The Sixth Ancestor, Hui Neng, defined Zen as bringing forth no added thoughts about what...

Beginning centuries ago in Buddhist monasteries, time honored meditation techniques were handed down that provided...

Do you recall what motivated you to practice zen was initially? What were you expecting?...

The Journal of the American Medical Association has published research showing that deep, slow, abdominal...

How many years I spent parting the wild grassesto penetrate the inmost depthsThen suddenly I...

The Sixth Zen Ancestor Hui Neng was an illiterate wood cutter. As a young man...

After earnestly seeking the question “What am I?” for a period of time through techniques...

People’s minds aren’t all the sameAny more than people’s facesEveryone clings to his own point...

So far in these teaching essays, we have emphasized breath techniques as an entry point,...

In his transmission verse, the twenty-second ancestor, Manora, wrote the following: The mind turns with...

Last week we touched upon the term Shonen Sozoku. This Japanese phrase translates as “True...

The Heart Sutra has been chanted in Buddhist temples and monasteries worldwide for centuries and...

Only a few short weeks ago, the Zen Center of Las Vegas, while adhering to...

Much of my previous entries have decidedly been focused on the breath.Make no mistake, the...

Zen practice, and the freedom it brings, begins by unconditionally accepting our life, our situation...

“Those who are content to be nothing special are noble people. Don’t strive. Be ordinary....

Gather your strength in one point only – the lower belly!Sadly, most human beings now...

As soon as you recognize thoughts arising simply become aware that has happened. Let go...

“Don’t selfishly attach to anything. Trying to hold on only brings pain. Without likes or...

A beginner’s experience with meditation is sort of like watching a mental movie unfold. An...

Zen Master Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157) wrote the following in his Inscription on Silent Illumination: In...

In the year 1707 Great Master Hakuin was sitting a retreat at Shoin Ji located...

It has been five months now of weekly Monday morning teaching posts. You have come...

Previous weekly posts suggested various meditation techniques. They were presented as a sincere methodology to...

Back in the early 1990’s I was attending a zen retreat at Dharma Zen Center...

Having formally practiced meditation for over three decades, I have found that one’s mental attitude...

During my dharma talks over a period of years, I am famously known for ending...

When you find yourself talking too much, whether it is with your mouth or in...

Hui Neng taught “My seeing is to see constantly my own errors. I do not...

If you have been reading a number of these weekly posts, it should be clear...

The Buddha said “we live in a world where everything is seemingly an expression of...

Zen Master Seung Sahn often said that the most important thing to be mindful of...

This writing represents the final “Monday morning” entry for 2020, a year that will be...

As we enter this new year my wish for all beings globally is for science...

“There is great danger in pushing forward relentlessly.If energy is used to excess, exhaustion follows.This...

Let your mind be still and pure.If you seek longevity, don’t exhaust your body or...

The clinging mind is oftentimes layered by repetitive thought patterns and deep seated constructs that...

One of the most prominent ancestors in the Zen tradition was Master Mazu (709-788) who...

In retrospect, as we look back on the siege of our Capital by an angry...

Over the course of some months now, I have emphasized various meditation techniques. For centuries...

Recently I had a most pleasant Zoom “one on one” with Kwang Roshi, dharma heir...

Mushin is a Japanese word that is described simply as “empty mind.” This emptiness does...

In order to end the unhappiness and anxiety we have “nurtured” for however long, we...

Beginning with the top of your head, focus your attention down through your facial muscles,eyes,...

Japanese Zen Tea Master Sen Rikyu wrote…..“The Way of Tea is naught but this:first you...

Yuanyu is best known as the author of the single most famous Zen book, The...

The way must flow freely. When the mind does not get caught on words, concepts,...

The lineage I was trained in is the Kwan Um School of Zen. It was...

Buddha’s final teaching instructions to his disciples is purportedly found in the Last AdmonitionSutra. The...

I’m writing this early morning on Thursday, April 22nd – Earth Day.An international conference is...

