Jack Kornfield teaches that too much emphasis on 'special' experiences might take us away from the practice of opening up to what is in front of us.
Tag: Buddha
Better Than We Think: Directing Self-Love
Sharon Salzberg on why the richest way of loving means starting with our very selves.
Bodhidharma’s Bloodstream Sermon
Bodhidharma's fundamental teaching was that the Buddha can only be found in the mind since its essence is mind itself.
Avoiding Extremes: Buddha’s Discourse on the Middle Way
Buddhist thinking about existence and non-existence is characterised by a re-framing of the parameters of the question, to be or not to be?
Returning Home – From Keizan Jokin’s Zazen Yojinki
The Zazen Yojinki, written by 14th century Japanese master Keizan Jokin, covers the fundamental aspects of zazen, the form of Zen meditation.
The Better Way to Catch a Snake
The Discourse on Knowing The Better Way to Catch a Snake (the Alagaddūpama Sutta) is a Buddhist teaching about not clinging to views.
A Fool’s Folly: Tales from the One Hundred Parable Sutra
The One Hundred Parable Sutra is a compilation of parables used by the Buddha to demonstrate the principles of dharma to laymen and people unfamiliar with his teachings. The short, humorous stories follow the ill-fortunes of the foolish who continue in their folly to the amusement or disbelief of the people around them.
What is the Middle Way that Leads to Self-Awakening?
The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta recounts the very first talk the Buddha gave to a small group of his friends after he became enlightened. The story goes that he initially wanted to refrain from trying to articulate his experience that started under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, but that upon meeting his former spiritual companions at the… Continue reading What is the Middle Way that Leads to Self-Awakening?
“When you release it, it fills your hand; when you speak it fills your mouth” – Dogen’s Bendowa
Last week we published the Jijuyu Zanmai, which is the second part of the first half of Master Dogen's Bendowa, the first text to be written in casual Japanese to explain the Zen Dogen had learned in China under Master Rujing. This text is the very first part of the Bendowa that precedes the Jijuyu… Continue reading “When you release it, it fills your hand; when you speak it fills your mouth” – Dogen’s Bendowa
Those Who Seek the Way Must Enter it With the Suddenness of a Knife-Thrust
"If you would only rid yourselves of the concepts of ordinary and Enlightened, you would find that there is no other Buddha than the Buddha in your own Mind," wrote master Huang Po in 9th century China. As the master of Linji Yixuan, founder of the Rinzai school, Huang Po is in many ways considered… Continue reading Those Who Seek the Way Must Enter it With the Suddenness of a Knife-Thrust