Zen Mountain Monastery

I've been listening to the ZMM podcast for a while now. The head Abbot, Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi Master is expert on talking about Master Dogen. 

 Enjoy

 Julian

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment. I hope to approve things as soon as possible. Take care, Julian

Popular posts from this blog

Beginner's mind

Image
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few”  ―  Shunryu Suzuki The first day of a new year. It's always special. Endless possibility to start afresh. No it's not . It might feel like that but it's no different to yesterday: “Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.”  ―  Shunryu Suzuki I'm sure by now you're sick to death of me banging the drum for this moment, but, seriously, what else is there? If you do have a plan for 2018, all I'll say is that living is ALWAYS more than enough. Beyond that everything is a gift. A gift so rich in possibility -- including death -- that we'd be mad to squander it living it forward. Live. Fully. Now. And open your mind to what this moment has to offer.  If you do that then you'll realise how much (up to now) you've missed. Blessings, Julian Note: If you want to follow more of my writing and monologues, ...
Read more

Mindfulness isn't...

Image
A label to add to the other two dozen you've amassed. Something to sell as a new productivity tool. A badge of honour. A way to make people inferior if they don't get 'it'. A practice that only finds home in one area of your life. A way to exit from life's travails. A way to talk and act differently to true self. A course, retreat or YouTube video. No, mindfulness is everything. It's life. But not the life where you live on the edge between this moment and the one you're chasing. Mindfulness is now. This breath -- the in, the out and the rest in between. It means above all paying attention, fully. If you need a question to inform your mindfulness practice, try the first koan from the Mondo Zen Training Manual: "Is it possible to just purely listen? Can you listen without an opinion?" You can shorten this to one word: listen. Yes, that's it. Mindfulness is to listen. Listen. Listen. Listen. Have a w...
Read more

Personal transformation

Image
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” ― Albert Einstein How many times have you heard or read this quote? What does it mean? To transcend your current reality or something much, much bigger? Think about it. How do you raise your consciousness? Perhaps you need to consider your beliefs. Can you drop them to allow in something more beautiful? The thing is, if we truly want to change our lives and those we serve, we have to find a way to outsmart our ego. If we don't, then we'll remain fastened to the wheel of small self. Is there a practice that might help? Yes.  To be fully present to this moment. Personally, I do that in zazen but even in witnessing mode -- i.e. you witness your thoughts -- there's a step change. I suppose in the end it comes down to one key thing: how much do you value (your) life?  I mean, if you're just about OK with how things are then you'll ne...
Read more