Category: Zen Meditation
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Dharma Entrustment Ceremony for Roger Hillyard
Photo by Matt Nickel Roger Hillyard (Henzan Tokuryu, Universally Seeking/Receiving the Stream) received Lay Teacher Entrustment from Central Abbot Ed Sattizahn on May 23, 2025. This ceremony recognizes Roger as a lay teacher in the Suzuki Roshi lineage. In a statement, Roger said: “Lay Entrustment charged me with the responsibility to practice, model, and…
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Life is Suffering (Dharma Talk)
In this Dharma talk, I discuss Buddhism’s first noble truth, “Life is Suffering.” At first, this teaching may seem morbid and nihilistic. However, when we look deeper, we find that the first noble truth serves to change our perspective; giving us an “enlightened pessimism” that protects us from suffering. If you enjoyed this Dharma talk,…
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Change Is the Only Constant – The Existential Paradox: Part VII | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ LIFΞ ∞
~ ∞ ~ Change Is the Only Constant – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ If there’s anything certain in this world, it is the truth that everything in life is fleeting and impermanent; everything changes and nothing ever stays the same. Everything is in a constant flux of change, which goes on…
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Misunderstanding Zen
Kusen by Richard Reishin Collins, Abbot New Orleans Zen Temple Winter Sesshin Saturday, December 28, 2024 There is much to misunderstand in Zen teachings. Never take any instruction or description or pronouncement to be absolute—including this one. Here and now, for example, does not mean just here and just now. “Without benefit of words or…
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Society is a Shared Hallucination (Dharma Talk)
In this Dharma talk, I discuss a teaching from Vasubandhu’s “Treatise on the Three Natures”. I use his description of reality to explain how societies are created, and the circumstances under which we should opt-out of societal norms. …
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Celebrating A Buddhist Thanksgiving (Dharma Talk)
In this Dharma talk, I read a passage from the Ornament of Realization Sutra and discuss how it relates to Thanksgiving. In the end, I show how traditional Thanksgiving practices like sharing food and spending time with family help us cultivate the wholesome Dharmas of generosity and gratitude. If you enjoyed this Dharma talk, you’ll…
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The Mystery of Consciousness 2/2 | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ∞ ~ The Mystery of Consciousness 2/2 – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to the nature of consciousness, one can pose a question: Do animals have consciousness? Do plants? To which the answer can be given: as the nature of consciousness is very much…
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The Mystery of Consciousness 1/2 | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ∞ ~ The Mystery of Consciousness 1/2 – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ In this section, we dive deeper into the topic of consciousness and its relation to awareness (which has its own dedicated section following this one). A good way to start would be to say that as we begin…
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Only Two Things Matter in Life (Dharma Talk)
I explore the age-old question, “How Should I Spend My Time?” and discuss the two most important items on everyone’s to-do list. …