Venerable Ajahn Brahm does not teach the meditation techniques taught by the Zen school. As we have emphasized throughout the How To Practice Zen website, the term “Zen” means meditation and we share the teachings of all Buddhist schools without limitation to the Zen school. It is called the Zen school because it emphasizes meditation… Continue reading Zen Master Ajahn Brahm
Category: Buddha Nature
Why do we practice Zen?
Modern Zen practitioners usually sit on mats and cushions indoors but we practice outdoors whenever it’s reasonable to do so. Even the Buddha eventually established monasteries where people could sit indoors. The purpose of sitting in meditation is not to see how much hardship a person can endure. We don’t sit because we believe that… Continue reading Why do we practice Zen?
Zen And No Two Things
A man wrote a letter to the editor of The St. Petersburg Times in the spring of 2009, saying that he wanted oil companies to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida “because we need a victory over the all-powerful environmentalists.” That was about a year before the… Continue reading Zen And No Two Things
Mirrors, Mind and Zen Practice
The mind is deluded if it is not the awakened mind of a Buddha. A Buddha mind does not divide reality into categories, nor does it like and dislike. Like a mirror, it simply accepts what is and its equanimity is not affected by the scene reflected in it. Equanimity is the seventh factor of… Continue reading Mirrors, Mind and Zen Practice
The Zen bunny that cooked itself
The story about the rabbit that cooked itself indicates that the rabbit was already enlightened when it did its famous (among those of us who read Jataka stories) deed. Although the term “Zen” is usually translated as “meditation,” the actual practice of sitting meditation is just part of Zen practice. Zen meditation is not the same thing… Continue reading The Zen bunny that cooked itself
Zen, the Sniper and Jesus
In the spring of 2009, I saw a pickup truck with “My boss is a Jewish carpenter” on one bumper and “This vehicle will be unoccupied in case of Rapture” on the other. Centered on the glass behind the passenger compartment was the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor (the logo of the Marines), under which appeared… Continue reading Zen, the Sniper and Jesus
Rebirth of a Hillbilly #Zen
It is not hard to imagine that after we are dead and gone, some other life form will appear. After all, we appeared after Ben Franklin and a lot of other people were out of here. After we are gone, an earthworm will be born. So will a fish. And gazillions of bacteria and people… Continue reading Rebirth of a Hillbilly #Zen