Bodhidharma consistently reminded us that a body comprised of the four elements is subject to...

Zen practice brings us to the realization that our worldview is the product of our...

The sooner one realizes that life is just one moment of the present after another,...

“Your head is slightly suspended,as if by a golden cord.Look gently forwards, relaxing your eyes....

This Zen Blog is the 52nd weekly entry. As such it memorializes one full year...

Samadhi and Prajna go hand in hand.The sixth ancestor instructed that everything we do throughout...

Awhile back I was caught by a quote attributed to the Sixth Ancestor, Hui Neng....

There are a variety of reasons why individuals are drawn to Zen meditation.Intrigued by the...

There is an oft quoted passage in the Tao Te Ching that says:“In the pursuit...

Today is July 8, 2021. As I write this, the current outside temperature is hovering...

This writing represents the 58th blog in a weekly series that has been posted each...

Ups and downs in everyday affairs is zen teaching. Don’t attach to either. Try to...

The 28th ancestor in the line of Buddhism, Bodhidharma also became known asthe first Zen...

My teacher Zen Master Seung Sahn was often heard saying “Open mouth already a mistake.”It...

Last week I placed a few Taoist teachings side by side with Zen to demonstrate...

This blog is a continuation from last week. It is one thing to say, “Oh,...

Bodhidharma is the 28th Ancestor in the transmission line beginning with theBuddha.He is the First...

On the grand scheme of things, over billions of years, human beings as a speciesare...

There is an old Zen saying:“Those who wish to strengthen their sight keep their eyes...

The late Zen Master John “Daido” Loori authored a book titled The Zen of Creativity.Daido...

“Just seek inwardly twenty-four hours a day, in the midst of all activities keeping the...

“There is nothing more lonely than living aloneThere is nothing more tranquil than living aloneThe...

This week’s blog may for some be a little difficult to digest.The Mahasatipatthana Sutra contains...

If the mind stops, that means it is encumbered by something. However, if the minddoes...

All of the zen ancestors had one thing in common. They were adept at cutting...

Most of you are aware that the sixth ancestor, Hui Neng, never attended school.Prior to...

An important point in our practice is to never commit verbal teachings to memory.Carrying around...

“Many Chan Masters attained enlightenment while laboringEven while you work you should be conscious of...

Zen Master Seung Sahn on a couple of occasions remarked to me, “You are tooclever....

Dok Sahn once called on Zen Master Yong Dam and stayed until late evening. Dok...

Getting back to Dok Sahn, he was presented with this conundrum. He bowed,because he realized...

Things come and things go, that is the human experience. But we don’t like that.We...

After returning from his study-pilgrimage, a disciple drew a circle in front of ZenMaster Hui...

Greetings to all during this holiday season. This week’s blog is drawn from two sources.The...

I want to usher in the new year with a few brief excerpts of some...

This cold night bamboos stir,Their sound – now harsh, now soft –Sweeps through the lattice...

One of the most important aspects of zen meditation, if not themost important, is to...

During meditation, the back should not be leaning against anything. It is a normaloccurrence during...

I have been a fan of haiku and other zen poetry for a number of...

Thinking is both linear and sequential. As such it is a separation from theexperience found...

1.) The test of zen is to find that still point within, even in the...

You must silence the constant stream of mental chatter. “It is hard toconceptualize, no less...

When we maintain poise and equanimity, not only during meditation but also inmobile states –...

Like a laser beam, Hui Neng’s teaching has pointed directly to the core of zen...

The Third Ancestor Hsin Hsin Ming’s now famous Trust In Mind is quoted in it’s...

Oftentimes in Zen literature, qualified teachers will make a sincere effort to provideclear direction by...

There is an interesting and productive way to view and digest the conundrum ofthinking in...

It is said that the origin of the great Mississippi River is actually a tiny...

I came across a brief quote in the Tao Te Ching that says:“Meaning in life...

Most of my almost 100 blogs have pointed towards and encouraged time honoredtechniques and meditation...