Depth Of Enlightenment

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 […]

Hay House World Summit

The Hay House World Summit is starting today, June 1. Louise Hay, founder and publisher of Hay House, is a mensch in the sense of what Roshi Bernie Glassman describes. Her life long goal is to make this world a better place to live for all species. This qualifies her as a bodhisattva! It turns out that […]

Another Take On The Bodhisattva

Roshi Bernie Glassman delivered another take on the bodhisattva at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat from May 6-12, 2011. He delivered a dharma talk on “Becoming a Mensch.” What is a mensch? My dad used to point out that this person was a mensch. What did he mean? It was a person with the qualities of loving kindness, […]

Comments On The Bodhisattva Vows

Yesterday, I presented the Vows of the Bodhisattvas in two versions. One of the versions was from the San Francisco Zen Center and their founder, Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. It goes like this: Beings are numberless. I vow to awaken with them. Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless. […]

Not Far From Enlightenment

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 […]

Bernie Glassman Talked At Google

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 […]

Embrace Your Anger

For several months now, I have been encouraging you to learn how to embrace your anger. What does it mean to “embrace your anger?” When anger arises, you almost always have the urge to launch out at what you conceive to be the cause of your anger. This only creates more suffering. A better plan […]

Many Types of Mindfulness Meditation

In this article, I am going to review Dr. Philippe Goldin‘s Google Talk from March 1, 2008. I have already posted the video as Meditation Practices: How Do They Affect The Brain? My purpose in this article is to extract one of the slides from the video and expand on it from the point of view […]

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

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 […]

Real Presence

The Weekly Words of Wisdom chosen by Lama Surya Das for this week are from Father Richard Rohr. I first encountered Father Rohr when I was in my enneagram certification program with Helen Palmer between 1989 and 1991. His book, Enneagram, was a major contribution to enneagram studies at the time. The relevance of this quote […]