“Enlightenment is the ending in yourself of that hope for something other than life as it is” —Charlotte Joko Beck   We can understand the craft of meditation as the joining of a physical posture with a mental posture. In this talk by guest dharma teacher and Guiding Teacher of Boulder Zen Center, Zenki Christian […]

The post The Mental Postures of Meditation | Zenki Christian Dillo appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“We have to release the clamp of our own jaw around our suffering. The uniqueness that we want to hold on to is usually not our actual uniqueness. We get into a habit of holding on to some gunky old stuff that I call ‘me’. We maintain this strange altar of our own suffering and […]

The post Running On the Edge of a Sword | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“It’s important to be courteous; not just to sit in Zazen but to cultivate the body and mind in the dignity of the Buddha. To give ourselves dignity and respect. This is difficult. It’s easier to welcome others than to welcome yourself.”   Rev. Anna Maria Iten Shinnyo Marradi, spiritual guide of Shinnyoji Temple in Florence, […]

The post Cultivating the Dignity of the Buddha | Rev. Anna Maria Iten Shinnyo Marradi appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“So what is this great light flashing through her mind? (It is) how you really see the blackness of a cup of coffee… how you really see the fractals of the broccoli or cauliflower… how you are present to how you move.”    José Shinzan Palma, a Zen teacher and dear dharma friend from San Diego, […]

The post Everything Must Go | Jose Shinzan Palma appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“This moment may be the only moment in the circle. But any point will do. Any point is the Alpha and Omega—a special time or place is not needed. In other words, you’re all exactly where you need to be whether you like it or not.”   In the midst of the New York Zen […]

The post You Must Be Your Own Teacher | Dai En Friedman appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“One of the strongest characteristics of the role of shuso is its innate awkwardness. One is always both junior and senior. This is a given to the path to those on the shuso path. This fact is confronted deeply. The faces of the junior and senior are constantly being switched, sometimes both worn at the […]

The post What is the Role of Shuso? | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“We are the like the apex of a pyramid – the levels of the pyramid ever widening toward its base represent past generations of our ancestors. Our present existence is the sum of all they did and we are the starting point for our descendants. All that our ancestors did reflect on us and all […]

The post Practicing Appreciation for Your Ancestors | Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“What helps to enrich us and make us strong is not favorable circumstances, but failure, misfortune, or illness. What matters most is how we take misfortune. The saying ‘A branch of plum blossoms harmonizes fragrantly with snow’ teaches us how to deal with difficult circumstances.” —Shundo Aoyama Rōshi   As part of our third annual […]

The post Plum Blossoms Harmonize Fragrantly with Snow | Koshin Paley Ellison & Chodo Robert Campbell appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

If you do, you can. If you don’t, you can’t. When you say you can’t do what can be done, It means you haven’t set out to do it. —Junkyo Oishi (1888-1968)   Pulling from Zen Seeds, Shundo Aoyama Rōshi’s timeless book on life and practice, Koshin Sensei shares the story of Junkyo Oishi, otherwise known […]

The post Do Not Let Your Heart Be Crippled | Koshin Paley Ellison appeared first on New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

“Prajnatara asked, ‘What amongst all things is the greatest?’ Bodhidharma said, ‘True nature, of all things, is the greatest.’”   In this dharma talk, Sensei Koshin shares a koan describing the meeting between Prajnatara and Bodhidharma, which would lead to Prajnatara becoming Bodhidharma’s teacher and paving the way for the founding of the Zen lineage. […]

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