As human beings, we are wonderful storytellers. We have the capacity to create magnificent stories about the many aspects of our human existence, and storytelling can be a beautiful and essential art form. But there is another aspect to our storytelling. Human beings are also capable of creating stories, and narratives that circumvent or avoid reality... we tend to create these narratives for ourselves to escape from what is real, while other stories are implanted in us from past generations, and become our conditioning. Zen shows us a different way. Zen practice is about seeing and embracing reality as it is, rather than turning away from it by creating stories and illusions. We will explore the dharma gate of the five remembrances.

The path of seeking and finding is different for each spiritual tradition. In Zen it's known as the gateless gate...until you are able to open the gate and pass through, you can't fully understand the meaning of the Zen teachings. Yet all your mental efforts fail to open the gate. The gate only opens when you bring your whole being, not just the intellect, to the process and allow this paradox to transform you from the inside...this is the way of Zen.

There seem to be so many pitfalls on the road of life...almost all creatures would not argue this and yet the Buddha stated that we can be free from suffering; it can be transformed. So what would be transformed? No more potholes? No more addictions? No more physical, mental and emotional pain? And finally, no more confusion? The story that we carry of life turns out to be just that...it's a story and there is one who loves the story even more than we do: Mara. He's the one that makes the story so strong by making impermanent things seem so permanent. That we grasp at a permanent existence in an impermanent vessel. Mara has 10,000 tricks and he will employ the most powerful ones in the beginning and then over time he learns that the small ones ensnare us just as much.

In Zen practice, we begin with the basic understanding that we are all innately Buddhas. We are endowed with Buddha Nature. But what does this mean? If we are all innately Buddhas, then why practice? Buddha Nature is ultimately inconceivable. It cannot be expressed in words. And yet, as human beings, we must use words to help us communicate and understand that which is ultimately unknowable conceptually. Buddha Nature is not about attaining anything. It is a matter of realization, the direct unfolding experience of ultimate reality as it is. It is Zen Master Yunmen's "being in the midst of illumination." We will explore Buddha Nature together.

Opening the door to all that arises, we learn to sit with watchful patience, beginning with ourselves. As our practice matures we develop wider circles of inclusive compassion for all. Facing our fears, we sit in their presence without withdrawal or avoidance...simply watching the subtle response mechanisms that occur both mentally and physically. In equanimity there is a warm-hearted, balanced attitude that begins to develop as our curiosity arises; the result is a deeper appreciation of life...all life. Gradually we notice an opening of the heart to any and all circumstances.

In an ever-increasingly troubled and challenging world, full of so much division, separation and hyper-individualism; where see new horrors and injustices on an almost daily basis around the world...how do we walk the path of Dharma in our daily lives? How do we live the ways of the Bodhisattva and maintain our commitment to our families, jobs and obligations? Sila Paramita: The practice of moral and ethical conduct points the way to cultivating a life of compassion and wisdom. It does not differentiate between Dharma and mundane...but sees only one path.

The plight of the Hungry Ghost is a powerful teaching for us to consider. In Buddhist lore Hungry Ghosts are beings that are never satisfied. Don't we all have some way that we feel like we are forever yearning, never satisfied? This is the heart of suffering of addiction, whether it be to a substance, a behavior or an ideal. We are constantly looking outside of ourselves for something to relieve our anxiety, or loneliness. We don't see that what we are looking for is right in front of us.

The path to Awakening cannot be broken down into a series of steps or procedures. It is not a problem to be solved through calculation or technique. Rather, we learn to listen, to wait and allow doubt to simmer, while having no expectations of outcome...over time we develop faith in the process, as we see it begin to bear fruit in our daily lives. The Dharma practices of meditation and contemplation are the means of learning to let go of the things that we are not.

Skeptical doubt is one of the traditional Five Hindrances in Buddhism. It is a vexation or obstacle that can cause us a great deal of confusion, fear and discontentment, both in our practice and our everyday life. Great doubt, however, is one of the Three Pillars of Zen; an essential part of our practice and maturation on the path. How can this be? It is a matter of clear seeing and discernment of our thoughts and the ways in which we think about them. Let's examine this matter of doubt.

Why do we so often busy ourselves with more, better and different? We're led astray by all the distractions we seek. In the end, there is so much more joy to be found in the work that is right in front of us—right between the eyes of our suffering. Putting aside diversions, we are re-energized. Aspiration is the first necessary step, providing direction, but when and how do I begin doing the work, being the being that is needed? It comes down to loving our journey and ourselves and ultimately the world, however flawed it may appear.