Submitted by alvin on February 28, 2013 - 11:44am
It was great to read this morning that director David Lynch "hopes to teach meditation to the world and, as a result, create world peace". You can read the article about Mr. Lynch at this New York Times web page.
Here's a short excerpt:
Submitted by alvin on February 2, 2013 - 7:26am
When you first start practicing Zen meditation, just aim for 5-10 minutes of meditation each day, no more.
There are several reasons for this.
First, we're all busy, and it's hard to find an extra 5-10 minutes a day.
Second, anything more than this will be a waste of time, and I don't want you to waste your time. Zen meditation is about focused concentration, and 5-10 minutes of focused practice is better than having your mind wander during a longer meditation attempt. Plus, a failed longer attempt will discourage you.
Submitted by alvin on January 15, 2013 - 1:36pm
Just a quick note today that the book, The Dude and The Zen Master, is now available.
I just received my copy in the mail, and started digging into it. One thing I'm glad to read write away is that Bernie Glassman is trying to make Zen more accessible to everyone, and of course he's an extremely active/engaged Zen Buddhist.
Submitted by alvin on May 27, 2012 - 4:54pm
Welcome to the Zen Foundation. After months of preparation I'm excited that we're finally in business and ready to begin our mission.
As you've seen from our mission statement, our goal is to "Freely distribute classic Zen books to libraries, schools, healthcare facilities, and other locations where people can discover Zen." This simple mission comes from the profound effect Zen has had on my own life.
Submitted by alvin on May 26, 2012 - 12:03pm
One of my favorite stories from the wonderful book "Zen Speaks" is the first story, titled "Enlightenment of the Wave":
The whole book is filled with terrific Zen cartoon stories like this, and I hope you can see why I'd like to share this book with other people. The stories are short, simple, entertaining, and easily readable. Even if people can't immediately understand the meaning of all the stories, they will certainly make you wonder, and just that sheer act of wondering is very important.
Submitted by alvin on May 25, 2012 - 2:22pm
One of my favorite Zen books is titled Zen Training, by Katsuki Sekida. In his book, Mr. Sekida shares this story from a Mr. Sasaki:
"One day I wiped out all notions from my mind. I gave up all desire. I discarded all the words with which I thought and stayed in quietude. I felt a little queer -- as if I were being carried into something, or as if I were touching some power unknown to me ... and Ztt! I entered.
Submitted by alvin on May 25, 2012 - 12:21pm
If you've ever read the Heart Sutra, or listened to it being chanted, you've heard these words: "No old age and death".
I've chanted the the Heart Sutra hundreds of times, and that line never ceases to catch my attention. Isn't that a cool thought, "no old age and death"? And how about the related words, "no suffering"?
As we age, I think all people can relate to these phrases, and a great thing about Zen and texts like the Heart Sutra is that not only do we discuss these things, we also see the promise of freedom from "old age and death" -- and that's a good thing.
Submitted by alvin on May 24, 2012 - 2:15pm
One of my favorite quotes related to Zen comes from Zen Master Seung Shan of the Providence Zen Center:
"Originally there is nothing.
But Buddha practiced unmoving under the
Bodhi tree for six years,
And for nine years Bodhidharma sat silently in Sorim.
If you can break the wall of your self,
You will become infinite in time and space."
