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    Commit to Sit: Metta Paid Member

    Throughout this 28-day meditation challenge, we explore the possibilities of a mind free of the forces of craving, aggression, and delusion. One of the great fruits of such a mind is a the power of unobstructed, unconditional lovingkindness. The Pali word for lovingkindness is metta. Sometimes, metta is translated simply as “love.” In our culture, the notion of love has assumed a complexity that obscures its true nature. Typically the word love conjures up thoughts of passion or sentimentality. Metta is neither of these, and this distinction is crucial. More »
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    The Great Matter of Life and Death Paid Member

    "Love and Death are the great gifts that are given to us; mostly, they are passed on unopened." - Rainer Maria Rilke More »
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    The Great Matter of Life and Death Paid Member

    “Love and Death are the great gifts that are given to us; mostly, they are passed on unopened.” - Rainer Maria Rilke In Buddhist teachings, the great divide between life and death collapses into an integrated energy that cannot be fragmented. In the Buddhist view, to deny death is to deny life; to live well is to die well. It is easy enough to repeat the truism that death is a part of life and is the only� More »
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    Meat: To Eat It Or Not: A Debate on Food and Practice Paid Member

    WHAT THE historical Buddha ate for his last meal has been the subject of much debate. The controversial passage from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the sutta that recounts the Buddha's final days, tells us that on his last night the Buddha rested in the home of Cunda, a metal smith apparently known to the Buddha. In honor of his guest, Cunda prepared (probably not personally) "hard and soft delicious food, and also a large quantity of… More »
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    Meat: To Eat It Or Not: A Debate on Food and Practice Paid Member

    WHAT THE historical Buddha ate for his last meal has been the subject of much debate. The controversial passage from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the sutta that recounts the Buddha's final days, tells us that on his last night the Buddha rested in the home of Cunda, a metal smith apparently known to the Buddha. In honor of his guest, Cunda prepared (probably not personally) "hard and soft delicious food, and also a large quantity of� More »
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    Entering the Lotus Paid Member

    By Michael Wenger
    ALTHOUGH I WOULD NOT have described it as such at the time, looking back, I'd say that my first decade or so of Zen practice was focused on self-improvement, especially on discipline. I think I learned a lot, but most of what I learned centered on me—my strengths, my weaknesses, that sort of thing. During this time, I spent three years in monastic training at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and when I returned, I felt strangely adrift. I'd spent a lot of time examining and working on personal matters, but I was not particularly happy and in fact felt quite disengaged from my life. Something seemed to be missing from my practice. I began to wonder, Well, what now? More »