(This episode is just Abwoon chanted 33 times)

The Christian Mystic path is probably one of the most beautiful and life transforming paths out there. And one of the practices found in it is the chanting of certain phrases - Abwoon being one of them.

They say it’s significant when you “officially” enter into the mystery. That it marks the part that you’ll play.

For me it was Abwoon. 

Was that the beginning or the end? It’s tough to say for sure because Abwoon is all of it.

When we chant Abwoon we help to unlock, unravel and melt into its mystery.

The mind doesn’t like mystery. Doesn’t like wandering. Doesn’t like to get lost.

But this is the thing - you’re never lost. It may feel like you’ve been found but it would be better to say that you - as a frozen moment of time - melted into it - like a river surrendering to the sea. Then you know for yourself that your riverness was not your complete form. You know for yourself the depth and breath and magnificence of the mystery for yourself.

To bind it with a single world like god is heresy and arrogance.

Abwoon is everything.

Abwoon is you.

And now after all this time I know Abwoon.

But this is not the end - this knowing.

Knowing becomes unknowing. Which become knowing. Which becomes unknowing. On and on and on...

And what is it that you think you know anyways?

And who is it that contemplates Abwoon if not Abwoon itself?

Oh the beauty of the mystery.

My heart fills with love and my eyes sting with its beauty.

A beauty that I truly got to know through his grace.

Through all our grace.

Those kindness’s that have been shown to me.

Even those not so kind things have all been love.

Love dancing with love, to the sways of love, to the songs of love and for the sake of love itself.

So sing my beloved sing.

Why do you fear to let forth the song that is written on your heart?

Present it to the mystery as your offering.

I know it will please the one that sent me.

For the one that sent me sent you too.

Go to https://zenawakened.com/ for more information and to connect with master e

A student shares the challenges he's facing having his family understand and respect his choice to pursue the dharma and dedicate time for practice.

And this is a challenge that all of us face. Anytime that we're trying to take up anything new in general, let alone while we’re trying to set up Dharma practice, right and carving out, let alone time to come sangha on Wednesday night - let alone time to practice at home. Let alone time to dedicate for reading Dharma texts. For studies. 

Some of the biggest challenges that you will face is from your own family. From the people you love. You're going to start to see the people that do not respect your practice. That do not believe that it is worthy, that it's more worthy for you to binge watch Netflix for the night and to be there for that binge watch than it is to come here for two hours or listen to dharma talks or meditate. This is a fact. This is going to be what we're going to face. 

There's gonna be people in our lives that put down the practice, right? Make fun of it. Get in our face about the practice, right? 

This episode will help you know what to do when you get resistance from your family and friends about your practice and they don't value the dharma like you do.

To read the transcript of this episode please go to: https://zenawakened.com/leaving-home-coming-home/

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcasts go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

Can true happiness ever be found? It seems that a student may have stumbled upon something and she shares her insights from her life.

Then zen master e shares a new zen koan and teaching entitled, "What is this?"

Just this.

If every moment is just this - fresh alive and new, and is uncoloured by your bias, uncoloured by your expectations, uncoloured by your hopes, your fears, whatever your barfing all over this moment.

Any moment that you arrive in is beautiful, even when it's a catastrophe.

And any moment that you arrive in, then you are free.

To read the transcript of this episode please go to: https://zenawakened.com/what-is-this/ 

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcasts go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

Is there possibly another way that we can help people grow into the best of themselves without being so aggressive about it? 

That we can nurture them and guide them and help them unfold their own beauty and their own strengths that they don't know that are there, because they've been told that they're not good enough, they're not fast enough, smart enough, making enough money, man enough, woman enough, Mom enough, insert whatever you want in here.

And it's never good enough. You finished grade school, now there's high school, you finish high school, what are you going to do? University or college or right. And what's next, and what's next. what's next, what's next. It's maddening. It is maddening.

Next, and next, and next and it's never good enough. When you get to that top of the mountain there's another mountain, and another mountain.

In that world you're never going to be good enough.

Ever.

So stop playing in that world.

In the sense of playing by their games in your mind.

You are good enough.

You're Buddha.

The story that you've been told is, “Go get it all for yourself. Build up a life for yourself. Put up walls. Get everything you can get. Make something of yourself."

What do you mean?

I'm vast open spaciousness, beauty without bounds, love that just seeks love for its own love and its own play and creative display.

To read the transcript of this episode please go to: https://zenawakened.com/never-good-enough/ 

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcasts go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

Most of the time we reject our lives. We reject and fight with what's arising. But there's another way of living. 

