Sherab Chödzin Kohn is a student of Tibetan meditation master Chögyam Trungpa, and lives in Boulder, Colorado. His book, The Awakened One, is a biography of the Buddha. This extract describes the key moment of Buddha's liberation when he 'saw through the very last trace of ignorance in himself' at the first light of dawn.… Continue reading House Builder, You Have Now Been Seen
Buddhist teachings put a lot of emphasis on compassion and caring for others, but we must also remember that that care needs to start with ourselves. This verse from the Dhammapada - one of the most popular and widely read Buddhist scriptures - reminds us that 'oneself is one's own protector. What other protector could there… Continue reading The Dhammapada: If One Knew Oneself to be Precious
Su Tung-P'o was a poet of the Song era who is also known as Su Shi, and who published under the name Dongpo Jushi. A prolific figure of his time, Su Tung-P'o was a statesman who was accomplished not only in literary terms, but also as a painter, calligrapher and cook. Influenced by his study… Continue reading Su Tung-P’o’s Rapt in Wine Against the Mountain Rains
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj answers questions about the universal life and what it means to be a householder in the late 20th century.
The Hokyo-ki is a short memoir written by Dogen later in his life that chronicles his exchanges with Master Ju-ching (Tendo Nyojo in Japanese, also known as Rujing). Dogen only spent two years studying under Ju-ching at his monastery on Mount Tiantong, but the master's teachings were highly transformative for the young Japanese monk and… Continue reading What is Essential is Only to Understand with Immediacy – from Dogen’s Hokyo-ki
Basho is one of the most famous Zen poets of Japan who invigorated the 17-syllable haiku form and set in on the road to being such a popular form of expression. A Zen student and perpetual traveller, Basho lived with the same simplicity espoused by the words of his poems. A Snowy Morning A… Continue reading Basho’s Snowy Morning
Shitou - known as Sekito Kisen in Japanese - was an 8th century Chinese monk, a student of Huineng and Huineng's successor, Qingyuan Xingsi (Seigen Gyoshi). He is credited with writing two of the most famous Zen poems in China - the Sandokai and this, the Song of the Grass Roof Hermitage. The beauty of… Continue reading Shitou’s Song of the Grass-Roof Hermitage
'Gutei's Finger' is the 3rd case or koan in the Mumonkan, The Gateless Barrier, a collection of koans compiled in the 13th century by Rinzai master Wumen Huikai (known as Mumon Ekai in Japan). The 48 koans in the collection are all sourced from well-known scenes and moments through the history of Zen that Master… Continue reading Gutei’s Finger
'Silence can only come psychologically when there is no registration whatsoever. Then the mind, the brain itself, is utterly without movement.'- Jiddu KrishnamurtiTweet Jiddu Krishnamurti was an Indian philosopher and visionary who spent his life writing, speaking and transmitting his ideas for a revolution in the human psyche. Not affiliated to any religion or institution,… Continue reading Krishnamurti and Real Silence
Nagarjuna was a 2nd century master often credited with establishing the Mahayana tradition. His landmark collection of 448 Verses from the Center are the first known Buddhist texts to be written in the author's voice and not as a repetition of Buddha's teaching. As presented by Stephen Batchelor in his book on Nagarjuna, this verse… Continue reading Nagarjuna’s Verses from the Center: When Buddhas Don’t Appear and Their Followers Are Gone
