The word “Zen” means meditation. However, Zen meditation is unlike Hindu, Christian, and Islamic meditation. It requires no belief in a creed, a guru, a savior, a prophet, or a god. Belief in an outside entity is a roadblock to Zen practice; the Buddha is nothing other than the true self of every apparent independent… Continue reading Zen and Foolishness
Category: Meditation
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
Karma and the Satanic Mind
If we find ourselves today in an unpleasant situation, it is because every thought we have ever had, every act we have ever performed, has brought us to that situation. Where we are now is the sum total of every thought we’ve entertained and everything we’ve ever done. That’s the law of cause and effect.… Continue reading Karma and the Satanic Mind
The Goal Of Zen Practice
As we work our way through the ten steps of the How To Practice Zen program, we will gradually begin to understand what the Augustinian monk Abraham of Santa Clara meant when he said: “He who dies before he dies does not die when he dies.” Abraham’s quote echoes the words of the Buddha: “All that… Continue reading The Goal Of Zen Practice
Zen Psychotherapy?
My unenlightened, judgmental mind tells me that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction demotes Buddhism to just another stress-reduction program in competition with yoga classes, tai chi (taiji) exercises, and those twelve step programs. Ugh. However, if a person is under so much stress that they can’t practice, then MBSR is available for such persons and it is probably… Continue reading Zen Psychotherapy?
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
Zen And The Heart Sutra
Nor is there pain or cause of pain or cease in pain or noble path to lead from pain, not even wisdom to attain, attainment too is emptiness. As Red Pine points out in his superb translation and commentary on The Heart Sutra, these lines were penned to directly refute the Four Noble Truths. The… Continue reading Zen And The Heart Sutra
Zen Practice And The 7th Fetter
The Pali texts define the seventh fetter as attachment to formlessness. The three worlds are: 1. The world of desire, which is the one we live in, together with hell dwellers, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, other humans, and the gods of the world of desire; (keep in mind that these are levels of awareness, i.e., humans are… Continue reading Zen Practice And The 7th Fetter
Zen Practice And The Eighth Fetter
The eighth fetter, conceit, seems at first to be a lot like the first fetter, sakkaya ditthi, the wrong view of self. The eighth fetter, however, is more subtle. We may acquire the right view of self yet still feel distinctiveness, i.e., we may compare ourselves with others and find ourselves to be superior, equal,… Continue reading Zen Practice And The Eighth Fetter
Zen Practice and Sakkaya Ditthi
Spirit Rock, pictured, is a Theravada practice center. However, we use Zen in its meaning of meditation and these practitioners are sitting in meditation. This is a copy of an email I received June 14, 2010 from the Contact Us page of the old static html How To Practice Zen.com website, and my reply which I… Continue reading Zen Practice and Sakkaya Ditthi