With apologies to the late George Schulz, happiness is not a warm puppy. Puppies last a few weeks and then they’re dogs. And dogs don’t last very long, either. But a warm brain can last…forever? The Buddha spoke often against thoughts of eternal life after the present one has ended, so he would not be popular… Continue reading Zen: Happiness is a Warm Brain
Category: Theravada teachers
The Zen Way To Nirvana
Let’s suppose you are the Master of a Buddhist sangha, or in Western terminology, an Abbot of a Buddhist monastery or convent. A student comes to you and asks: Is the world eternal or not eternal? Is the world finite or infinite? Is the soul the same as the body or is the soul one… Continue reading The Zen Way To Nirvana
In Search of Zen Teachers
I got on Twitter with the primary goal of communicating with Zen and other Buddhist teachers. Unfortunately, some teachers collect followers but don’t follow back so they live on a one way street where there is no communication flowing to them. For example, Venerable Ajahn Brahm, arguably the most famous monk on the planet, has… Continue reading In Search of Zen Teachers
Zen Practice And Sakkaya Ditthi
Sakkaya ditthi, the wrong view of self, is the first of the ten fetters that bind unenlightened beings. Its counterpart or antidote is Right View or Right Understanding, the first fold of the Eightfold Path. Until we arrive at samma ditthi, the correct view of self, it’s hard to loosen the other nine fetters. Who practices… Continue reading Zen Practice And Sakkaya Ditthi
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
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 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?