Reflections on training
When I am able to respond in a still and open way to the needs of any situation there is a way in which what is good to do can become clear; whereas when I am caught up at any … Continue reading →
Lay Practice
Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett on compassion and benevolence
In the early 1970s my wife Linda and I were fortunate to attend a weekend retreat near Eugene, Oregon, conducted by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett. Not long thereafter, Linda and I were founding members of the newly opened Eugene Buddhist Priory; … Continue reading →
The Teaching of Critical Mind
It’s sobering to observe the workings of critical mind, to feel its painful effects and see how this goes against my true wish. It is easy to turn away, to not look, but eventually we do see. To turn towards … Continue reading →
‘A Great Wind Carries Me Across the Sky’
Victor Frankl was a Jewish doctor who survived as an inmate of the Auschwitz death camp … He wrote a book Man’s Search for Meaning which describes his experiences in Auschwitz and also lays out the general principles of logotherapy. … Continue reading →
Turning the Wheel with 12 Steps and Buddhist Training
These past 32 years of recovery from drug/alcohol addiction, combined with 16 years of Buddhist training at Shasta Abbey have provided opportunities for insight into ways of offering myself compassion for particular karmic conditions. Recently I resolved a perceived conflict … Continue reading →
Dharma therapy
I work as a community occupational therapist. The word therapist comes from an ancient root, dhr, meaning ‘to uphold/maintain’, which also gives us Dharma. Discovering this connection has brought something into focus for me about the inseparableness of my daily … Continue reading →
At the crossroads
An extract from Returning to Stillness: Zen Training in Everyday Life When we’re at a crossroads at twilight, unfamiliar with the terrain, it can be difficult to see which way to go. If a storm is signaling its arrival, there … Continue reading →
Journey through paranoia and quality
A boy is born early in World War II. After four years as the war ends, his widowed mother remarries and has another child, a boy. It is necessary. The emotional impact on the elder son marks him for life. … Continue reading →
Bowing
This is an assorted collection of reflections on the spirit and essence of Bowing. The scriptures tell us that when there is no more bowing there will be no more Buddhism. That statement makes plain how significant the heart and … Continue reading →
How do I Know I’m Doing it Right?
Here are some of the questions I often hear beginning meditators ask: How often should I meditate? How many times a day? Why couldn’t I empty my mind? What should be happening? Here are questions I—a slightly more experienced meditator—often … Continue reading →
