Latest writings

Just as the changing color of a single leaf reveals the arrival of autumn, understanding the individual can lead to an understanding of the Collective. * I don't know a lot of Buddhist monks. Before I edited Just Use This Mind, my exposure to monks in general was limited…

The six senses are the karma of our human existence. The perceptions they generate are directed by our attachments; therefore, we separate our physical body and six senses from the totality of reality. Once you…

Just completed this morning Zen-Seven Retreat at the monastery and over lunch, a few fellow practitioners and I came up with a question: "How do you know if a thought is a habitual thought or a wondering thought instead of a pure thought?" Our answer is: "You must know from where the thought arise. If you do, then it is a pure thought. If you don't, then it is habitual thought." What is your answer?

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,…