Category: zen
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Focusing the Mind: Lessons from a Journey
By Leo When I first started this journey back in October, I thought it would be simple. The instructions seemed straightforward: sit with proper posture, breathe deeply, and focus on the present moment. Easy, right? But as I quickly learned, simplicity doesn’t always mean ease. At first, even the physical aspect was a challenge. Sitting…
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Finding My Center: Meditation’s Quiet Impact on My Life
By DongminToday I would like to share the Zendo mediation impacts to me lately: -Changes I’ve noticed in my life since beginning regular practice five months ago. -How meditation connects to my childhood memories Wisdom from my Grandmother My grandmother, now 96 years old and still remarkably healthy, has practiced a home-style form of Buddhism…
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The Dichotomy of Practice
By Michael Forgive me if I get a little philosophical here, but I think it’ll be worth the reflection. This thought process started with a conversation I had at work about what we do here every Sunday. Someone asked me, “Are you a practicing Zen Buddhist?” I jokingly replied, “Well, I’m still practicing sitting.” We…
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A Sacred Etching: My Journey at Dai Bosatsu Monastery
By Ann. My visit to Dai Bosatsu Zendo changed me in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. Located deep in the Catskill Mountains, this monastery sits about four hours by bus from New York City, plus another hour’s drive from a place aptly named Devil’s Kitchen. It’s wonderfully isolated—a perfect replica of Ryutaku-ji in Japan, complete…
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Building the Habit of Mindfulness Through Buddhism
By Chris Years ago, I picked up a book called “Buddhism Plain and Simple” by Steve Hagen. It had a positive testimonial on the cover from Robert Pirsig, who wrote “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” That was one of the reasons I was so excited about it. I hadn’t picked up that book…
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Unison of Body and Mind
By Peter Today, I am going to share my experience of how meditation can bring about the unison of body and mind. I started practicing meditation in 2021 because I hoped it would help ease my back pain. After three years of practice, I have started to notice that meditation is beneficial for both my body and…
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Finding Freedom in Emptiness: A Glimpse into Bodhidharma’s Wisdom
By Ann Ann shared a talk by Genjo Roshi of Chobo-Ji. In his podcast, he shared a teaching from the first case of the Hekigan Roku, exploring the encounter between Emperor Wu and Bodhidharma. This timeless exchange offers profound insights into the heart of Zen practice. Roshi begins by setting the scene, it’s very famous…
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The Importance of Breathing Out
Shared by Stefan I wanted to share with the community some aspects and observations of my journey in Zazen meditation over the past year or so. A major challenge for me has been managing posture: while I could occasionally feel what seemed right, my mind and my body were apparently not on the same page…
Hakone Zendo 