Practice Circle 1/12: The Sound of Silence

Silent nigt

I love guided meditations. Whether in person with a teacher or with an audio recording, I find the sound of verbal instructions can make it much easier to meditate. Good instructions do more than remind me to be present when my awareness drifts. They also help bring a different perspective to my experience while in…

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History of Zen Buddhism: Paradox and Tension

Many people come to Buddhist belief and practice through Zen, but not many people have an appreciation for its history. In this video we’ll take a look at both its more and less legendary history, as well as the internal strains that led to the development of the two major schools of Zen. Books: Bashō,…

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My First Retreat – Part 3

This is Part 3 of a series of 3 articles.   For Part 1: https://secularbuddhism.org/2017/10/12/my-first-retreat-part-1-of-3-a-zen-sesshin-at-rocky-mountain-ecodharma/ For Part 2: https://secularbuddhism.org/2017/10/12/my-first-retreat-part-2-of-3/ …continued: Morning 3: This was the last day, a short day. And in everything, I “relaxed”… in a “bad way.” I think that one factor was a personal or internal one: all of the praise I got during Dokusan…

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My First Retreat (Part 2 of 3)

This is Part 2 of a series of 3 articles.   For Part 1: https://secularbuddhism.org/2017/10/12/my-first-retreat-part-1-of-3-a-zen-sesshin-at-rocky-mountain-ecodharma/ …continued: Day 2: We woke up at 5AM (successfully!), chanted, and sat (zazen). I couldn’t tell you much about what came up during that specific sit, but I do recall that most other retreat attendees took full advantage of any breaks to…

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Reason and Practice

Bodhidharma, the great master who delivered the Meditation School of Buddhism to China, said that there are really two gates that lead us to the path to awakening. He called them the Gate of Reason and the Gate of Practice. The Gate of Reason is realizing through instruction and/or study, coming to understand our true…

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Episode 138 :: Brad Warner :: Hardcore Zen Strikes Again

Brad Warner Zen teacher Brad Warner speaks with us about his new book, Hardcore Zen Strikes Again. Zen stories are filled with teachers doing odd things. Their behaviors, their words, can often rub people the wrong way as the softness of social constraint gives way to pointing out the realities we often lose sight of,…

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Episode 119 :: Shinzen Young :: Meditation, Pain, and Science

Shinzen Young Shinzen Young joins us to speak about meditation, pain relief, and science. We encounter this practice in so many ways. Often through suffering. Sometimes through disciplines like the martial arts, or from an interest in fixing some issues we’re having with concentration. And sometimes, we come to it through a fascination with a…

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Episode 111 :: Myoan Grace Schireson :: Zen Women

Myoan Grace Schireson Our guest Myoan Grace Schireson speaks with us about equality issues in her book Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters. It’s strange, don’t you think, that in our twenty-first century culture we still struggle with an imbalance in our attitudes towards people based on gender. How can this…

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