Category: Zen Meditation
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Will You Choose Enlightenment (Dharma Talk)
In this Dharma talk, I discuss Bodhi Day celebrations and the story of Buddha’s enlightenment. More specifically, I discuss the primary lesson we should take from his journey to liberation, and how it can influence our own practice. …
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Living Consciousness – Vibrant Interconnected Reality | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ღ ~ Living Consciousness ~ ((( ॐ ))) ~ Vibrant Interconnected Reality ~ ღ ~ As an extension of the previous chapters, this chapter expands upon the information on consciousness and its relation to awareness. In this chapter, we will take a dive into the deeper waters of consciousness – it goes in tandem…
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Panpsychism – An Easy Escape From the Dilemma of Consciousness | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ CONSCIOUSNΞSS ∞
~ ∞ ~ Panpsychism – An Easy Escape From the Dilemma of Consciousness ~ ∞ ~ To further our discussion about consciousness, it is imperative to briefly dip our toes into something that may or may not shed some light on the complexity of understanding consciousness, and why consciousness is so difficult subject matter, especially…
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Learning to Walk Alone
I’ve been alone my entire life. I don’t mean that literally, of course. I have a large family, a girlfriend, and a job that requires me to speak with people on a near-constant basis. When I was younger, I served in the Marine Corps. where I routinely shared a squad bay with 60 other men. …
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Goodness is It’s Own Reward (Dharma Talk)
I discuss the “paradigm of meritocracy, and how it can set up wrong expectations when we go about our daily lives. I also discuss the Buddhist practice of Intoku; explaining how it can help motivate us toward Right Action when there is no clear benefit to ourselves or others. If you enjoyed this Dharma talk,…
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Awakening From the Dream of Life (2/2) | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ ΛWΛRΞNΞSS ∞
~ ღ ~ Awakening From the Dream of Life 2/2 ~ ღ ~ During several subsequent years, I began to observe my surroundings even closer than before, and what I found was shocking to say the least. Whenever I looked around, no matter where I looked, I saw people sleepwalking through their lives, with each…
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Awakening From the Dream of Life (1/2) | Awaken the Living Awareness Within ∞ ΛWΛRΞNΞSS ∞
~ ღ ~ Awakening From the Dream fo Life 1/2 ~ ღ ~ Perhaps it is best to start this chapter with the following thought: so far in our journey through this book, we have encountered many different aspects of life in several of its sections, each exploring different facets of the same, with a…
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The Boy Who Loved Dragons
The attrition rate of some professional schools — law schools or nursing, for example — is high. But not as high as the attrition rate in Zen training. Of course, the payoffs for those professional schools are tangible, bankable. There are no such promising returns on investment for the Zen student. Still, it always surprises…
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Sweeping Up Wood Chips
If one were to visit my home in the wintertime, they’d see wood chips all over the house. They end up on the floor, and on the chairs, and I’ve even found them in my bedroom. I use the wood chips in my chicken coop to provide nesting material and warmth to the birds. They’re…
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Create Pockets of Contentment (Dharma Talk)
I discuss Buddhist pure lands and the challenge of facing all of the world’s suffering. Using the pure land teaching I show how we can create small sanctuaries that save ourselves and others from harm. …