Tag: Zen

When I first became a product manager, I had two thoughts. The first was: wow, this is amazing — it feels so right. The second was: what am I supposed to do? I asked a colleague and she said something like: The job of a product manager is to identify the most impactful problems to solve i...

I decided to give it a try by knowing Justing through pottery studio as a good friend, at this moment, I starting to meditate for merely 3 months with guided meditation programs in apps. With zero group meditation experience and concerns about how the group might affect meditation process, I walk in...

An odyssey into life’s challenging philosophical questions during an unforgettable summer motorcycle trip, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance transformed a generation and continues to inspire millions. One of the most influential books written in the past half-century, Robe...

Jiun, a Shogun master, was a well-known Sanskrit scholar of the Tokugawa era. When he was young, he used to deliver lectures to his brother students. His mother heard about this and wrote him a letter: “Son, I do not think you became a devotee of the Buddha because you desired to turn in...

Kosen carved beautiful calligraphy for a temple, but his criticizing pupil disliked each draft. After 84 tries, the pupil left. Kosen quickly wrote “The First Principle” freely without the pupil’s scrutiny. The pupil then praised this version as a masterpiece. The story illustra...

Every time I turn around there’s a new blog or business with “Zen” in its title or name. “Zen” has been linked to everything from copywriting, web design, and business strategy to personal development, food, fitness, clothing lines, and more. Some people genuinely tr...

Zen is not supposed to be understood with words and ideas. It’s said to be an experience outside of scriptures and philosophy. But without a realized teacher in front of us to provide that non-conceptual nudging toward truth — how can we ever realize it? The books describing the pa...

Everyone’s very serious and uptight…and at the same time, the great Zen teachers are famous for their irreverent troublemaking humor. I guess the view at the top of the mountain of our own foolish path is…equal parts sad and funny. A cursory understanding of Buddhism and Zen w...

There is a famous proverb about a teacup. Although there are multiple versions, here is my favorite one: Once upon a time, there was a wise Zen master. People traveled from far away to seek his help. In return, he would teach them and show them the way to enlightenment. On this particular day,...

You know, we all get the idea of doing nothing — just chilling out and letting time slide by. The thing is our crazy schedules often don’t leave much room for it. And even when we manage to squeeze in some downtime, our minds are usually off in a million different places. It’s toug...

Zen Buddhism and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche might seem like an unlikely pair at first glance, as one originates from the ancient East, and the other from 19th-century Western thought. However, a closer examination reveals a fascinating similarities between these seemingly disparate philos...

Reading a few words from Steve Hagen, the Zen priest, made me realize that the question we’ve been asking all along is wrong. It’s not about what we need to let go of. In fact, the question has little to do with letting go. The answer lies not in letting go, but in realiz...

A Pussy Cat Tale Lady Donga Diaries Words & Pictures — Lady Donga Meow 200 This moment exists only now and won’t come again The essence of the here and now — and to live in the spirit of Zen As yesterday has departed far away — it’s pretty much old...

This is Chinese Zen master Mu Qi’s famous 13th-century painting of six persimmons. Notice that there’s no table and no shadows. It’s groundless, like the mirror-mind or groundless condition of all things–what Zen Buddhists like to call groundlessness. The floating persim...

Inthe hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s often easy to lose sight of the profound wisdom that can be found in simplicity. Zen poetry, with its minimalist yet deeply contemplative verses, has the remarkable ability to provide insights that can transform the way we perceive the world around ...

During my vacations in southern Chile, I spent five days on a meditation retreat. As I settled into the peaceful surroundings, I couldn’t help but think and write about the wildfires ravaging the country, a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the climate crisis. However, the retrea...

Once upon a time, in a small village, nestled amidst lush green mountains, there lived a young man named Ryu. Ryu was a curious and intelligent soul, always seeking wisdom and searching for the deeper meaning of life. He had heard stories of Zen masters and their profound te...

