Latest writings

Student:  How do I deal with wandering thoughts during the meditation? Master:  When we are practicing…

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…

Student: What is real? Master: The moment you achieve enlightenment, you will realize it.  Before you achieve enlightenment, nothing is real. …

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,…

"Approximately thirteen hundred years ago, in the Tang Dynasty, a practitioner called Mazu Daoyi meditated each day, trying to attain enlightenment. His teacher, the enlightened Master Nan- Yue Hui- Rang, recognized Mazu's capacity as a dharma vessel and therefore wanted to help him achieve a breakthrough by pointing out instructions.…