Uselessly Doing Nothing: Zazen without Techniques
Last Tuesday we had a lively class discussion on zazen that went almost 30 minutes overtime! First, we read the "Nothing to attain, Nothing to enlighten" chapter from Rev. Issho Fujita's book Polishing a Tile.(1) Then we debated whether zazen should involve any...
Our Sangha’s Response to Suffering in the World
It's tricky - we want our spiritual communities to be places of refuge from the over-stimulation and conflict in the world outside our temple walls. No one wants to come to practice at the Zen center only to participate in a political debate, or be told what they...
Testimonials! Zazen Is Not (Just) Meditation Practice
Last Sunday, I asked Bright Way members in attendance at the Dharma Talk to write down why they love zazen – or at least why they continue doing it. These testimonials were anonymous – papers were folded and put in a basket, and then I read them out loud. You can find these inspiring and touching offerings below.
Bendowa: Zen Master Dogen on Why Zazen Is Such a Big Deal
In the 13th century, a Japanese Buddhist monk named Eihei Dogen traveled to China to search for the truth. He discovered a teacher there who emphasized zazen above all else, and in studying with him Dogen found the resolution to his personal koan. Dogen then traveled...
Calling on the Power of Compassion
Many Buddhists throughout history have prayed to Kanzeon, the bodhisattva of compassion, for succor. That kind of prayer continues today. Kanzeon is also known as Avalokiteshvara, Kannon, and Guan Yin. Sometimes portrayed as male, sometimes as female, she's hands-down...
The Sangha Jewel: Community as a Medicine for Modern Ills
Over the last year, the Bright Way Zen community, our Sangha jewel, has grown significantly. This growth has not just been in terms of numbers (we now have 50 members), it's been in terms of maturity, commitment, investment, and strength. More and more people consider...
You Don’t Need to Improve or Get Anything to Fulfill the Buddha Way
You don’t need to improve one iota, change anything about yourself, or obtain anything you don’t already have, in order to fulfill the Buddha Way and directly experience the ultimate goal of Zen.
How Important Is It to Study Buddhist Teachings?
Study isn’t absolutely necessary, bit it’s a powerful, traditional, and possibly indispensable practice tool – but not in the way many of us might think. Study in Zen or Buddhism isn’t about acquiring knowledge. We study in order to challenge the ideas we already have.
You Can’t Walk the Path Without Help from Your Friends
Did you know admirable friendship is considered essential to walking the Buddhist path? The Buddha said “With regard to external factors, I don't envision any other single factor like admirable friendship as doing so much for a monk in training,”[i] and this certainly...
Everything Is Okay: Finding Solace by Remembering a Larger Perspective
Spiritual teachings, including those found in Zen, basically assert the following: There is a sense in which everything is okay when life is viewed from a larger perspective. The key to maintaining happiness and peace in our lives is connecting with, or having faith in, the reality of this larger perspective.
The Buddha’s Five Things to Consider Before Speaking
The Buddha taught there were five things to consider before speaking.[v] Is what you’re about to say: Factual and true Helpful, or beneficial Spoken with kindness and good-will (that is, hoping for the best for all involved) Endearing (that is, spoken gently, in a way...
Right Speech: Refraining from Lying, Divisive or Abusive Speech, and Idle Chatter
The Buddha gave quite a number of teachings on right speech over the course of his 45-year teaching career. Clearly, he taught that paying attention to how you express yourself verbally was considered an essential part of practice. Obviously, our speech has an effect...
Two Sides of Practice Part 3: When We Neglect Samadhi Power, and How the Two Sides are Complementary
What about neglecting samadhi power, and overemphasizing karma relationship? This is when we try to get free from our suffering, be a good and wholesome person, have harmonious relationships, and/or aspire to greater wisdom and compassion – and then we struggle in our efforts in same way we struggle with the rest of our ordinary tasks. Approaching things only from the relative perspective, we set goals or adopt ideals, work hard, notice when we’ve fallen short, devise another way, and try harder. Chances are good we also criticize ourselves, compare ourselves to others, and experience a mixture of frustration, pride, and shame. Caught up in the drama of the relative, we fail to see things from a larger perspective, and may succumb to arrogance, depression or despair.
Two Sides of Practice Part 2: When We Neglect Karma Relationship
Two Sides of Practice, but Only One Reality I’ve heard people say karma relationship work is about the “relative world,” while samadhi power is about the absolute. There’s some truth in this statement, in the sense that relationships between beings and things are part...
Two Sides of Practice Part 1: Samadhi Power and Karma Relationship – Definitions
Buddhist practice can be seen as consisting of two parts, and both are essential. The first part is cultivating “samadhi power,” or our ability to perceive – or be awake to – the absolute aspect of reality. We do this through practices including meditation,...
