Category: Zen Meditation
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96. Buddha Nature Is Not A Thing
Oftentimes in Zen literature, qualified teachers will make a sincere effort to provideclear direction by using words like emptiness, silence, calm, serenity , stillness,tranquility, simplicity, quiescence. The sixth ancestor additionally gave encouragement by adding that we shouldcultivate an openness of “not being moved around by anything” while also “notattaching good or bad (judgements) to our…
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95. When Doubts Arise, Simply Say Not Two
The Third Ancestor Hsin Hsin Ming’s now famous Trust In Mind is quoted in it’s entiretyelsewhere on this website. Towards the end, the ancestor states:“To come directly into harmony with reality.Just simply say when doubts arise, not two.”In this “not two” nothing is separate, nothing excluded.No matter when or where, enlightenment means entering this truth.”…
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Greens’ Chef Katie Reicher on Her New Cookbook and Her Journey to Greens
By Tova Green Katie Reicher, Executive Chef at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, has published her first cookbook, Seasons of Greens. Katie is Greens’ fourth Executive Chef (all of them women) since it was founded in 1979. Cooking has been an important part of Katie’s life since childhood. “I grew up in a huge,…
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Celebrating Recent Shusos at SFZC
Photo by Shundo David Haye. There have been several Shusos at SFZC since early 2024, when we last ran a feature on them. Please see below to get up to date on our four newest Shusos. Warm wishes and congratulations to all! Senior Dharma Teacher Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts (l) and Shuso Nyokai Shindo Kristin…
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Lost Cats and Buddhist Love
As I write this one of our cats, Finn, is sprawled across my lap. He is an all-white, American short hair with blue eyes and below average intelligence. I’ve watched him carefully plan his leap onto the bookshelf only to jump headfirst into the wall. And he regularly gets lost wandering through our house; meowing…
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Learning to be Intolerant
Acceptance is a big deal in Buddhist circles. We’re told that we must accept suffering, accept mistreatment, accept the opinions of others. We’re told to be like the ocean, which accepts all things and rejects nothing. Much of this thinking is rooted in a slavish dependence on the absolute. This is especially true in Zen…
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The Celestial Gatekeeper Speaks | Wisdom Teachings of Sambodhi Padmasamadhi (Volumes 1-70)
~ ∞ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi – Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~ This is the preface and introduction for a 70-volume series called “Wisdom Teachings of Sambodhi Padmasamadhi.” Due to their length, the text has been divided into multiple parts. Here is the full list of contents for your convenience. • Preface. • Dear…
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The Celestial Oversoul Speaks | Wisdom Teachings of Sambodhi Padmasamadhi (Volumes 1-70)
~ ∞ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi – Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~ This is the preface and introduction for a 70-volume series called “Wisdom Teachings of Sambodhi Padmasamadhi.” Due to their length, the text has been divided into multiple parts. Here is the full list of contents for your convenience. • Preface. • Dear…
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Judgment and discernment
Imagine, if you will, that you are having lunch with a friend in your favorite diner. It’s a cold winter’s day, and both of you have ordered bowls of chili. Sampling a spoonful, your friend notes that the chili is spicier than usual. That’s fine with him but not so fine with you. It’s far…
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THE ZEN MONK TO HIS DESIGNER DOG
Richard Reishin Collins Here’s a lighthearted poem of mine, “The Zen Monk to His Designer Dog,” published in Alien Buddha Zine 61 (April 2024). In this dramatic monologue in the mode of Robert Browning, the monk speaks directly to his canine companion and addresses (however obliquely) Joshu’s famous koan from The Gateless Gate (Mumonkan) about…