Exploring and Polishing the Sangha Jewel
Article by Myoju Bella Jhunjhunwala Zen practice is often perceived as a solitary endeavor, picture the dark robed practitioner sitting still in zazen practice, delving deep into herself to find her Buddha Nature. While it is true that the practice takes personal...
Our Growing Children’s Program
Article by Marcia Kahn Bright Way Zen’s Strategic Plan aims not only to deepen the engagement of current members (Goal One) but also to share the Dharma with more people (Goal Two) and our Children’s Program hits both of these targets. Plus it’s fun and rewarding for...
Building a Culture of Gratitude
Article by Jinryu Janna Allgood Remember the last time you received a hand written Thank You note in the mail? Maybe it was from a friend or relative, or possibly a four-year old, learning to write but thanking you nonetheless for a birthday gift. How did that...
Bright Way Zen Creates Strategic Plan to Address Priorities
Article by Jeff Young, Chairman of the Board Our mission is to help people find spiritual peace, deepen their wisdom and manifest compassion. Our vision states that we will offer a place of spiritual refuge for Washington County and we will be build a warm, vibrant...
Enacting the Bodhisattva Vow
“Beings are numberless, I vow to save them all.” We sit on our cushions and recite this Bodhisattva vow, envisioning a sea of people caught in the throes of greed, hatred and delusion and wishing with all our hearts to free them of their suffering. As Zen...
Prayers for One Towards Whom We Feel Anger and Outrage
At Bright Way, we've been discussing the Brahmaviharas lately, particularly goodwill (metta) and compassion (karuna). One of the main questions we've been addressing, naturally, is how to deal with anger and hatred - our own, as well as that of others. When someone is...
Zen Practice as Path – Six Tips
Our whole life, no matter what happens, can be ennobled by seeing it as path.
Path implies movement, progress, change, development, growth, discovery, and purpose. We don’t just turn 18, or 25, or 30 and then stop growing and learning. Thank goodness! Instead, there’s no limit to how much more skillful, wise, compassionate, and authentic we can become, and we continue on that path of development – hopefully – for our entire lives.
Zen Is Not a Self-Improvement Project – Or Is It?
In Zen, self-improvement is not the main point. You still gotta keep working on it, but Zen’s main point is that you have access to ultimate peace and perfection just the way you are. Liberation isn’t dependent on the degree of your self-improvement.
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...