Ryōkan Taigu 良寛大愚 (1758–1831) was a quiet and unconventional Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life. He renounced the world at an early age to train at nearby Sōtō Zen temple Kōshō-ji, refusing to meet with or accept charity from his family.

These selected excerpts and poems by Ryokan have been taken from the text "Great Fool" translated by Ryuichi Abé & Peter Haskel.

Music track: "Voices of the Land" by Swami Madhuram Puri



Zen Master Ryōkan ~ A Cool Breeze ~ Zen Buddhism

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These excerpts for meditation/contemplation have been taken from Madame Guyon's text, 'A Short and Easy Method of Prayer'. Published by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon (Commonly known as Madame Guyon - 13 April 1648 – 9 June 1717) is Christianity’s best-known and most influential woman in church history. She was a celebrated French Mystic, and one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time.

She was accused of advocating Quietism, which was considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. Madame Guyon was imprisoned from 1695 to 1703 after publishing the book A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer. The foundation of her Quietism was laid in her study of St. Francis de Sales, Madame de Chantal, and Thomas a Kempis. At age 16, she married Jacques Guyon, a wealthy man of weak health, 22 years her senior. Her public career as an evangelist of Quietism began soon after her widowhood.



Madam Guyon ~ The Prayer of the Heart ~ A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Reading of the famous seventh-century Zen classic  Xin Ming, or "Song of Mind" - this poem is a masterpiece of expressing the inexpressible.


Song of Mind (Xin Ming) - Master Niutou Farong - Zen Buddhism

These sublime and profound teachings on the nature of reality by the great master, Longchenpa is taken from the Finding Rest in Illusion trilogy . It is suitable for those practitioners who have an in-depth understanding and insight into Dzogchen's concepts and paradigm. 

Longchenpa, also known as Longchen Rabjam , ‘Infinite, Vast Expanse of Space’, or Drimé Özer (1308-1364), was one of the most brilliant teachers of the Nyingma lineage. He systematized the Nyingma teachings in his ‘Seven Treasures’ and wrote extensively on Dzogchen.



Longchenpa ~ Samsara as Like an Echo

This is a guided meditation spoken extemporaneously by Samaneri Jayasra on learning to recognise, abide in, and rest as, the stillpoint of intrinsic Awareness.




The Stillpoint ~ A Guided Meditation ~ Samaneri Jayasara

This is a reading of the chapter "Citta" taken from the text 'Uncommon Wisdom - Life and Teachings of Ajaan Pannavaddho. Written and compiled by Ajaan Dick Sīlaratano.

Venerable Ajaan Pannavahho was the senior-most Western monk following Ajaan Mun’s path of practice for over 40 years. Ajaan Paññā, as he was called, was a man of intellectual brilliance who, through his own efforts in meditation, was able to establish a strong spiritual foundation in his heart. While showing a selfless devotion to the task of presenting Ajaan Mun’s Dhamma to his many disciples, his calm and purposeful presence touched the lives of so many people. He became a pioneer of the Western Sangha whose leadership influenced countless monks and laypeople to practice Ajaan Mun’s teachings; and whose translations and interpretations of Ajaan Mahā Boowa’s Dhamma talks introduced generations of Buddhists to the Thai Forest Tradition.

Ajaan Paññā was born Peter John Morgan of Welsh parents on the 19th of October 1925. His birth took place in Mysore state in South India at the Kolar Gold Fields, where his father was working as a mining engineer. At the age of seven he was sent to the United Kingdom by his parents to begin his formal education.
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Zen Master Ryōkan ~ A Cool Breeze ~ Zen Buddhism

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