By tradition, we differentiate our thoughts from our emotions, but Zen is teaching us that they are, quite often, tightly entangled like 2 sides of the same coin. They are our mental twins. Therefore, a vicious circle can build up between our thoughts and emotions, feeding each other back and forth between our subconscious and […]
Does our mind generate reality? A quick look at the dictionary reveals a wide range of definitions for Reality. Cambridge Dictionary: Reality is how things are, not how you would like them to be. From a Buddhist/Zen perspective, our beliefs and reality are deeply intertwined. Buddhism teaches that what we commonly experience as "reality" is […]
The mind watcher How to interact with our mind is the #1 determinant of all other Zen key points, because, w/o proper interaction, we are most deluded in a mind-made fictional world full of traps. What are the main functions of our mind that I will call mind output:? There are 3: Cognitive-based analysis/decision, interaction […]
Karma: Sanskrit word for “ action/ volition”. Its origin is found in Indian religion and philosophy. It defines the moral and ethical law of causality that is to say: cause is inducing effect. More precisely: Action ( doing) and intention (thinking) trigger or will trigger consequences accordingly. Action and intention are interrelated meaning action >>>intention […]
The 4th Noble Truth “Setting the Wheel of the Dharma in Motion” As humans, we can’t seem to find our way to inner peace, our lives are constantly oscillating with ups and downs, and we are so attached to getting what we want (pleasure) and avoiding what we don’t want (pain) that we live in […]
It was a very nice garden party organized by Ana and Cathy for our 10th-year anniversary. Thanks for all who joined us. Arnaud
DIALOGUE with STUDENTS: What if……? Setting: Sheridan College campus 2013. Dialogue between students and an invited Zen teacher. Student: You wrote somewhere that when someone is talking to you, in person or on the telephone, always remind yourself this: “ This person …..or myself could die anytime” Don’t you think that your thought is depressive, […]
How to assess our Mind/Body Energy Level: the palm test. The following is an interesting little exercise that I learned from a Tibetan monk living in Dharamshala with the Dalai Lama who was with us for 2 years at our temple in Toronto learning English. His name was Lin Chung. It is called the “palm […]
Letting go The monkey coconut trap is well known. The principle is simple. Put a banana in an empty coconut shell with a small hole. The monkey grabs the banana to eat it later, but cannot get his hand out because he wants to hold the banana at all costs. He is trapped. Humans are […]
The simple power of presence by Mark We talk often, when discussing the benefits of a meditation practice, about the positive effects it has personally. It is a little paradoxical because one of the core teachings of Buddhism is that there is no separate self and yet we keep trying to improve it by […]
