12th century Zen Master Hongzhi Zhengjue’s emphasis and central teaching theme was ‘Shikantaza’, the form of silent meditation (‘just sitting’) that is at the heart of Soto Zen practice. This poem, Guidepost of Silent Illumination, is a suggestive guideline for silent meditation built on – among others – the legacy of Zhengjue’s predecessors Shitou and Dongshan.
In his 1946 essay, Why I Write, George Orwell set out what he saw as the main motivators for writing: they were, sheer egotism, esthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse and political purpose. He recounts how, under different circumstances, the fourth reason might not have been so compelling to him, but the way that his life unfolded (serving with the Imperial Polive in Burma; witnessing the rise of fascism under Adolf Hitler and reporting on the Spanish Civil War), he found himself becoming more politically engaged in his writing.
Gwendolyn Brooks’ Boy Breaking Glass looks at the creative imperative and the drive towards expression in a boy with curtailed options. Dedicated to the writer Marc Crawford who asked Brooks to write a poem about inequality, the images she uses are detractive and dissonant – the hole in the glass filled with the contrasting black and white objects.
Ibn Arabi was a 13th century mystic, poet and philosopher in the Islamic tradition. He lived between Spain and North Africa and produced a prodigious and varied output during his lifetime.
Morgan Parker’s prose poem is a sharp critique of reflexive liberal white responses that mimic meaningful call to action but are at best ineffective and at worst damaging, seeking self-absolution over anything else. The poem moves from the two extremes of response – intellectual and deeply emotional – with no transition in between and no apologies for its erratic form.
This essay by Mother Teresa crystallizes her vision of compassion in action, of how the fundamental love and benevolence between humans can override all social, racial and doctrinal divides.
12th century Zen Master Hongzhi Zhengjue’s emphasis and central teaching theme was ‘Shikantaza’, the form of silent meditation (‘just sitting’) that is at the heart of Soto Zen practice. This poem, Guidepost of Silent Illumination, is a suggestive guideline for silent meditation built on – among others – the legacy of Zhengjue’s predecessors Shitou and Dongshan.
In this short chapter from the Shobogenzo, Sho-ji, Dogen plays with the distinction between the nuances of the two different meanings, life and death being static and self-defined events, which he argues have no substance or existence, and living and dying which are an endless flow of events and dynamic being
Zhuangzi’s story of the dexterous Cook Ding who teaches a lord a profound life lesson through the workings of his knife.
The Fukanzazenki is a 13th century Japanese text that provides the most fundamental instructions for Zen meditation, including details on the ideal environment and posture for practice.
Alan Watts often said that in order to come to your senses, you have to get out of your mind. Watts was emphatic about self-realization and breaking through cultural and psychic barriers in order to live as a fully-fledged, fearless human being.
Among Alan Watts’ most compelling qualities was his fascination with different systems of faith and his
Our favorite rogue Zen philosopher, Alan Watts had a gift for contextualizing the principles of
Religion and faith are two of the most difficult subjects to write about according to Nicholas Trandahl, author of the poem, The Chapel.
Writing can be anything, from self-discovery to incorporating pain to establishing direction, according to poet Caroline Goodwin, who featured in The Dewdrop a couple of weeks ago with her poem, Not I’ll Not, from her book, Custody of the Eyes.
Author Cuong Lu is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh and has worked for many years as a prison chaplain.
Les Kaye is the Abbot of Kannon Do meditation center in Mountain View and the author of the books Joyously
Can writing with your wrong hand beat writer’s block? Are maternity leave and creativity at all compatible? Danielle Pieratti, The
Ben Connelly is a Zen teacher at the Minnesota Zen Center as well as the author of several books including
17th century Zen master Bankei on the Unborn, the unconditioned mind that comes up spontaneously and is fundamental to every person, without exception.
“What does it mean to ask a question? Is there some magic in the inquisitive brain?” Susan Blackmore’s lifelong investigation into consciousness encompasses Zen practice and the recurring question: Am I conscious now?
The Bhaddekaratta Sutta is one of the many teachings the Buddha gave over the course of his 19 three-month practice periods at the Jetavana Monastery. It conveys the essence of a self-sufficient practice and way of existing – not clinging to the past or living for the future but diligently dwelling in current stability and freedom.
Achaan Chaa was a Buddhist monk in the Thai Forest Tradition who taught a simple practice in nature that did not depend on reading or studying.
Adachi Chiyono (also known as Mugai Nyodai) was the daughter of a samurai warrior in the 13th century who became the first woman – and mother – to found and head a Zen monastery in Japan.
‘Selflessness is the soul of teamwork’ was former basketball coach Phil Jackson’s mantra when coaching his players in the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Jijuyu Zanmai is the second section of the first part of Dogen’s Bendowa – ‘The Endeavor of the Way’ and concerns the experience of zazen
This biographical snippet, taken from the introduction of Tenshin Reb Anderson’s book Being Upright, tells a bit of the story of how he met his
Mitsu Suzuki was the wife of Shunryu Suzuki who accompanied him when he moved to the United States from Japan in the 1960s. After her
We often identify ourselves with the events that have happened to us and the things we have done, rather than the subjective center of experience itself. In an echo of the Buddhist teaching of the absence of a permanent self, Harris asserts that when the absence of this self is found, then ‘the feeling of being a self disappears.’
Benedictine nun Joan Chittister sees spirituality not as something contained in sacred places or practices, but as something deeply integrated into our daily lives.
A Thousand Plateaus is a remarkable book of philosophy that was the result of an alliance between philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari.
Simone Weil lauds ‘unmixed attention’, which she likens to prayer, and reflects on the quality of attention, expressed as ‘patience, effort and method’ to ‘understand with our whole self the truths which are evident.’