Skillful Means: The Buddhist Teaching on How to Share Your Wisdom – Part 3
The Buddhist concept of “upaya,” expedient or skillful means, arose around the dawn of the common era – about 2,000 years ago. It emphasizes that even if we possess wisdom, when we want to share it with other beings and help them, it’s not so easy to do so. We need to...
Skillful Means: The Buddhist Teaching on How to Share Your Wisdom – Part 2
The Buddhist concept of “upaya,” expedient or skillful means, arose around the dawn of the common era – about 2,000 years ago. It emphasizes that even if we possess wisdom, when we want to share it with other beings and help them, it’s not so easy to do so. We need to...
Skillful Means: The Buddhist Teaching on How to Share Your Wisdom – Part 1
The Buddhist concept of “upaya,” expedient or skillful means, arose around the dawn of the common era – about 2,000 years ago. It emphasizes that even if we possess wisdom, when we want to share it with other beings and help them, it’s not so easy to do so. We need to be patient, creative, and compassionate so they will be able to hear, accept, and act on what we have to share.
The Middle Way Between Self-Centered and Do-Gooder
Most Zen teachers I know will readily admit to you that when they offer a teaching, it's usually something that they need to remember as much as anyone. With that disclaimer, then, I can write this post without sounding like I'm criticizing everyone else for being...
A Handy Chart for Understanding Absolute and Relative
Zen talks about absolute and relative alot - which each one is, how to wake up to the absolute, and how to reconcile and harmonize the two sides. Sometimes the discussion of relative and absolute can get pretty philosophical and abstract. To help ground and guide our...
Zazen: The Incredibly Difficult Practice of Not-Doing
Our practice of zazen is also known as shikantaza, a Japanese term that can be translated as "nothing but precisely sitting." The whole point is to just sit there. Doing nothing. A practice of not-doing. This is so difficult for us, we can hardly even conceive of it....
Missing Kyogen Carlson and His Dharma
[I wrote this short essay in 2015; Kyogen Carlson passed away Sept. 18th, 2014, and we held our Founder's Memorial ceremony for him last weekend.] At my Zen Center last Sunday we read and discussed a beautiful teaching from Kyogen Carlson, one of my Zen teachers. It...
Renewal in the Stillness and Silence of Meditation
It can be helpful to think of meditation as renewal time for our body-minds. The space of meditation, at least Zen meditation, involves a realignment of the self with the universe. Getting caught up in activity can invite us to assert the self against the world,...
The Practice of “Not-Knowing:” Relief of Stress, Ground for Effective Action
What's your response when I say, “The best way to respond to the great suffering in the world is with the practice of ‘not-knowing’?” Maybe you react to that statement with suspicion and aversion. Part of me does, because I care deeply about the suffering,...
Five Ways to Make Your Work Spiritual Practice
These are five ways we can make our work into spiritual practice. They're from the "Tenzokyokun," or "Instructions to the [Head Monastery] Cook," which was written by Zen master Dogen in 1237, following a long tradition of Zen "work practice." In the essay, Dogen...
Deepening Your Zazen: When It’s Good Not to Be Satisfied
If you're always satisfied with your zazen, you're probably selling yourself short. If you're never satisfied with your zazen, you may want to learn how to deepen it. Possibly the worst thing to do is ignore any dissatisfaction with your zazen because you think you're...
Why Does God/Buddha Nature Let Bad Things Happen?
Humans have been struggling with this dilemma for ages: God is good – even synonymous with love – and all-powerful, so why does he continue to allow such suffering in the world? For a Zen Buddhist, this question is phrased like this: All being is Buddha-nature and this empty world is inherently precious and without defilement, but still the world is full of suffering. It feels as if there are two separate realities – and much of the time it seems they have nothing to do with each other. How do we integrate them? Is it possible?
The Importance of Sangha Part 5 of 5 – Sangha As Service
Part 5 of the Importance of Sangha (see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4): There are many, many more benefits of Sangha I could go into, but I’ll end this series of posts with how Sangha can become a practice of generosity and service to others. Let’s say you’ve been...
The Importance of Sangha Part 4
Some sangha relationships can be very difficult and challenging over the years, but exactly those relationships present the greatest opportunity for growth. We learn and change as a result of our friction with one another – like potatoes cleaning one another in a sink full of water, or rocks being polished in a tumbler. In our most uncomfortable relationships, we may also have the chance to recognize and resolve lifelong negative karma.
The Importance of Sangha Part 3
Continuing with the importance of Sangha: It’s very precious to form Dharma friendships! These can last a lifetime. At the same time, social interactions aren’t always easy. Sangha also presents us with an opportunity to work through our social issues because we all commit to taking responsibility for ourselves, stop blaming others, and examine our reactions.