it or bad for it. This is not reality at all. What you call failure may be exactly what you really need while what you call success may be a slippery slide into delusion and darkness. The world out there is not something apart from you. When it changes in ways you don’t like, who is responsible?"

Movie review: 'Zen Noir'

2006-11-10T13:47:00.000-06:00

Review of a movie called Zen Noir:

"Once the detective steps into a Buddhist temple to investigate the death of a monk, he enters another universe, where he is confronted by the serenely implacable Master (Kim Chan). Gradually, the detective discovers that the real mystery he must unravel is himself."