Practising willing acceptance is a gateway to trust and Right Understanding. In formal meditation we sit in willing acceptance by being here openly with everything that shows itself, without interfering with it, without judging it, without dividing it into …Continue reading →
I have been thinking about the idea of ‘guest’ and ‘host’ in Buddhism and how it plays out in our daily lives. This is a concept I come across occasionally, and it hasn’t always been clear to me what …Continue reading →
This article is one of the chapters from a new book called Birth and Death written by Rev. Master Leandra which was published recently. More information about the book follows the article. I find more and more often …Continue reading →
When I first moved to Santa Barbara my neighbor gave me my first persimmon. I had not eaten one before. The first one I tried was bitterly astringent. I learned to wait for the fruit to ripen fully. I became …Continue reading →
This article first appeared on the website of Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple where the author has spent time on retreat. As I wipe down the kitchen counters in the Buddha house after morning meditation I contemplate my inclination toward …Continue reading →
I have always enjoyed Mel Tormé’s version of the Cole Porter song, “What is This Thing Called Love.” In his version of the song, after a bit of ‘scat singing’, he and a handful of background vocalists ask in close …Continue reading →
No Hard Facts Rev. Caitlin Clark —Great Ocean Dharma Refuge, Pembrokeshire, Wales–UK— This article is based on a Dharma talk given at a meditation morning at Great Ocean in July 2019. I would like to say a few words about …Continue reading →
Transcription of a talk given at Shasta Abbey in 2018. I saw a ‘flash bomb’ performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy … It starts with a blind cellist standing out in front of a European Cathedral and a young girl, …Continue reading →
This writing was adapted from a Dharma talk offered at Shasta Abbey on 1 September 2019, available at https://shastaabbey.org/audio/rmoswinASoftAndFlexibleMind.mp3 I want to talk this morning about ‘a soft & flexible mind’. This phrase is said to have been coined by …Continue reading →
Any of us is completely free. In a way freedom is our true name. You are free and you were free before you were given your name and became a person in this world. Having been given a name and …Continue reading →