Bodhidharma lived in the 5th or 6th century. He is traditionally thought of as the man who brought Buddhism to China and is called the First Ancestor in China. The “Outline of Practice” is his best known sermon. I was refreshingly surprised at how current this treatise feels to me. It is truly an outline … Continue reading Bodhidharma’s Outline of Practice
Tag: emptiness
The Four Erroneous Perceptions
In studying the Diamond Sutra we come across the Four Erroneous Perceptions. These are: From Thich Nhat Hanh’s translation: A self A person A living being A life span From Red Pine’s translation: A self A being A view of life A view of a soul Why are these erroneous views? It seems in common … Continue reading The Four Erroneous Perceptions
Three modes of Reality
Over the holidays, I recited the Lankavatara Sutra. This sutra is often said to expound the hallmark of the Zen school and very important in Early Zen in China. It seems to be a synchronistic occurrence that after studying the Gate Gate Mantra, I would stumble across this sutra, which really explores even more how … Continue reading Three modes of Reality
Awakened Awareness gone beyond individualized consciousness #5
What does it mean to be awake? To truly be in the present moment where the truth happening place resides? Awareness is to be present in each moment and to accept each moment exactly as it is. In order to do this, your mind has to be tamed. You place your mind and mindfulness to … Continue reading Awakened Awareness gone beyond individualized consciousness #5
“Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate” #1
I received this translation of the “gate” mantra from Dan Brown who is a Tibetan Teacher: From the end of the Heart Sutra: Gate, gate – beyond thought Paragate – beyond personal identity Parasamgate- beyond constructions of Time Bodhi – awakened awareness gone beyond individual consciousness Svaha – ohh, ah, wow! I went to … Continue reading “Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate” #1
No-Birth, No-death
From “Touching the Earth, Intimate Conversations with the Buddha” by Thich Nhat Hanh, pages 25 and 26: “Lord Buddha, I shall listen to your advice and look deeply into impermanence, interdependence, emptiness and interbeing, in order to arrive at the deep realization that all that exists has the nature of no birth/ no death no … Continue reading No-Birth, No-death
Direct mind without clinging- Huineng
Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi just came to Clouds in Water for a retreat. He spoke about the Samdhinirmocana Sutra, which can be translated as “Understanding the profound mystery or intimacy of the Buddha’s teaching”. It was a very succinct series of talks about what “mind” is in Buddhism and the different interpretations in Indian and … Continue reading Direct mind without clinging- Huineng
Bodhisattvas and Buddhas
As I have been attending Ken Ford’s Buddhist history class at Clouds in Water, I was struck by this observation of a myth about Bodhisattvas. The myth that I have heard and often said in teaching is that bodhisattvas forgo full buddhahood in order to save living beings. In other words, at the brink of … Continue reading Bodhisattvas and Buddhas
Cubist Enlightenment
Several years ago in the practice leaders study group, we were questioning what to study. Ken Ford said, “Let’s study enlightenment!” We all laughed and balked. Balked because it’s a tricky or scary question. We all should understand this thing we search for, ‘enlightenment’, but who does? Can enlightenment be understood? And yet, if we … Continue reading Cubist Enlightenment
Awakened Awareness
It seems that we get sidetracked in practice in many ways. Buddha said that he was the “awakened one.” Thich Nhat Hanh calls it mindfulness in every moment. Katagiri Roshi explains that enlightenment is subject and object merged in every moment that arises. It is a very rare and concentrated person who is able to … Continue reading Awakened Awareness
what does it mean to be “radical”?
We use the word “radical” in many Buddhist phrases like radical acceptance. Radical indicates the change in our view from the upside-down perspective of ordinary consciousness. The ordinary mind sees the world as solid, independent units and existing in linear time. We see the story of our lives and the fact of our birth and … Continue reading what does it mean to be “radical”?