Congress, now completely controlled by war-mongers, seems eager to start a war with Russia. As always, they generate lies to support their insane plans. They paint Mr. Putin as a war-monger who invaded the Crimean peninsula for no good reason and they tell us that the U,S. has to arm the government of Ukraine against… Continue reading Hoorah for Putin, Not for Congress
Category: Zen Practice
A Funny Bit Of Zen History
In the early days of the Clear Water Zen Center, several members of the Miami Zen Center would cross the Florida peninsula from east to northwest to attend sesshins in Clearwater which is a Tampa Bay town half way down the peninsula, about a five hour drive. At that time, Roshi Kapleau was still healthy and dividing his… Continue reading A Funny Bit Of Zen History
The Pope Leans Toward Zen
For many years meat-eaters have tried to cure me of my vegetarian views by advising me that animals, unlike people, have no souls and therefore it is OK to kill and eat them. “God put them on this earth for us to eat. That’s what animals are for,” they conclude. Rational people, on the other… Continue reading The Pope Leans Toward Zen
Tranquil Wisdom Zen
Don’t just sit there – do something! Conventional wisdom Don’t just do something – sit there! Buddhist wisdom This website is about practice; we try to minimize philosophy. As Red Pine says in his commentary on The Heart Sutra: Buddhism is better understood as a skill or an art to be practiced and perfected,… Continue reading Tranquil Wisdom Zen
Present Moment Awareness Zen
Introduction to Buddhist Practice Nirvana is the highest happiness…the Buddha, as quoted in The Dhammapada, verses 203 and 204. If we complete this course, it will help us develop the Bodhi Mind – the aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. If we have a desire to attain enlightenment for our… Continue reading Present Moment Awareness Zen
Silent Present Moment Zen
Step 3 – First Glimpse of the Ox The Eighth Dharma Realm I hear the song of the nightingale. The sun is warm, the wind is mild, willows are green along the shore – Here no Ox can hide! What artist can draw that massive head, those majestic horns? First Glimpse of the Ox Silent… Continue reading Silent Present Moment Zen
Super Power Mindfulness Zen
Step Nine – Reaching the Source The Second Dharma Realm Too many steps have been taken returning to the root and the source. Better to have been blind and deaf from the beginning! Dwelling in one’s true abode, unconcerned within and without – The river flows tranquilly on and the flowers are red. Reaching the… Continue reading Super Power Mindfulness Zen
Stream Entry Zen Part One
Entering the stream means that we have at least loosened the fetter of belief in an independent self, we no longer have much doubt in the teachings of the Buddha, and we doubt that rites and rituals lead to enlightenment. The Buddha said that stream enterers have at most seven lifetimes to go before entering into Nirvana.… Continue reading Stream Entry Zen Part One
The Core Meditation of Zen
There are numerous meditation techniques. Some use mantras, some use Zen koans, some, like vippasana, monitor thoughts. But the core meditation taught by the Buddha is Tranquil Wisdom meditation. It’s a sixteen step meditation but the steps flow naturally so it’s not a memory test. The sixteen steps are found in Intermediate Zen at www.howtopracticezen.com,… Continue reading The Core Meditation of Zen
54 prostration verses for Zen
A complete Buddhist practice, in my opinion, includes a prostration practice. Complete instructions on how to perform a prostration are found under the heading Prostrations under Advanced Zen. There you will also find a video of three very fast prostrations. We suggest preforming each prostration much slower. To avoid the tedious process of counting fifty… Continue reading 54 prostration verses for Zen