Magazine

Series

Looking for Solid Ground | Michael O'Neill

Blog
Michael O'Neil shares his experiences as a long time Zen practitioner navigating through life's tough spots.

What's Wrong with Suffering?

Blog
Although we suffer during painful experiences, it is not just the pain that causes us to suffer. Michael Haggiag explores what we can do to reduce our own suffering when things go wrong.

Living Yogacara by Tagawa Shun’ei

Book Review by Martin Goodson
The Yogacara school demystifies many aspects of Zen Buddhism that are often left unsaid. Written from the perspective of the Hossō school of Buddhism, this title is can still be very useful for Zen practitioners.

21. The Morning Star

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Why is the Buddha’s birthday the same day as his death, and his enlightenment? Jizo has some interesting ideas about why this might be the case.

20. The Buddha’s Path

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Will Dylan understand what Jizo is trying to teach him?
Series

THE BUDDHA BLOG

Books
A teenager's life begins to change in ways he could never have imagined after encountering the teachings of the Buddha. Michael Haggiag makes Zen practice and Buddhism easy to grasp in this coming of age story.

19. Daily Life Practice

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Jizo's instructions for daily life practice leave Dylan less than thrilled.

The Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan...

Book Extract
When a Buddhist priest finds out that his kinsman has been reborn into an agonising hell, a yamabushi holds the key to helping his friend

18. The Meditation Hall

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Dylan has his first experience of a real Zen-do and it's not what he expected!

17. Enlightenment

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Siddhartha faces his final test under the Bodhi tree.

Mumonkan: The Gateless Gate by Mumon Ekai, with commentary by Soko...

Book Extract
Soko Morinaga Roshi describes what it is like to experience the passions in a state of emptiness.

16. On the terrace

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Dylan finds the courage to return to the meditation cushion so Jizo gives him some further instructions on meditation.

Faith in the Practice

Blog
Zen practice can’t stop bad things from happening to us but it can help us face them. Michael O’Neill concludes his experience of dealing with disappointment and loss.

15. Shame

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Dylan has a terrifying experience on the meditation cushion.

14. Solo

THE BUDDHA BLOG
A 13 year old girl gives Gautama the final lesson that will lead him to full Buddhahood.

Looking for Solid Ground

Blog
With his plans dashed and a big garden in need of some serious attention, all that was left for Michael to do was to get to work.

Form

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Dylan finds it difficult to sit still, so Jizo instructs him on the correct form for sitting Zazen (meditation).

All At Sea

Blog
No matter how long we have been practicing life can still be disheartening. Michael O’Neill shares his recent experience as a Zen practitioner.

13. The Ascetic

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Jizo explains the Middle Way to Dylan.

12. Learning to bow

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Jizo teaches our hyperactive protagonist the secret to finding inner stillness.

11. King Bimbisara

THE BUDDHA BLOG
King Bimbisara makes a very tempting offer that will surely test the Buddha's resolve.

10. The Five Disciples

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Five friends search for prince Gautama after he flees the palace. 

9. The Restaurant

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Dylan has an important question for Jizo.

8. Jizo’s Own Story

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Jizo faces life and death in his first real test as a Zen monk

Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra by D.T. Suzuki

Book Extracts
D.T Suzuki on the history and development of Mahayana Buddhism in China.

7. Pondering

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Jizo reveals something about his mysterious past...

6. Leaving Home

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Having faced the reality of life for the first time, prince Gautama now faces a difficult moral dilemma. 

Is ChatGPT the name of the next Buddha?

Blog
Is this the beginning of an AI revolution that will free humanity or enclave it? Or could it be the next Buddha? Find out in this week’s Blog article.

5. The Third Meeting

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Prince Gautama had never thought about old age or sickness before and he's not handling it all that well. How will he take this last revelation?

4. Outside the Palace

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Prince Gautama, encountering old age and sickness for the first time, finds his world beginning to crumble.

Seated Buddha, Java/Sumatra 9th Century

Images of Truth
A 9th Century Buddha from Sumatra, with an accompanying verse explaining how to directly see the Dharma.

