Teachings
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Dharmatalk: Awakening (Part 3 of 3)
January 23, 20201 min read
"... Each of us is an entire ferry of all beings ..." Description: This is the third part of a discussion on enlightenment. How does the Zen tradition understand awakening? If awakening is not part of a particular kind of practice, it cannot be called “Buddhism.” Awakening cannot be understood conceptually–the mind can’t get it. It is not something that we find, awakening finds us. Post & Featured image: Ferry over golden water by Patrick Robinson, unsplash...
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Mindful Living: Gratitude
January 20, 20201 min read
Gratitude is a valuable process in a mindful lifestyle. Being grateful helps us break the chain of negative thinking that often plagues us and helps us cultivate loving compassion. If we make it a habit, it helps us understand that we control our thoughts––they do not control us. A gratitude chain is particularly illustrative. “If I am grateful for this, then by inference I must also be grateful for…” and so it goes. The farther out...
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Joy in the Ordinary
January 18, 20202 min read
Sadly we are being waited on By eyes much wiser and knowing Than yours or mine Just to see what we will do In our circle of time ~ Navajo poem Happy small discoveries bring joy and morsels of wisdom from simple unlikely places. In one short period of time the following discoveries were made locally: Postcard art under table glass at a popular restaurant reads, “If you are more fortunate than others build a longer table, not a taller...
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Dharmatalk: Awakening (Part 2 of 3)
January 16, 20201 min read
"... There is no mind to be trained ..." Description: This is the second part of a discussion on enlightenment. It begins where the first part left off—the mindfulness movement. Often the term “awakening” is very misunderstood in some mainstream books about Buddhism. In the Zen tradition, what is awakening? It is not just well-being, it is total liberation. Post & Featured image: Green Wooden Chair on White Surface by Paula Schmidt, pexels license.
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Finding Love & Peace
January 11, 20201 min read
Your task is not to seek love but merely to find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. ~Rumi We do not find love by running from or pushing away the beings who need it. We do not find peace by running from or avoiding the opportunity to create it. Awareness includes awareness of the world around us––even the injustice. As we mindfully observe our own response to the surrounding environment, we develop...
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Dharmatalk: Awakening (Part 1 of 3)
January 9, 20201 min read
"... All the depth that is in us needs time ..." Description: This talk begins with some beautiful reflections on a recent talk by Stephen Jenkinson, author and storyteller. It is the first part of a discussion on enlightenment—how it is understood in Western practice and how it is understood by different traditions. The current mindfulness movement may not be equipped to explore this deeper reality of existence. Post & Featured image: Closeup Photo of Sprout by...
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New Year’s Message from Ruben Habito
January 7, 20204 min read
Dear friends, fellow practitioners of Zen across traditions, As we welcome the new year and the new decade of the 2020’s, with a heart full of gratitude to each and everyone of you, I convey my deep-felt wishes and prayers for peace and well- being for everyone. On this occasion, allow me to offer some notes on how our practice of cultivating stillness in Zen meditation may shed some light on living in our world today. Defying the...
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Mindfulness: A Unique Piece of the Puzzle
January 4, 20201 min read
Mindfulness is not meant to make us into unthinking conformists or narcissists concerned only for our own well-being and personal transformation. The point is not be free from fear, doubt, or pain, relieved of having to feel the effects of the suffering around us. Rather, by observing our fears and doubts we develop the ability to pause long enough to engage our rational minds and not be controlled by them. We reduce our own suffering enough...
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Dharmatalk: Wisdom
January 2, 20201 min read
"... There is wisdom in developing personal well-being ..." Description: This talk focuses on the term “wisdom.” There are different kinds of wisdom that human beings can discover. To begin this exploration, an overview of the five kinds of Zen practice is presented. This unfolds into a more contemporary interpretation, the four zones of practice. Post & Featured image: Stack of Stones by Pixabay, pexels license.
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The Meaning of Life
December 28, 20191 min read
Excellence Reporter: Henry, what is the meaning of life? Henry Shukman: I’m not too sure about the meaning of life so I’ll start with the purpose. “What is the purpose of life?” a student once asked a master. The master replied: “Play.” The student was disappointed. “I’ve come all this way to study with you, to find out about life, and that’s all you can come up with? Play?” The master shrugged. “That’s how it is. Play.” Click here to read...
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Dharmatalk: Case 5, The Blue Cliff Record: Seppo’s “Grain of Rice”
December 26, 20191 min read
"... Being silent and still is the heart of our practice ..." Description: A koan is always talking about right now. In Case 5, Master Seppô is teaching an assembly and says, “When you pick up the whole great earth in your fingers, it’s the size of a grain of rice.” What kind of teaching is this? Is this just absurdity or not? If not, why would Seppô say something like this? These questions are the...
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