In this extract from an essay about bhakti and devotional love written in the late 19th century, Swami Vivekananda – the 19th century spiritual reformist and teacher of Vedanta who was instrumental in popularizing Hinduism and yoga in the west – makes the difference between empty religious ritual and the burning desire for union with God, which is as real as any hunger or thirst.
According to David Whyte, solace is the art of asking the beautiful and often difficult question of ourselves, something that also requires courage.
Why is self-acceptance so hard and self-criticism so deeply wired in us? Psychologist and teacher of meditation Tara Brach reminds us that self-love is one of the most neglected areas of our psychic landscapes.
Brian Doyle’s essays are accessible and uplifting to people of all and no faith inclinations. His humorous and poignant prayers touch the details of our lives and the beings that we often overlook: in this case, shop cashiers, herons and international terrorists, but also sunscreen, chess and the state of Iowa.
12th century Zen Master Hongzhi Zhengjue’s emphasis and central teaching theme was ‘Shikantaza’, the form of silent meditation (‘just sitting’) that is at the heart of Soto Zen practice. This poem, Guidepost of Silent Illumination, is a suggestive guideline for silent meditation built on – among others – the legacy of Zhengjue’s predecessors Shitou and Dongshan.
In his 1946 essay, Why I Write, George Orwell set out what he saw as the main motivators for writing: they were, sheer egotism, esthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse and political purpose. He recounts how, under different circumstances, the fourth reason might not have been so compelling to him, but the way that his life unfolded (serving with the Imperial Polive in Burma; witnessing the rise of fascism under Adolf Hitler and reporting on the Spanish Civil War), he found himself becoming more politically engaged in his writing.
Gwendolyn Brooks’ Boy Breaking Glass looks at the creative imperative and the drive towards expression in a boy with curtailed options. Dedicated to the writer Marc Crawford who asked Brooks to write a poem about inequality, the images she uses are detractive and dissonant – the hole in the glass filled with the contrasting black and white objects.
Ibn Arabi was a 13th century mystic, poet and philosopher in the Islamic tradition. He lived between Spain and North Africa and produced a prodigious and varied output during his lifetime.
Clifford Venho’s Forest of the Unsung, marks the magical transition in a rich and dark forest setting from night into a day that is like ‘a book waiting to be read.’
Morgan Parker’s prose poem is a sharp critique of reflexive liberal white responses that mimic meaningful call to action but are at best ineffective and at worst damaging, seeking self-absolution over anything else. The poem moves from the two extremes of response – intellectual and deeply emotional – with no transition in between and no apologies for its erratic form.
Using the stark language of cold glaciers and barren deserts, Margaret Atwood paints a picture of marriage as something that survives on the very peripheries of primitive forces and natural epics. Not a house or even a tent, it’s a place where we are ‘learning to make fire’, as though we are still in the very first and most primal stages of the endeavor.
This essay by Mother Teresa crystallizes her vision of compassion in action, of how the fundamental love and benevolence between humans can override all social, racial and doctrinal divides.
This poem by Alaska-based poet Dan Branch is a reflection on the values and burdens of guilt.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie argues that which stories get to be told and how they are told essentially depends on who is telling them, and that the privilege of storytelling usually lies with the person with power. In a pluralistic and diverse society, it’s important that storytellers from every perspective be heard, in order to reflect the truth of that society and its multi-faceted nature.
Ada Limón’s poem, Wife, examines the secret pitfalls of marriage from a woman’s perspective; poignantly, from the point of view of a newlywed, of someone entering unchartered territory that has been laid out and defined for her by the generations that preceded her.
Ruth King is a writer and Buddhist teacher who focuses on working with racial identity in learning meditation and using the tools of spiritual practice to examine one’s own racial being. King combines western psychology with eastern philosophy and indigenous wisdom to coach her students in becoming more aware of their underlying areas of fear and vulnerability as well as the key points of their own rigidity.
Collateral Damage is part of poet Lyall Harris’ collection One-wingèd, an in-progress manuscript about hidden abuse and what it takes to break free.
James Baldwin describes his own coming of age and awakening to spiritual and political consciousness as beginning with the revelation of sin: ‘I became, during my fourteenth year, for the first time in my life, afraid—afraid of the evil within me and afraid of the evil without.’
Poet Lucille Clifton once said, ‘writing is a way of continuing to hope,’ adding, ‘perhaps for me it is a way of remembering I am not alone.’ This powerful poem of hers resonates through its brevity and sparing use of language, which she was otherwise known for.
The acceptance of the fundamental changing, impermanent nature of the world is at the heart of Buddhist philosophy and is a constant theme through Pema Chodron’s teachings. When things fall apart, when the ground is pulled out from under us, it is not a cause for panic, but rather a cause for celebration.
In this excerpt from an article published prior to the release of Between the World and Me, Coates talks about his childhood in West Baltimore. He describes the gap he felt between his own world and the world he saw through the TV set, as well as the perplexity and disingenuity of being fed a stream of non-violent role models at school.
Ryokan loved children, and played with them so much that other adults began to question his sanity. He says, ‘Even if I were able to say something/how could I explain?’ His wholehearted immersion in playful activity is the essence of Ryokan’s very particular Zen expression.
Tim Desmond writes about his wife’s terminal illness, and his revelation about the way in which his deep love for his wife was manifesting as anxiety, and because of it he was missing their shared moments of beauty.
In her years working as a hospice chaplain, spiritual caregiver and author Kerry Egan has rarely found that dying patients want to discuss God or religion. Instead, chaplaincy work for her leans on the quality of the presence she can offer her patients and the compassion and empathy with which she can hold space for them and their stories.
