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: Pema Chodron
Right Thought II
There are two types of thought in Buddhism: Initial thought – first thought Developed thought – elaboration on first thought, which leads us into fantasy and belief in our constructed stories. This is similar to the four layers of concept and language which is how our thoughts construct what we think is reality. 1. Naming … Continue reading Right Thought II
Samsara is already broken
Samsara is the wandering-in-circles world. When people say, “the world is going crazy”, we are talking about samsara. It is the human world, which is driven by the hub of the Wheel of Life and Death, the three poisons: greed, hatred, and ignorance. This wheel turns round and round endlessly. As far back as we … Continue reading Samsara is already broken
Walking on the edge of effort and effortlessness
Where is the inter-being between effort and non-effort? Too much effort and we are tight and constrained. Too little effort and nothing happens. Pema Chodron has a wonderful phrase: “Not too tight, and not too loose.” Practice is walking on the edge; adjusting our effort to meet the circumstances with a flexible mind. Practice Effort … Continue reading Walking on the edge of effort and effortlessness
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