Surrender: Zen meaning  Surrendering has many negative attributes: As far Zen is concerned, to surrender means something entirely different, if not, the opposite  It does not mean to give up whatever situation you find yourself in, and to do nothing about it.  To surrender is the simple but profound wisdom skill that Zen called “yielding […]

                     Zen is easy but difficult, simple but complex, exciting but boring Zen is really just two things,  by two,  I mean one, by one I mean zero, and by zero, I mean 100, maybe 10,000, maybe I mean infinity.  The two things are meditation and experiencing the realities of the moment.                                                                                                                                                             1-Meditation:  […]

About Mind: Zen point of view Our mind is just an instrument, a tool to be used wisely for specific tasks such as analysis and decision. When the task is completed, don't let your mind control you 24/7. I would say that around 90% of our huge amount of thinking is repetitive, wishful thinking, memory […]

                        How to stay serene  The following are so-called “virtues” or skills that one should learn and practice in order to remain serene in most situations.    What is happening is meant to be even if we don’t get what we want or if we […]

  Managing our restless moody mind It is mainly our moods as much as anything else that determine our quality of life. As we wander through many daily moods, it is important to remember that each mood positive and negative involves a choice. We have the choice to assume responsibility for the genesis and content of […]

                THE POWER OF  SMILING: when, how, and why  Most of us are resistant to doing this exercise. We feel it is fake or unnatural to smile w/o a reason. ….and yet it is recommended not only by psychotherapists (Ref 1)  but also described in Zen literature (Ref 2).  When to smile? Our face is a […]

EXPECTATIONS: HIDDEN SOURCES OF WORRIES Expectations are true desires projected in the future, and, like any desires they may cause suffering.                Of course, we cannot live w/o expectations regarding our loved ones, self, work, events, and life in general..                   […]

Why is it so hard to meditate every day? Our Western culture, education, and social profile are imposing on us to be busy. Our ego also loves to be busy because it may imply “ I am indispensable, important, I am not lazy, and I don’t want to be bored”. To the question “ How […]

   Present Moment: How to be in the Now: few tips Please go to the last Dharma lecture “ NOW: the magic of the present moment “ as introduction. Being in the present moment as often as possible has been stressed over and over by all Zen spiritual leaders for the last 2,000 years or so. […]

The Zen Definition Trap Trying to find out the meaning of Zen is like trying to describe the smell of a rose. It will be an exercise in frustration. We can describe the sensory organ but not the sensorial experience – the nose is an instrument for smelling but it will be tough to describe […]