‘We, as ordinary human beings, are always seeking for something that will give us self satisfaction. In the Japanese Buddhist tradition, this way of being is called “bonpu.” It literally means “an ordinary person.” It is so difficult for us as bonpu to become relaxed or restful because we are constantly seeking for something. This […]
‘The only good advice I ever got about zazen or Zen practice in general is: “It takes time.” I never wanted to believe this, but I think it’s the only advice that anyone gives that is actually true. You just have to sit for a long time, for many years, and then wisdom and trust […]
‘When we reflect on the Buddha, we are reflecting on an example of a being who modeled a particular path of enlightenment based on the premise that we can train the mind to let go of delusion and embrace clarity. When we reflect on the dharma, we reflect on the teachings of the Buddha as […]
‘You can use whatever metaphor comes up for you that will help you spot an unskillful thought and drop it. I had an image once of myself moving a piano and putting it down on my foot. Well, if you don’t want the piano on your foot, don’t put it there. Find whatever kind of […]
‘Through the practice period Buddha’s way will be known in America. The practice period originated with Buddha’s sangha (community of disciples) during the rainy season in India when the monks could not go wandering from village to village begging and teaching. In Japan only certain Zen temples are given the privilege of being able to […]
‘If I say, “When you do zazen you become buddha,” that is beautiful, but it is still words, still doctrine, still the moon in the water. Put it aside and just do zazen.’ (Returning to Silence) Let’s face it, whatever the phrase is, put it aside, and just do zazen. You’ll get into less trouble that […]
‘Each of the two views, both dual and nondual, enhances and informs the other. If we look at our differentiated, relative world from the realm of nondual awareness, each object in the relative world is rendered unique by the possibility of its disappearing into undifferentiated reality. One Zen master said that when he took his […]
‘I have spoken many times about posture, which is one third of the sitting position, but also the breath sits, the mind sits. It’s hard to talk about zazen body and zazen mind separately. Maybe it’s just a convenience to say, “From the physical, bodily perspective, I sit this way.” On the other hand, one […]
‘Most people allow their mind to be obstructed from the world and then try to escape from the world. They don’t realise that their mind obstructs the world. If they could only let their minds be empty, the world would be empty. Don’t misuse the mind. If you want to be free of the world, […]
‘Seeing is never from memory. It has no memory. It is looking now. The total organism is involved in seeing. Not thinking about what is said from memory, but listening and looking openly now. No one can do that for us. We can only do that ourselves, discovering directly whether what is heard, said, or read is […]
