133 – Restoring Wonder: Hongzhi’s Guidepost of Silent Illumination – Part 2
I continue in a second episode with my reflections on Chan master Hongzhi’s “Guidepost of Silent Illumination. I discuss the interdependence of absolute and relative and why that matters in real life; how skillful bodhisattva action arises out of zazen; how silence is the supreme mode of communication, and how serenity and illumination – calm and insight – are both contained in zazen.
132 – Recuperando lo maravilloso: referencia de la iluminación silenciosa de Hongzhi – Parte 1
Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 132 Encabezados: Poesía y enseñanzas Zen Hito de iluminación silenciosa Espiritualmente solitario y lleno de asombro Brillante en la oscuridad, se manifiesta...
132 – Restoring Wonder: Hongzhi’s Guidepost of Silent Illumination – Part 1
In this episode and the next, I’m going to riff off of 12th-century Chan master Hongzhi’s short text, “Guidepost of Silent Illumination,” one of the most positive and encouraging Zen teachings a know. By “riff” I mean I’ll play off of, and spontaneously elaborate on, Hongzhi’s words, as opposed to explaining or analyzing them in an exhaustive or comprehensive way. I take this approach because it’s more fun, but also because “Guidepost of Silent Illumination,” like most Chan and Zen writings, is essentially poetry.
131 – ¿Enfrentando la impermanencia? Afortunadamente, el Budismo tiene que ver con la vida y la muerte
El punto central del Budismo no es otra cosa que la impermanencia, o el “Gran asunto de la vida o la muerte”. Nuestra práctica va mucho más allá de las trivialidades o creencias destinadas a hacerte sentir mejor con respecto a todo el asunto. En cambio, nuestra práctica se trata de una exploración directa y personal de la experiencia y las implicancias de estar vivo en un mundo donde no hay absolutamente nada a lo que aferrarnos. Excepto, por supuesto, a ese mismo hecho, y el hecho de que estar completamente vivo significa que no nos aferramos a nada en absoluto.
131 – Facing Impermanence? Fortunately, Buddhism Is All About Life and Death
Buddhism’s central point is nothing other than impermanence, or the “Great Matter of Life-and-Death.” Our practice goes far beyond platitudes or beliefs meant to make you feel better about the whole affair. Instead, the essence of our practice is a direct and personal exploration of the experience and implications of being alive in a world where there is absolutely nothing unchanging for us to hold on to. Except, of course, that very fact, and the fact that being fully alive means we don’t hold on to anything at all.
130 – Practicando con miedo en el Budismo
Categories: Práctica Budista, Budismo Hoy ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 130 ¿Qué dice el Budismo sobre la práctica con miedo? El miedo es una respuesta natural que nos ayuda a...
130 – Practicing with Fear in Buddhism
Fear is a natural response that helps us protect ourselves and our loved ones, but it can also be inappropriate and debilitating. Buddhist practice offers many ways to help us manage our fear. We start with mindfulness of fear in and of itself, and then become mindful of what feeds it versus what decreases it. We then act in ways that increase our equanimity. We also let go of expectations, assumptions, and narratives in order to decrease suffering and ground ourselves in the absolute aspect of reality.
129 – ¿Por qué es esencial la autoestima cuando el yo está vacío?
Categories: Práctica budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 129 La autoestima es absolutamente esencial en la práctica Budista, pero puede parecer que la autoestima no tiene cabida en el Budismo. El Buda...
129 – Why Is Self-Esteem Essential When the Self is Empty?
Self-esteem is absolutely essential in Buddhist practice, but it may seem like self-esteem has no place in Buddhism. The Buddha taught us to stop identifying anything as I, me, or mine, because doing so leads to suffering. In Mahayana Buddhism we say the self is empty of any inherently-existing, enduring, independent self-nature. What exactly is it we’re supposed to hold in esteem, or have confidence in? If the main point is to transcend self-concern, isn’t self-esteem the opposite of what we’re going for?
128 – Actuar: Salir de Casa y Ayudar a los Demás (Budismo de Crisis, parte 3)
Categories: Budismo Actual, Práctica Budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 128 Actuar es la segunda área de práctica en el Budismo de crisis. Significa trabajar para ayudar a aliviar o prevenir el...
