Hsin Hsin Ming Archives

Alan Watts on Beat Zen and Square Zen

March 13, 2019 Vanessa Able

Our favorite rogue Zen philosopher, Alan Watts had a gift for contextualizing the principles of Zen and translating them in a way that non-Buddhist people would be able to comprehend. In this excerpt from his short book, 'Beat Zen Square Zen and Zen', he talks about the importance of understanding our own culture thoroughly so… Continue reading Alan Watts on Beat Zen and Square Zen

Chinese Poetry, Chinese Texts, The Masters

The Hsin Hsin Ming

November 2, 2018July 22, 2020 Vanessa Able

The Hsin Hsin Ming, known as the Shinjinmei in Japan, is attributed to Master Sengcan (Kanchi Sosan in Japanese), the third ancestor in China. One of the earliest Zen teaching poems from China, the Hsin Hsin Ming emphasizes that the Great Way is not involved in the game of opposites, and that in order to… Continue reading The Hsin Hsin Ming

Orhan Pamuk on Writing By Hand
Orhan Pamuk's hand-writing habit hasn't budged, despite the conventions of our time.
How We Live Is How We Die: Pema Chödrön on Preparing for Death Here and Now
Pema Chödrön on what the Tibetan approach to living and dying can teach us about liberation in the present moment.
The Path that Goes Nowhere – Barbara Brown Taylor on the Practice of Labyrinth Walking
Barbara Brown Taylor reflects on her own experience of Labyrinth-walking and the significance of the path without a destination.
What Can the Earth’s Crisis Teach Us About Ourselves? David Hinton’s Tao of Ecology
David Hinton on what Taoism can teach us about Deep Ecology and how we can reconnect with our own ancient Paleolithic roots.
‘When the Lights of Health Go Down’- Virginia Woolf on Being Ill
Virginia Woolf on our relationship to illness, its potential spiritual value, and the mysterious intelligence of the body.

Michael Grimwood – God Ecology
Poet Michael Grimwood takes readers on a journey into divine realms of leaf, blossom, and holiness with his imaginative poem "God Ecology".
Stacey Elza – To Build a Bow
Juxtaposing the antagonistic nature of humanity with the protective and peaceful side, poet Stacey Elza offers readers "To Build a Bow".
Ricardo Gonzalez-Rothi – Faraway, near Nordfjordeid
Redolent with the folklore of the cold north, Cuban-American poet Ricardo Gonzalez-Rothi offers a magical poem, "Faraway, near Nordfjordeid".
Why I Write: Jenna Wysong Filbrun
In the wake of her new collection, Away, we reached out to poet Jenna Wysong Filbrun to find out more about her motivations and process.
Jenna Wysong Filbrun – Aspiration
Jenna Wysong Filbrun reminds us that we have so much to learn from the natural world, with her poem "Aspiration".