Tag: Zen

Zen Buddhism, also known as Chan Buddhism, is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China. It is characterized by its emphasis on direct experience and meditation as a means to attain enlightenment. Zen Buddhism places great importance on the concept of “awakening” or &ldqu...

Tenzen was my friend. He was a Zen Master monk. He is no longer among the living. We had several conversations. This was one of those moments. Me: Have you ever experienced real love Tenzen? Tenzen: Yes Me: I wish I could say that. Tenzen: Think back. Website

I think the essence of this rule is about taking a moment???—???five, fifteen, thirty minutes, however much or little???—???to wake up, breathe, and collect yourself before the day. I’ve never been one for incense or candles, but both are used in sacred and religious rituals as a w...

I come from a country where you have to take weeks, months, or years of appointments in advance and God forbids you miss that exact appointment time. If you do, you go back to the waiting list. In China, things are slightly different. When I first went to my father-in-law’s electric car dea...

Ak??an is a question, story, dialogue, or statement often supplemented with commentaries, that is used in Zen practice to provoke the initial insight of Zen students. Prolonged koan study shatters small-minded identification, and pride that comes with initial insight, and promotes further developmen...

There is something approaching a tradition of Zen Catholicism. We could cite Thomas Merton, whose exchanges with D.T. Suzuki became Zen and the Birds of Appetite. Pablo d’Ors, in talks and in books like Biography of Silence, has cast light on the uses of Zen to ordinary Christians. A...

An empty mind is the mind of myth Emptying one’s mind isn’t altogether possible. Our mind’s sole purpose is to help us survive; it accomplishes this by generating upwards of 50,000 thoughts daily. In meditation practice, they arise; unless we engage with them (like a d...

Some suffering is an expression of natural law — an essential tool for survival. For the unaware individual, it is often a negative experience, especially if this individual has made poor choices in the past. Compassion, one of the most worthy, and admired of human qualities; often comes fr...

Ibrought a book I had written on Essential Zen to a S??t?? Zen master who told me that “It did not sound like Zen” and that clearly, I had no understanding of Zen or Zen scripture. He said “It is a modern mish-mash of this and that”, steeped in dualism and sounds...

The Power of Mindfulness Mindful Awareness: Central to the teachings of Social Zen is the practice of mindfulness. By cultivating a heightened awareness of the present moment, individuals can break free from the shackles of anxiety and worry. This practice enables a deeper connection with oneself...