Category: Teachings
Meditation Only Goes So Far
If you want to connect with the open, spacious quality of mind, says Willa Blythe Baker, at some point you have to stop trying to meditate.
Practice for a World at Risk
It’s the concept of “other” that drives the evils the world suffers from, says Roshi Joan Halifax. The contemplation we need now is that in reality there is no separation.
On Suffering and the End of Suffering
It's an essential truth about life itself: suffering of one kind or another is a natural part of existence. Knowing this truth gives our lives wholeness and peace, as it frees us from the exhausting postures of pretense and denial.
How to Practice Zen Koans
John Tarrant demystifies Zen koan practice. Yes, it’s paradoxical, poetic, and totally personal. And so is life.
I Never Gave Up on Dharma: Ngakpa Kalzang’s Journey from Tibet
Dhondup T. Rekjong tells the story of Ngakpa Kalzang, an exile of Tibet and experienced tantric Buddhist practitioner working as a landscaper on Canada's Vancouver Island.
The History of Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land is both a distinct school of Buddhism that developed in Japan and, says Aaron Proffitt, a cornerstone of the whole Mahayana tradition.
The Pure Land Is in the West
Jean-Paul Contreras deGuzman on the hidden history of Pure Land Buddhists in America.
Should I Try to Stop Thinking?
Good luck with that. What you can do, says Jules Shuzen Harris, is change your relationship with your thoughts.
I Vow to Save Everyone?
Noel Alumit reflects on the daunting commitment of the bodhisattva vows, and how his ordination bolstered his relationship with his mother and culture.
The Primal Vow
The foundation of the Pure Land path, explains Takashi Miyaji, is Amitabha Buddha’s vow to liberate anyone who calls on him.