Being in the moment: a key foundation in Zen philosophy, teaching and practice. Why? In Zen, reality is only found in this immediate moment since the past is dead, and the future not yet born. Experiencing genuine, concrete reality of the moment - good or bad- is the only way to approach truthful reality as […]
What is a "don't know" mind in Zen In Zen, “don’t know mind” is the clear, open awareness that appears when we drop all our mindset thoughts , ideas, judgment, about ourselves, about others, and meet the reality of the current moment directly, as it is. It is not stupidity or vagueness, or cowardise, but […]
Compulsive thinking : a Zen perspective. What is it ? It is our mind’s unchosen and unstoppable activity that modern psychology calls default-mode rumination or automatic unwanted thought. How Zen sees thoughts: 1- Zen sees thinking as a natural ongoing function, like digestion. It cannot be stopped. The problems with our thoughts are the following: […]
The parable of the 2 arrows: How the Buddha is using this metaphor to explain the difference between pain and suffering. Meaning of the parable: The first arrow is the unavoidable pain caused by ongoing external factors. The following second arrow is the self- induced suffering triggered by our reactive emotional mind. If the initial […]
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Training your body, mind and heart while under stress Stressors are everywhere, permanent, either acute i.e. loss of a loved one or chronic such as guilt They are defined as an event being perceived as generating negativities of all sorts.They consciously affect our body, mind and social interactions when they are acute, but, when they […]
Stress and stressors To understand the effectiveness of mindfulness-based meditation in dealing with stress, it is important to understand in detail what stress and stressors are, and what they do. Next week we will talk about therapeutic approaches using body scanning, mind scanning, and meditation. What is stress? The term “stress” was coined for the […]
What is contentment? A Zen perspective Contentment in Zen is a quiet, unconditional “acceptance" with things , events, and people whatever good or bad they are.Contentment arises when judgment, comparison, clinging , resistance , aversion drop away and life is allowed to be just as it is in the current moment. It has nothing to […]
Touching Peace in Everyday Life Every year, as the New Year approaches, we send and receive messages wishing health, prosperity, and peace. In a world filled with rushing, distractions, and competition, these words can feel like empty clichés. Health can be pursued by caring for our bodies and attending to our needs. Prosperity, we’re good […]
