Oswin Hollenbeck, Rev. Master

When I was the Prior at the Eugene Buddhist Priory several people asked me about a sense of confusion regarding their meditation practice. These are some thoughts I had at the time, revised slightly for inclusion in this issue of the Journal.

In sum, training with confusion requires acceptance of one’s present situation, diminishing its power of mental habit, understanding its causes, and gradually changing what you put into your mind: cultivate positive mental habit—good karma or merit. This process could be seen as a form of sange: “full and open confession, true conviction, and earnest endeavor,” as Dōgen writes in the Shushogi. It assuredly leads to the Treasure House.

Issue: only available as part of Journal, Spring 2017 pdf to download

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