SANGHA BLOG

More Essentials of Zen Practice

Four other essentials of Zen are silence, discipline, ritual, and study. These elements give us a great structure to really ‘be’ and my...

Dropping Off Body-Mind

“Through consistent meditation practice, we will begin to recognize the separate self as a fiction, and we will begin the experience our...

Suffering and Sadness are Part of Being Human (part 2)

Is there an escape from hardships? I doubt it. Is there a way to face hardship with some degree of equanimity? Pema Khandro addresses...

Suffering and Sadness Are Part of Being Human (part 1)

One thing I’ve learned in my practice is that there are no guarantees – with perhaps a major exception. That is that we will all face...

When Called, Just Come

I was recovering from a three-day flu. I had congestion and a nagging cough. Hurricane Elsa was on her way up the Gulf. It was raining...

Remembering Our True Home

As prisoners most of us are touched keenly by how unpleasant and stressful daily living can be. When we were free, our desire to attain...

How Impermanence Enriches Our Lives

Joko Beck’s thoughts on tragedy were a challenge for me, but I was attracted to these lines: “From the moment of conception our life is...

Three Essentials of Zen Practice

Claude Anshin Thomas’ book, Bringing Meditation To Life, is a collection of short, practical Zen teachings. Chapter 10 is titled “Go...

The Seventh Phase of Meditative Development by Master Sheng-Yen

HARMONIZING THE MIND So here we are. We have come to the last phase of Master Sheng-Yen's teaching: No-Self, No-Mind. My hope is that you...

The Sixth Phase of Meditative Development by Master Sheng-Yen

This month we look at phase six, ''The Unified Mind of Samadhi''. This is where your whole world is blown to bits. Where all of your...