Everyday you show up to your life. Your life is your teacher. Your life is your teaching. Your life is your Dharma Hall. And we show up. 

Try it and see what happens...

To read the transcript of this episode please go to: https://zenawakened.com/showing-up-to-your-life/

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcasts go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

A beautiful healing practice bestowed directly from Quan Yin. The Bodhisattva Goddess Quan Yin heals us deeply with her boundless compassion.

In Sukhavati there is the heavenly healing abode of Quan Yin

This realm is surrounded by a soft healing light of white.

On a high plateau at the side of a mountain

Peace is bestowed at the mere thought of this land and the Bodhisattva Quan Yin

All things are perfect and at ease there

To read the transcripts of this episode  and download a PDF of the Quan Yin Healing Practice please go to: https://zenawakened.com/quanyin/

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcast go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

We don't believe that we're better for being broken.

We believe that we are flawed beyond repair. We believe that if people would see the truth of who we are that they wouldn't love us, talk to us, connect with us, care with us.

That the story of who we are - we need to filter and post only the best parts. Show the world only the most beautiful moments and those other parts that aren't so beautiful we push down deep. We hide away and we repress and we think that they're gone but they're not. They are not. They are stuck deep within you. Deep within you.

A lot of times in our world, in our lives, wTo live in this world means many things  And one of those things is that we shall be wounded and we shall wound.  We will be hurt by others and we will hurt others  You will not get through this life without being scarred in some way and without scarring others.

Leanoard Cohen wrote and sang, 

Ring the bells that still can ring

Ring the bells that still can ring that harkens to “Yeah - you've been hurt, you've been wounded, there's some pain there but there's still beauty and there's still much more of this story ahead so ring the bells.”

Feel the vibrations

And if in that moment those sounds are full of sobs then that's what they are. That's what they are.

To read the transcripts of this episode go to: https://zenawakened.com/better-for-being-broken/ 

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcast go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

It doesn't matter what the world is presenting us. It doesn't matter what a person is showing us. 

When we're in that heart space, there are no sides.

There's just love and understanding and that feeling of warmth and fullness.

And that people are showing up and presenting whatever - fear, anger, worry - we see the truth. 

They show up and we're like, “Oh, hey, Buddha ex-husband. You don't know that you’re Buddha. You're a Buddha! All right - You're gonna keep doing this - being mean or worried. All right. Well I'm gonna keep remembering - for you. I’ll remember, for you."

You're presenting this? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I see you. I really see you.

To read the transcripts of this episode go to: https://zenawakened.com/remembering-for-you/

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcast go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

In this episode we look at instincts, what it means to live a good human life by today's standards and how instincts change once we're on the Dharmic path. 

When we hit the Dharmic path, we start to see how we're ruled by these primal instincts, primal tendencies. And we stop getting bamboozled by them, enchanted by them, dragged about by them, tossed about by them. 

Because when we're at ease…

Say you're on a beach, sipping a mojito, perfect temperature, whatever that is for you. 27.5 degrees, slight breeze, had breakfast…

Feel it right… Feels nice.

Even in this construct, of ease, it's going to take a little bit for you to be a jerk. Right? For you to freak out. For you to have a natural tendency with - somebody spills you your drink - for you to fly off the handle, right?

These moments they give you a little bit of a glimpse of the possibility of the fundamental ease that's within you.

The clarity of mind, the openness of heart, the responsiveness, that's who you naturally are.

But you've never been given the testing ground to allow that to come through.

To read the transcripts of this episode go to: https://zenawakened.com/mojito-mind/ 

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcast go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/

We want to make it special. We want to create a divide. It can't be doing the dishes, right? It has to be natural. Nothing special whatsoever. One of my teachers in the Tibetan tradition - that was one of the first things out of his mouth, “Just be natural. Nothing special about you whatsoever.”

To somebody that wants to be awakened, the Buddha, a realized master that's a wicked blow the ego. Right? Nothing special whatsoever. 

The small little mind wants to make it special. Wants to make it transcendent. Wants to make it a miracle. It wants to set up that, you know, a big divide, a big chasm, as well. You need to do the practice for 25 years, you need to travel to Nepal, right? Oh my gosh, we're making it special all over the place, right? We're making it special - everywhere.

And we have to check ourselves continually. Are we making it special? Are we making ourselves special?

Nothing special about you whatsoever.

You’re the Buddha.

To read the transcripts of this episode go to: https://zenawakened.com/nothing-special-whatsoever/

To listen to or read the transcripts of the previous podcast go to: https://zenawakened.com/category/podcasts/