https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/62707.Shunryu_Suzuki “Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make our effort, moment after moment, is our way. In an exact sense, the only thing we actually can study in our life is that on which we are working in… Continue reading Shunryu Suzuki – Famous Quotes
Category: Soto Zen Buddhism
Soto Buddhism – The Precepts
Robert Aitken on the Precepts https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/the-nature-of-the-precepts/ The precepts of Zen Buddhism derive from the rules that governed the Sangha, or community of monks and nuns who gathered about Shakyamuni Buddha. As the religion of Buddhism developed through the Mahayana schools, the meaning of sangha broadened to include all beings, not just monks and nuns, and… Continue reading Soto Buddhism – The Precepts
The Ten Essential Precepts – Soto Zen
from: http://sfzc.org/about-zen-center/principles-governance/ethics/ethical-principles/the-ten-essential-precepts The Ten Essential Precepts The Ten Essential Precepts are inseparable from both Buddha Nature and our relations with each other. They are the strands of Indra's Net. 1. A disciple of Buddha does not kill but rather cultivates and encourages life. This precept expresses the bodhisattva's intent to live compassionately and harmlessly. When… Continue reading The Ten Essential Precepts – Soto Zen
Shunryu Suzuki – Sandokai – Video
Shunryu Suzuki – Teachings
“The important thing in our understanding is to have a smooth, free-thinking way of observation. We have to think and to observe things without stagnation. We should accept things as they are without difficulty. Ou mind should be soft and open enough to understand things as they are. When our thinking is soft, it is… Continue reading Shunryu Suzuki – Teachings
Shikantaza & Zazen – Videos by Jundo Cohen – Roshi of Treeleaf Zendo
Introductory Videos about Shikantaza & Zazen https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?121-A-SERIES-OF-TALKS-FOR-NEW-FOLKS We are all Beginners 1 - Mind as a Noisy Kitchen Blender https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?14895-Sit-a-Long-with-Jundo-Zazen-for-Beginners-%281%29 2 - Oww! It feels so good when we stop hitting ourselves- Putting the hammer down (uniting the two perspectives of thinking and not-thinking) https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?14894-Sit-a-Long-with-Jundo-Zazen-for-Beginners-%282%29 3 - Basic Instructions of zazen - featuring a "full… Continue reading Shikantaza & Zazen – Videos by Jundo Cohen – Roshi of Treeleaf Zendo
Zen – The Story of Dogen Zenji
This movie depicts the teachings of Soto Zen. In many ways, it "cuts directly to the chase". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s5Uz8XSc-Y
Shikantaza – Thoughts & Discussion
Thoughts and Discussion on Shikantaza Part II by Jundo Cohen Roshi. Gerald Shou An Stewart Jundo Roshi, may I ask if i am understanding this at least partially? Shikantaza is the expression of our true nature, and as such has "no possibility of lack or excess" (Xin Xin Ming)..... So is Shikantaza this "expression", as… Continue reading Shikantaza – Thoughts & Discussion
Dogen’s Shikantaza – Jundo Cohen Roshi
Why Shikantaza is Complete, Boundless and Unlike Any Other Way of Zazen, Period, End of Story -- by Jundo I can sometimes come across as a 'Shikantaza-fanatic,' insisting that Master Dogen's way of 'Just Sitting' is totally unlike any other flavor of Zazen or meditation, even those (such as "Silent Illumination" or "Dzogchen") it very… Continue reading Dogen’s Shikantaza – Jundo Cohen Roshi
Dropping the Body – Jundo Cohen Roshi
Dropping Body - By Jundo In our Shikantaza Way, Mind and Body are “not two.” Sometimes we speak of the body, sometimes of the mind, yet always just “bodymind.” Sitting in a balanced, stable and still way helps facilitate balance, stability and stillness of mind. As well, a balanced, stable and still mind allows one… Continue reading Dropping the Body – Jundo Cohen Roshi
Reality is Dharma 