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    Bonnie Myotai Treace on Generosity and Attention Paid Member

    Posted by Monty McKeever on 12 Jul 2010
    Week 2 of Bonnie Myotai Treace's Tricycle Retreat begins today. In this week's talk she elaborates on last week's theme of generosity and introduces the theme of attention. While stressing the importance of attention in practice she tells a story of a Japanese Emperor that visited a Zen master asking for a great teaching.  In response to the Emperor's request the master painted a calligraphy of the character for 'attention.' The Emperor thanked him but stated he was looking for more of a teaching than one simple character. Upon being asked to elaborate on this teaching, the master's response was simply to once again paint the character on another piece of paper and hand it to him.  This apparently went on for quite some time.  Eventually the Emperor saw that this repetitive action WAS the great teaching—that one must come back to attention again and again and again. More »
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    Green Koans Case 2: Shantideva's Sword Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 08 Jul 2010
    Once Shantideva became a bodyguard to King Arivishana. But unlike the other bodyguards, he managed to defeat the king’s enemies using only a wooden sword. “This man is an imposter!” the other bodyguards told the king. “How could he defend Your Highness using only a wooden sword?” Upon discovering that his chief bodyguard was so poorly armed, King Arivishana demanded that Shantideva show him the weapon. “That could prove dangerous,” cautioned Shantideva. More »
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    Watch Bonnie Myotai Treace: "Whole Life Offering" Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 06 Jul 2010
    The new Tricycle Retreat for July is led by Bonnie Myotai Treace, the Founder and Spiritual Director of Hermitage Heart, and Bodies of Water Zen. More »
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    Entering the Marketplace Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 02 Jul 2010
    that which you are With "showing up," Genju of 108zenbooks concludes her Oxherding series. We'd like to thank her again for allowing us to share in her journey. Daido Roshi comments, in Path of Enlightenment: Although the moment of realization is just that, a moment, the process of studying the self and clarifying the nature of reality doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't even end with the old sage. It continues endlessly. The spiritual practice of Zen is a ceaseless practice. More »
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    Returning to the Source Paid Member

    Posted by Philip Ryan on 01 Jul 2010
    returning to the source Number 9 of 108zenbooks' Oxherding series, in which Genju discovers love, include Thich Nhat Hanh's first love. Very beautiful, please go read it. Daido Roshi comments, in Path of Enlightenment: "Having returned to the source the effort is over." Basically, life is uncomplicated. Very true. More »
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    Buddhist named U.S. Poet Laureate Paid Member

    Posted by Rachel on 01 Jul 2010
    Yesterday, the US Library of Congress named W.S. Merwin as the country's Poet Laureate. Merwin, who moved to Hawaii in 1976 to study Zen with Robert Aitken, is a longtime Buddhist and a prolific writer. His appointment is timely: As a nature writer and an environmental activist, Merwin has the power to call attention to America's wars and the devastation of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The New York Times reports: Mr. Merwin’s appointment is potentially inspired. He is an exacting nature poet, a fierce critic of the ecological damage humans have wrought. More »