One of the most popular bits of poetry in Zen.
Simple, and yet it contains all of practice.
I stroll along the stream up to where it ends.
I sit down watching the clouds as they begin to rise.
Wang Wei, Chinese poet ( 699-761)
photo phil catterall
Month: April 2014
The way we grow
The paradox is indeed that new life is born
out of the pains of the old.
Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out.
photo david lally
How we work with loss
Loss is a fact of life. Impermanence is everywhere we look. We lose loved ones. We lose our health. We lose our glasses. We lose our memory. We lose our money. We lose our keys. We lose our socks. We have to come to terms with this reality. How we deal with them is what makes all the difference. For it is not what happens to us that determines our character, but how we relate to what happens.
Lama Surya Das, Working with Loss
Giving full attention to the task
Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.
Simone Weil, French Philosopher and writer,
Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes.
Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.
Alan Watts
Right here, right now
It [our way] is never apart from this very place;
what is the use of traveling around to practice?
Dogen, General Advice on the Principles of Zazen
Without a trace
It is completely natural that thoughts keep on arising. The point is not to try to stop them, but to liberate them. This is done by remaining in a state of simplicity, which lets thoughts arise and vanish again without stringing onto them any further thoughts. When you no longer perpetuate the movement of thoughts, they dissolve by themselves without leaving any trace. When you no longer spoil the state of stillness with mental fabrications, you can maintain the natural serenity of mind without any effort. Sometimes, let your thoughts flow and watch the unchanging nature behind them.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Mindfulbalance 