Breathing: A Miracle Moment First, we sit comfortably on a cushion or a chair. Then we keep your back erect without straining or overarching and keep your chin horizontal. Close your eyes. If not, gaze gently a few feet in front of you w/o staring. Aim for a state of alert relaxation. Take three or […]
How to apply mindfulness in dealing with our suffering Edited from a Dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh Dealing with our suffering using the usual “fight”: We try our best to get rid of it our suffering. Psychologists like the expression, “getting it out of your system.” which is venting the cause of suffering. Some […]
The practice of awareness One of the first Zen practices I learned from my teachers was the practice of awareness. I am not talking about cognitive-based awareness such as “Yes I am aware of this or that meaning I know “. In this example, awareness is just an automatic recall process from our data-based knowledge. […]
The four foundations of Mindfulness as taught by the Buddha To be mindful is to pay attention / contemplate something w/o further judgmental, analytic, and decisional processes. It can be on a material object, thought, emotion, behavior. The 4 foundations of mindfulness are the fundamental teachings of the Buddha on meditation as the way to […]
Mindfulness in motion The first time I met my second Zen teacher was in his kitchen,14 years ago. He was peeling potatoes. Being absorbed with what he was doing, he did not notice me. I watched him for almost 1 min. and was puzzled how slow his movements were. It was like watching a […]
The power of equanimity How do we sustain our sanity in the face of sudden internal and external challenges? In Zen Buddhist the answer is equanimity. For many, the word equanimity implies passivity, coolness, indifference, even sort of “whatever” . The Pali word for equanimity is upekkha, which is effectively translated as” balance”. Visualize […]
If we leave our inner prosecutor that I will call Mrs./Mr. Negativity, unrecognized and unchecked, it creates a pattern of negative emotional roller coaster that can undermine our well-being and destroy our serenity. This prosecutor will accuse you of what we did /didn’t, should do/don’t with many negative feelings as consequence. These negative feelings are […]
Zen master If you look at the meaning of the word Maxim it is a ‘short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct’. I found it very fitting. The concept of a master or guru is central to many eastern philosophies. The idea is simple – in the world of darkness we need […]
Dialogue between a student and teacher about 3 topics: About suffering: Zen says that desire, hate, and illusions are the main causes of suffering and I have to be mindful of them in order to have better control of my emotions and delusion. Right? YES But if I want to control my desires, hate or […]
How the ego intellectualizes existence Angela I am struggling with the contrast between the roles that I perform, the clinging and aversion that are attached to these roles, and the desire to be free of it all. I know that my roles are just social constructs and are not “real” but as a mother, […]