Eckhart Tolle, author of “The Power of Now,” teaches that living in the present moment is the key to a more fulfilled existence, free from the burdens of past regrets and future anxieties. Similarly, Thich Nhat Hanh, a renowned Zen master, emphasizes mindfulness as a pathway to inner ...

A beginner’s mind is forever young. Wouldn't you say so? There are no boundaries! It’s limitless, real limitless! Your mind is like a sponge, right? You are always thirsty for knowledge. It’s after all more original. If you practice something to perfection, you lose the auth...

The purpose of the Essential Zen movement, is to reframe and adapt many classic Zen practices to a modern age without destroying the core message, distorting classic Zen teachings, or drowning them in superficial plasticism and materialistic thinking. It is absurd, silly, nonsensical, and the antith...

Hui Neng was born in Tang Dynasty China, around 600 AD. His father died while he was young, forcing him and his mother to scrape out a living selling firewood. One day, after hearing one of his customers chanting the Diamond Sutra, Hui Neng experienced a sudden awakening. When he learned from the cu...

Ah, the journey to self-discovery and inner peace. It’s like trying to meditate in the middle of a toddler’s birthday party — chaotic, noisy, and you’re not sure why you’re even there. But here we are, trying to make sense of it all, one deep (but not too deep...

Zen Buddhism, also known as Chan Buddhism, is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China. It is characterized by its emphasis on direct experience and meditation as a means to attain enlightenment. Zen Buddhism places great importance on the concept of “awakening” or &ldqu...

The Power of Mindfulness Mindful Awareness: Central to the teachings of Social Zen is the practice of mindfulness. By cultivating a heightened awareness of the present moment, individuals can break free from the shackles of anxiety and worry. This practice enables a deeper connection with oneself...

Ibrought a book I had written on Essential Zen to a Sōtō Zen master who told me that “It did not sound like Zen” and that clearly, I had no understanding of Zen or Zen scripture. He said “It is a modern mish-mash of this and that”, steeped in dualism and sounds...

Some suffering is an expression of natural law — an essential tool for survival. For the unaware individual, it is often a negative experience, especially if this individual has made poor choices in the past. Compassion, one of the most worthy, and admired of human qualities; often comes fr...

An empty mind is the mind of myth Emptying one’s mind isn’t altogether possible. Our mind’s sole purpose is to help us survive; it accomplishes this by generating upwards of 50,000 thoughts daily. In meditation practice, they arise; unless we engage with them (like a d...

There is something approaching a tradition of Zen Catholicism. We could cite Thomas Merton, whose exchanges with D.T. Suzuki became Zen and the Birds of Appetite. Pablo d’Ors, in talks and in books like Biography of Silence, has cast light on the uses of Zen to ordinary Christians. A...

Akōan is a question, story, dialogue, or statement often supplemented with commentaries, that is used in Zen practice to provoke the initial insight of Zen students. Prolonged koan study shatters small-minded identification, and pride that comes with initial insight, and promotes further developmen...

I come from a country where you have to take weeks, months, or years of appointments in advance and God forbids you miss that exact appointment time. If you do, you go back to the waiting list. In China, things are slightly different. When I first went to my father-in-law’s electric car dea...

I think the essence of this rule is about taking a moment — five, fifteen, thirty minutes, however much or little — to wake up, breathe, and collect yourself before the day. I’ve never been one for incense or candles, but both are used in sacred and religious rituals as a w...

Tenzen was my friend. He was a Zen Master monk. He is no longer among the living. We had several conversations. This was one of those moments. Me: Have you ever experienced real love Tenzen? Tenzen: Yes Me: I wish I could say that. Tenzen: Think back. Website

Zen Buddhism, also known as Chan Buddhism, is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China. It is characterized by its emphasis on direct experience and meditation as a means to attain enlightenment. Zen Buddhism places great importance on the concept of “awakening” or &ldqu...