Book Bits
On the Anxiety of Non-Being
Theologian Paul Tillich on the interplay of anxiety and fear and how they feed in to one another at the very foundation of the human mind.
December 14, 2020
Why I Write – Nicholas Trandahl
Religion and faith are two of the most difficult subjects to write about according to Nicholas Trandahl, author of the poem, The Chapel.
Why I Write – Caroline Goodwin
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.
Why I Write – Cuong Lu
Author Cuong Lu is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh and has worked for many years as a prison chaplain.
Why I Write – Les Kaye
Les Kaye is the Abbot of Kannon Do meditation center in Mountain View and the author of the books Joyously
Why I Write – Danielle Pieratti
Can writing with your wrong hand beat writer’s block? Are maternity leave and creativity at all compatible? Danielle Pieratti, The
Why I Write – Ben Connelly
Ben Connelly is a Zen teacher at the Minnesota Zen Center as well as the author of several books including
THE BEATS
BROWSE BY THEME
Beat Rinzai Bodhidharma grief Shobogenzo desire transcendence Chinese Zen Chan Writing Gratitude non-being beauty vulnerability Fear consciousness loss Zen Flesh Zen Bones liberation Shunryu Suzuki home salvation Happiness knowledge Poem conversation Thich Nhat Hanh Relationships Awakening meaning Advice transition Emptiness Spiritual Practice Shiva Chinese Poem Dreams passion philosophy Poetry listening Reality separation Vigyan Bhairava Dogen Thomas Merton Loneliness Centreing Zen ordinary the Way American Poetry relationship presence reflection love poet pain peace Spirituality transience observation Devi Practice nothingness Silence community religion snow God zazen childhood dharma Courage Meditation hope Death awareness Buddhism Christianity Freedom pandemic time truth questions Author Q&A Taoism Japan Sadness change Gary Snyder Koan perception Mind impermanence humanity journey marriage Les Kaye COVID-19 learning Alan Watts growth Rebecca Solnit China language being Inspiration prayer Travel Homeless Kodo Kindness friendship A Sense of Something Greater life Unity Children Anxiety Trees faith race Literature Water Compassion Kodo Sawaki Dying Enlightenment attention imminent experience Mumonkan Darkness Solitude Violence Belief existence Suffering Jack Kerouac everyday memory 2020 Action Wisdom Teacher Sutra motherhood Self nature Stillness Buddha wonder
MYSTICS
Eighteen Thousand Universes Through Eighteen Thousand Eyes
The Sacred is the Everyday – Joan Chittister
Thomas Merton on Solitude, Authenticity and Being
Gurdjieff and The Two Rivers
Blinded by the Sun – St Teresa of Avila
“Don’t Tell Me Who I Am Yet. It Is Still Being Spelled Out”
Kabir – The Moon Shines in my Body
Rumi’s Guest House
POPULAR READS
FROM THE ZEN GARDEN
Kodo Sawaki Gathered Together: Arthur Braverman’s ‘Discovering the True Self’
Arthur Braverman gathers all of Kodo Sawaki’s teachings together in his impressive new book on the Zen Master.
Respecting Ourselves, Respecting Things
Zenkei Blanche Hartman discusses respect for the physical world, which starts with respect for ourselves, grounded in interconnectedness.
Bradley Samore – There Was Never a Door
There Never Was a Door was composed at Hokyoji, a Zen Practice Community in Minnesota. The passage to the abandoned shed without a door echoes
The Path That Leads Into the Mountains
In 1993, Zen teacher Joan Halifax published a book called The Fruitful Darkness based on her anthropological engagements with Tibetan Buddhists, Mexican shamans, Native American elders and other tribal communities.
The Guidepost of Silent Illumination
Hongzhi Zhengjue was a 12th century philosopher and Zen master in China who authored a large number of philosophical texts as well as the seminal
Ryokan – Playing with the Children
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.
Expressing Yourself the Way That You Are – Shunryu Suzuki on Communication
Shunryu Suzuki always admitted his own difficulty with the English language, but also addressed the deeper problem of human communication, namely that ‘when we say something, our subjective intention or situation is always involved.’
Bankei and the Unborn
17th century Zen master Bankei on the Unborn, the unconditioned mind that comes up spontaneously and is fundamental to every person, without exception.
Am I Conscious Now?
“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: The Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone
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.
You Must Go Beyond All Words – Ajahn Chaa
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.
Chiyono’s Enlightenment Poem
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.
