This is an edited version of a talk given on 26 July 2012, during a lay retreat at Shasta Abbey which focused on meditation practice. It also appeared in the Spring 2013 Journal and in Serene Reflection Meditation, a Shasta … Continue reading →
Often in our practice it is helpful to go back to basics, to see what it is we are doing in meditation. The aspect I’d like to draw out is ‘deliberate thought’. I imagine that these words will remind you … 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 →
July 2019 The neurologist moves his chair to the left, adjusts the height so that his eyes are level and 3ft away from mine (as recommended) and says “I’m afraid to say that you have motor neurone disease.” I look … Continue reading →
Helping on an Introductory Retreat recently, I gave the meditation instruction and was stuck by how very direct our practice is. Other traditions may use a technique to help bring oneself to the sitting. In Zen we go straight to … Continue reading →
On our altars there is a water cup, which sits before the Buddha. That cup represents you, me, each one of us. We train to receive what arises within us, from the great mystery that we call meditation. Like that … Continue reading →
In the chapter on the First Column of Light in Reverend Master Jiyu’s book How to Grow a Lotus Blossom, there is the image of a person standing in a pillar of light underneath a dark cloud, looking up towards … Continue reading →
There is something that calls us to meditation and this call persists as we go on. There is something deep within us that we know to be true, and know to be good, but we can feel as if we … Continue reading →