The Highest Aspiration
It’s one thing to practice to get some relief from anxiety, to calm the mind–all of which is certainly legitimate–but it’s practicing Zen on a very superficial level. From the Zen Buddhist point of view this is a very low aspiration. The highest aspiration is the desire for awakening. – Philip Kapleau Roshi, “Life with a Capital ‘L'” Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for June 05, 2019
Zen is really just a reminder to stay alive and to be awake.
We tend to daydream all the time, speculating about the future and dwelling on the past. Zen practice is about appreciating your life in this moment. If you are truly aware of five minutes a day, then you are doing pretty well. We are beset by both the future and the past, and there is no reality apart from the here and now. – Peter Matthiessen Click here to learn how you can receive a 30 minute Mindfulness Break in your home. |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for March 23, 2019
CONSCIOUSNESS IS LIKE A COMPUTER
We have consciousness, and this consciousness is like a computer. A computer does not work by itself; somebody controls the computer. Our consciousness also does not make itself work; “something” controls our consciousness. Then our consciousness makes science. So this something controls consciousness, and consequently science. This something is not science, not consciousness, but has consciousness and science. So I say to you, if you attain this something, you understand consciousness and understand science. The name for that is Zen. – from Only Don’t Know by Zen Master Seung Sahn |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for March 12, 2019
Father Eli
It is important to note that after World War II, Father Eli spent thirteen years in Japan under the guidance of the great Zen teacher, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki within the 1200 year old Zen temple at Kyoto Kamakura. After four years of study, he was honored as one of the first Americans to be granted the title of Zen Master. What he taught in the retreat was and Americanized version of his Zen training which he combined with his Native American and Scottish traditions. – Jerome Freedman, Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to AwakeningSee more: follow the link in the bio. |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for March 11, 2019
Last year, I finally made the connection between the Zen Teachings of Father Eli and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. I began reading my notes from 1973 and 1974, all carefully preserved in two three-inch binders. As I read my notes, it began to dawn on me that the two masters were teaching the same basic ideas on life, liberation and happiness.
– Jerome Freedman, Mindfulness Breaks: Your Path to AwakeningSee more: follow the link in the bio. |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for January 28, 2019
Why the Zen Poet Speaks
Sitting zazen [meditation], you really become intimate with the limitations of language, of narrative, of thought itself. With every thought there’s a “Yes, but….” With every idea comes another idea. This is the labyrinth of thought. Ultimately, you realize that “truth” is not to be found in words. I think it’s from this realization, this awareness, that the Zen poet speaks. – Seido Ray Ronci, “No Words” |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for December 18, 2018
COMMUNITY
Although it is too soon for the robins to nest, flocks of them have Since the daily schedule has returned to the normal round of – Zen |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for December 03, 2018
One of my favorite things about Zen is there’s nothing to know and nothing to believe. Direct experience is all.
– Cheri Huber |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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Mini Mindfulness Break for November 16, 2018
The Zen You Bring
The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there. – Robert Pirsig, “The Loneliest Road in America” |
May you be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! All my best,
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