The ability to stay focused on a train of thought, a task that takes days to complete, or a conversation that goes beyond things right in front of us is becoming a lost art in our times. 

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The sheer beauty and simplicity of this piece speak for itself. Especially now when the times seem so extreme, and we are overstimulated to react, to be able to pause and remember to practice always returns us to center.

Read the Journal while listening

Depending on how long one has practiced, at some point, we all realize the dead end of intellectual understanding.  That doesn’t mean there is no value in “words and letters.”  What is criticized above is the substitution of meditation time with what can become the distraction of reading one more teacher’s instructions, one more sutra, and how about that new school of Zen?

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Most of us have read the story of the Buddha’s life and awakening, but few of us have read a first-person account like the one above.

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As with many other writings, there are always parts that stop us in our tracks. Is it the translation or my lack of understanding?

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Listening to this sermon of Bodhidharma’s is similar to swallowing the ocean in one gulp, overwhelming in some places.  As with floating on the water, rather than struggling to stay up, it’s best here just to relax and let the teachings flow under, over, and through us. 

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Not all Zen teaching is immediately easy to grasp.  This is classic Zen delivered to us by the very famous patriarch of Zen, Bodhidharma.  However, it is like riding through rapids down the River of No Return and holding on for dear life!

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Ah, the grand prize of enlightenment in its ultimate form is highlighted by Dogen in this talk. Who doesn’t begin practice without that goal-less goal of enlightenment?

Read the Journal while listening

The simplicity of this piece, the clarity of expression gives a kind of accessibility that is refreshing and brings a breath of fresh air to our journey.  Who has not felt the balm of compassion?  

Read the Journal while listening

I often marvel at how contemporary the ancient writings sound. You can see how students of all ages fell into the same pitfalls of practice we do. Teachers always seem to talk about students of “today” not having the same intensity or commitment to difficult practice.