128 – Taking Action: Getting Out of the House and Helping Others (Crisis Buddhism Part 3)
Taking Action is the second area of practice in Crisis Buddhism. It means working to help alleviate or prevent the suffering we witness in the world by leaving our homes, interacting with others, and engaging in bodhisattva activity in an active, tangible way. In this episode I begin addressing three reasons we resist Taking Action: We don’t think it’s “our thing,” we don’t have the time or energy, or we don’t see anything we do that’s also worth doing.
127 – Dar Testimonio: Exponernos al Sufrimiento del Mundo (Budismo de Crisis, parte 2)
Categories: Budismo Hoy, Práctica Budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 127 El Budismo de Crisis requiere que equilibremos conscientemente tres áreas esenciales de práctica: Dar Testimonio, Actuar...
127 – Bearing Witness: Exposing Ourselves to the Suffering in the World (Crisis Buddhism Part 2)
Crisis Buddhism requires us to mindfully balance three essential areas of practice: Bearing Witness, Taking Action, and Taking Care. In this episode I discuss Bearing Witness, or exposing ourselves to the suffering of the world in all its forms in order to make wise decisions, activate our natural compassion, and awaken a sense of urgency. How do we Bear Witness without becoming overwhelmed, depressed, or despairing? We embrace it as a noble practice of compassion and wisdom.
126 – Budismo de crisis: práctica sostenible del Bodhisattva en un mundo en llamas – Parte 1
Categories: Budismo Hoy, Práctica Budista ~ Translator: Claudio Sabogal Click here for audio + English version of Episode 126 El budismo de crisis es una nueva formulación de la práctica budista que se me ocurrió y que espero le ayude a...
126 – Crisis Buddhism: Sustainable Bodhisattva Practice in a World on Fire – Part 1
Crisis Buddhism is a new formulation of Buddhist practice I’ve come up with that I hope will help you navigate your everyday life as we face ecological and climate breakdown. It asks us to mindfully balance three essential areas of practice: Bearing Witness, or learning about the suffering of the world in all its forms in order to make wise decisions, activate our natural compassion, and awaken a sense of urgency; Taking Action, or participating in a tangible way to help alleviate or prevent the suffering we witness, and Taking Care, or engaging in activities, relationships, and practices that sustain us.
125 – Liberation Through Understanding the Five Wisdom Energies
The Vajrayana teaching of the five wisdom energies is a about five types of energy we all have within us, or five tendencies within a human being. Within each of us, one or two energies tend to predominate, resulting in what we might call “personality,” but at a deeper level these five energies are about five characteristic orientations to the conundrum of human life.
124 – The Buddhist Practice of Vow: Giving Shape to Our Lives
Vows guide our decisions, help us prioritize how we spend our time, resources, and energy, and allow us to discern whether our actions are in harmony with our deeper aspirations – helping us live intentionally instead of letting our decisions be determined by habit energy, inertia, fear, selfishness, or a lack of imagination. I first discuss why it can be so hard to stay true to our intentions, and then I present five aspects of the Buddhist practice of vow that make it a powerful way to shape our lives.
123 – Engaging Our Climate Emergency as a Koan and Opportunity
Our practical, lived response to our ecological and climate emergency – as individuals, Sanghas, and Dharma teachers – is inseparable from our Dharma practice. As Greta Thunberg has said, “Change is coming whether we like it or not.” Also, as Buddhists we’re morally compelled to act for the welfare of other beings. Finally, the eco-crisis is a profound and difficult koan, whether we choose to engage it that way or not – and therefore, it’s an opportunity to grow in understanding, compassion, and manifestation.
122 – Meditation Is NOT About Stopping Thoughts
Non-meditators, beginners, and long-time Buddhist practitioners alike tend to believe meditation is all about stopping our thoughts. This is a serious misunderstanding, and, sadly, keeps many people from embracing the practice of meditation. It’s very important to understand the true purpose and function of meditation, because the vast majority of us find it impossible to stop our thoughts, at least through willful effort. In this episode, I talk about why we long to be thought-free. Then I discuss how meditation is not about stopping thought, but instead is a practice of diligently and repeatedly turning our attention to something beyond thought, thereby realigning our whole being. Meditation requires diligence and determination, but also patience, humility, and faith.
Spanish Translations
