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 →
(This article is based on a transcription of a talk given at the Lay Ministers’ retreat at Shasta Abbey in 2017) [Rev. Master Haryo asks] “Would someone get me some water, please?” [A glass of water is brought]. “Hmm… I … Continue reading →
I recently came across the phrase “the mind of poverty” and was struck by its power. It is the mind that is impoverished. We are not speaking about material poverty, but rather emotional and spiritual poverty – the sense that … Continue reading →
It is a basic human desire to seek happiness and satisfaction in our lives. The question we all face in life is how do we find this happiness and satisfaction? The way we answer that question is the way we … Continue reading →
When conditions arise, no matter what the conditions are, they complete us. And then conditions change. Acceptance means that conditions change, completeness doesn’t. So although we say that heat or cold completes us, it is not that we were incomplete … Continue reading →
We seek Buddhism when we recognize that there is something seriously wrong with the direction we have taken in our search for satisfaction and happiness. Buddhism points us to deep truths that resonate in our hearts. We are drawn to … Continue reading →
Zazen is acceptance. We can’t accept while we remain as a self-conscious self, a separate self. I think you’ve all probably been sitting long enough to know how persistent thoughts are…. What we need is to recognise that our thinking … Continue reading →
For some time I have found myself reflecting on the Buddha’s Teaching of anatta or ‘not-self’ and how it might be applied in daily life—willingly opening ourselves to radically changing our perspective on ourself. In my experience, a good start … Continue reading →