Depth Of Enlightenment

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This quote is taken directly from The Dude and the Zen Master by Roshi Bernie Glassman and Jeff Bridges on page 108. Bernie talks about how the depth of enlightenment of a person is related to whom they serve.   BERNIE: Shakyamuni Buddha said that everything and everyone, as they are, are enlightened. On the other [...]

Meditation Is The Stream Of Life

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Gary Snyder, in “Just One Breath,” shows us how meditation is the stream of life. His words, repeated here, are the weekly words of wisdom chosen by Lama Surya Das for this week. When we become one with the stream of life, we feel the flow of peace and tranquility. We recognize our interbeing with all [...]

Not Far From Enlightenment

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The words of wisdom for this week chosen by Lama Surya Das are from The Dalai Lama. He tells us that we are not far from enlightenment as humans! This is a sweet statement because other teachers have made similar statements. For example, just the other day, we learned from Roshi Bernie Glassman in Bernie Glassman [...]

Love Letter To The Earth

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh on the Deck of his Hermitage in Plum Village

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (known as Thay by his beloved followers) and Parallax press have announced the publication date of a new book titled, “Love Letter to the Earth.” The book will be published on Tuesday, June 11. The publication coincides with a meeting of International Vipassana Teachers at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, [...]

Bernie Glassman Talked At Google

Zen Master Bernie Glassman

Zen Master Bernie Glassman talked at Google very recently. This lovely new video about his teaching of Zen and his work with the homeless. He outlined something that is called, “mandala practice,” which is a holistic approach to social action. It involves five different types of energy: spiritual energy, training energy, social action energy, livelihood energy, and [...]

What Is The Difference Between Ill-being And Well-being?

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Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (affectionately known as Thay to his followers) talks about the four noble truths of the Buddha in a way that is easy to understand. He uses the concepts of ill-being and well-being. What is the difference between ill-being and well-being? He teaches that the first noble truth is the fact of [...]

Three Numbers You Should Know About Global Warming

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In my recent article, Mindful Consumption Can Save Mother Earth, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh called our attention to the extent of damage to global warming and water pollution caused by livestock and the political, social, and economic environment around it. Drawing on this article I would like to add that at each monastery founded by Thich Nhat [...]

Quantum Entanglement Is The Source Of Interbeing

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This short video shows how quantum entanglement is the source of interbeing. Quantum entanglement means that two particles are interconnected in such a way that if you do something to one of them, the same thing happens to the other. This is well explained in the video. Interbeing is a term coined by Zen Master [...]

Don’t Despair – Take Action

Thich Nhat Hanh Walking Mindfully with Monks and Nuns

The response to Peter Cutler’s article about the bombings in Boston repeated in All You Need Is Love have sparked another very interesting set of comments from other OI members. In particular, Mitchell Ratner, posted an article on the website of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center in Washington, D. C. His article, Despair Is the [...]

A Lovely Poem By Merrit Malloy

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During an elaborate discussion online with fellow OI1 members, one member offered a lovely poem by Merrit Malloy. The poem was offered in response to a thread of emails prompted by an article that appeared in the Guardian on April 7, 2013 in which Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is consulting with high officials in the British government [...]