The following was written in 1985 and reflects the language style used at that time as well as the thinking and understanding of a relatively young monk of four years standing living at Shasta Abbey, California. It is published now … Continue reading →
This article first appeared in the Autumn 2012 issue of this Journal. Why is it in our tradition, Sōtō Zen Buddhism, that practising meditation is not talked about in terms of mastering a technique? There can certainly be times of … Continue reading →
This is an extract from Chapter 2 of Sitting Buddha There are four positions for meditation described in the Buddhist sūtras—standing, sitting, walking and lying down. Wherever you are, whatever the circumstances, you can always do zazen, even if you … Continue reading →
Taken from the Booklet ‘How to Meditate’, a transcription of a series of talks offered in 2016. It was transcribed and edited by Tracy Kitagawa, Michelle Feist, Pierre Kohl and Rev. Master Aurelian, with minor revisions for ease of reading. … Continue reading →
There is a saying that, “When the student is ready the teacher appears.” Unfortunately a number of people take this as something magical: that somehow the teacher knows, and is just waiting for you to be ready, then they will … Continue reading →
I’d like to share with you something that I’ve found helpful in my own training recently, in the context of training in difficult situations. Most of us have probably had one or more events in our lives that have affected … Continue reading →
One day a farmer’s donkey fell into the well. It began crying out for help. The farmer tried all he could to work out how to retrieve the poor animal. He finally thought that as the animal was old, and … Continue reading →
I felt I might attempt to write something about sexuality from the viewpoint of my Buddhist practice, a personal view. This isn’t easy, especially as a monk and celibate for decades, but I offer a few thoughts in the hope … Continue reading →
In the winter of 2016 I arrived in the US and stayed with the Shasta Abbey community for nine months. During my stay I was offered the opportunity to spend some time at one of the hermitages, to explore and … Continue reading →
That everyone likes to feel comfortable is probably a safe generalization. Being comfortable has two aspects, it seems to me: we work to hold on to what brings us comfort, and we seek to remove that which makes us uncomfortable. … Continue reading →