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
Category: No self
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 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 And The 4th and 5th Fetters
Sense desire is the fourth fetter and ill will or hatred is the fifth of the ten fetters. Thus we wonder why there are Five Hindrances and Ten Fetters. These fourth and fifth fetters are the same as the first two hindrances. According to the Pali canon, if we can break the first three fetters… Continue reading Zen And The 4th and 5th Fetters
Zen And The First Three Fetters
Sometimes we try to learn too much, too fast. That’s why it’s good to let the concept of sakkaya ditthi sink in for a long time. We need time to ponder the thought that we are not what we thought we were. How many people can hear the teaching of no self and grasp it… Continue reading Zen And The First Three Fetters
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