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Master Dao Qian was the attendant of the abbot, Master Shi Shuang. After Master Shi Shuang's passing, the community asked the head monk to accept abbotship. Master Dao Qian reminded the assembly, "He must have a grasp of the abbot's teaching before we can accept him." The head monk asked, "What is the teaching of the Abbot?" Dao Qian said, "The abbot used to say, Cease, begone! Rest, begone! Chill,…

  Does it sometimes feel as if you are just caught up in the same routine, endlessly repeating the same mundane actions over and over? Seeing the same sights? Doing the same things? Eating the same foods? Surrounded by the same…

Have you noticed how a child live? She plays hard, cries out loud, enjoys each and every moment without hang ups and inhibitions. She never holds grudge against your moods and attachments, and she lets bygones be bygones. She has no judgments or label on people or things. She is at peace within herself. And when the day is done, we say good night, she sleeps deep and sweet. Are you at peace? Can you hold your emotions in…

The new book, just use this mind, written by Zen Master Miao Tsan (Jian Liao) tells it all. "No theory or spiritual figure--regardless of his or her level of realization--can convey anything higher than the truth. No speaker--or the ideas he expresses--can go beyond the scope of the truth. Any…

Zen has the idea of the beginner's mind - a mind that is fresh and alive. Sometimes I wonder how you can practice beginner's mind when meditation is all about focusing on one thing only - it seems a very stagnant way of using the mind. One would at first think to practice beginner's mind is to keep it moving, keep everything "new". But actually the best way is just the opposite; it is only through repetitiveness that we…