The first fold of the Eightfold Path, Right View, is sometimes translated as Right Understanding and is explained by many commentators to mean that one has Right Understanding if one understands the Four Noble Truths. But that common explanation doesn’t jive with the Buddha’s words. He said the first fold of the Eightfold Path was… Continue reading Meat, Murder, Tofu And Zen
Category: Gun control
Zen And The Ten Dharma Realms
This blog will highlight the content of howtopracticezen.com. There are only ten dharma realms according to the Mahayana (thirty one in the Theravada). Here goes: 1. Our ignorant, self-generated thoughts that lead to sadness and despair send us to the hell realm, the bottom of the ten; no one, no god, takes us there but ourselves. Antidote: Present Moment Awareness… Continue reading Zen And The Ten Dharma Realms
Is Zen Practice Subversive?
The Zen practice of zazen (sitting meditation) is subversive. In our gun-promoting, militaristic culture, sitting on a cushion and practicing metta is a practice that undermines the foundation of that culture. I live in a so-called progressive town that has many fine attributes. We use re-claimed water on our lawns. We have the highest quality re-cycling… Continue reading Is Zen Practice Subversive?
Zen And the 2nd Amendment
The U.S. air force is unconstitutional because the Constitution gives Congress the power to raise an army and a navy. Thus, Congress has no power to raise an air force. That’s a joke, of course, but it demonstrates that the Constitution is a living document, not something etched in stone in 1776. But when airplanes were… Continue reading Zen And the 2nd Amendment
Zen Master Ajahn Brahm
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