Clear Way Zen Dharma Talks

At the heart of the Zen practice is to observe. Observe things as they are. Observe the mind as it is. As we observe we also ask the some of the most fundamental questions. The Zen practice isn’t about shutting the mind off but to quiet the mind so we can observe and gain insight to truth as it is.

In life we avoid some very hard truths. One of the biggest being that we are going to die. An other is the fact that everything we define ourselves to be are temporary ever changing definitions. By avoiding truths we create anxiety about them or when things change unexpectedly can cause an existential crisis. The practice of Zen is to directly face all truths to relieve ourselves from the suffering caused by avoiding them.

I heard a statement once that wisdom is giving someone what they need and not necessary
what they want. Compassion doesn’t always look the way we except. Practice gives
us the clarity of the current situation on how to act in the best interest for
all involved. With out this clarity, no matter how it looks, our actions are more
often than not, not for the best.

The Buddha’s teachings of enlightenment wasn’t just for a select few. It was for rich and poor alike. Men and women. For everyone that listened and put those teachings to practice. And 2500 years later this still holds true.

Unfortunately in this day and age, the majority of people don’t believe enlightenment is possible. People listen to the dharma to feel good or do charitable things to gain merits. But when it comes to meditation and practice people turn away and miss the mark leaving nirvana out of reach. Practice and diligence is the key to nirvana for everyone.

I want to include a poem from Hui-neng, The Sixth Patriarch of Zen, found in the Platform Sutra:

Reflecting on the current state of the world, marked by conflict, instability, and suffering Lotus Vu emphasized the importance of finding peace within oneself to become a beacon of light in the face of darkness.

Lotus Vu gives the Sangha a great reminder of the Zen practice to be brought both on and off the cushion. As she explains the The Three Trainings aren’t three separate practices but rather three sides of the practice. Without even one of these the end to suffering cannot happen.

The life of Zen is about quieting and doing nothing internally while living a full life externally. The way of being a part of the world but not of it.

Everything we experience is through the mind. Because of this the mind is also the creator of our experience. When we let mind ramble on with out notice or control then you might understand how this effects our experience. Also, Lotus geeks out…

After giving a seven week class on Buddhist Psychology, Lotus gives a new talk on the illusion of control. Although we as a society have become good at controlling a lot of our environment to improve our lives it’s also a major source of our suffering.

It not enough to just go through the motions. To have real insight with the Zen practice it must be done with true diligence. Lotus talks about what diligence is and it’s importance.

Unfortunately the audio isn’t that great in this episode but we still wanted to share this great talk. We did what we could to clear it up and hope you still enjoy it as much as we did.