3. Prince Siddhartha Gautama

THE BUDDHA BLOG
How did prince Guatama become the Buddha?

2. Buddha the Pointer

THE BUDDHA BLOG
Even a 15 year old with ADHD can understand the teachings of the Buddha when Jizo explains it!

Maitreya: Sumatra 9th Century

Images of Truth
The bodhisattva Maitreya is the Buddha in waiting who will teach the Buddha’s way once the Dharma has been forgotten again.

1. Call me Dylan

THE BUDDHA BLOG
A hyperactive teenager strikes an unlikely friendship with a Japanese gardener who seems to know more than he lets on.

Frieze fragment of figures beside a chakra (wheel)

Images of Truth
A fragment relief from Southeast India, accompanied by an excerpt from Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma 

Monkey | Chapter 15

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
Everyone is blaming Monkey for their misfortune again but surely this time it isn’t his fault?

Curse of the Werewolf

The Alchemy of Transformation
Martin takes a look at how spiritual power can turn humans into monsters.

Monkey | Chapter 14

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this episode, the monk Tripitaka stumbles across a particular Monkey who has been trapped under a mountain…

Extract | The Four Noble Truths by Ajahn Sumedho II

Book Extracts
Ajahn Sumedoh remembers discovering the reason he could not wholeheartedly give himself into life and its tasks.

Monkey | Chapter 13

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this episode the monk Tripitaka sets out on his long journey to retrieve the lost Buddhist texts but what will the naïve monk do when he comes face to face with the horrible dangers he was warned about?

Extract | C.G. Jung Letters, vol. 1

Book Extracts
Psychologist C.G.Jung writes about with the ‘shadow’ personality, which has much in common with the Bull (emotional energies) that Zen practitioners also work with.

The Zen Gateway Review for 2022

We've gathered together the most popular articles this year for our annual review

Monkey | Chapter 12

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this chapter, the unfortunate couple Liu and his wife Blue lotus, who having being returned to the land of the living, finds that her soul has been placed in the recently deceased Princess Jade Bud's body.

Extract | Modern Man In Search of a Soul by C.G.

Book Extract
Influential Swiss Psychologist Carl Yung on life death and finding a purpose.

Review |To Meet The Real Dragon by by Gudo Wafu Nishijima

Book Review by Adrian Matthews
Adrian Mathews recounts his personal experience reading this book as a young man and then returning to it 10 years later.

Monkey | Chapter 11

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this Episode, the Emperor faces a trial by the Judges of Death for killing the Dragon King in his dream.

Monkey | Chapter 10

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
In this Episode, the Dragon King makes a bet with a fortune teller unaware that his bet is against Fate itself.

Extract | Bankei Zen: translations from the Record of Bankei

Book Extracts
Zen Master Bankei points out how to spot the Buddha Nature by becoming aware of the traces it leaves from moment to moment.

Monkey | Chapter 9

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
We take a break from the fantastical misadventures of Monkey to tell a story of love, betrayal and redemption.

Extract | Poems of the Japanese Zen Masters

Book Extracts
The Zen masters reveal some of the secrets of Zen practice through poetry.

Daito Kokushi's Admonition

Book Extracts
Shūhō Myōchō known as Daito Kokushi (1283-1338) founded the great training monastery of Daitokuji in Kyoto. His memorial day is on 22nd November.

Monkey | Chapter 8

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
Monkey has now been imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha but a Bodhisattva who’s on a mission, may be able to get this monkey out of its cage.

Extract | Zen at Daitokuji by Dr. Jon Covell & Abbot

Book Extracts
A historic debate takes place between the Zen school and one hundred monks representing all the other Buddhist sects from the local area.

Monkey | Chapter 7

Stories Retold: Journey to the West
Although the God's have managed to capture Monkey but he has become so strong the Gods have no way of actually getting rid of him. With no one else left to turn to, the western Buddha is called.

Extract | Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By

Book Extracts
Religious scholar Joseph Campbell, on the power that myths have in shaping the individual and his or her place within society.

Monkey | Chapter 6

Journey to the West Retold
With no one able to defeat the monkey king the great magician Erh-lang comes up with a cunning plan...

Extract | The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects by Alexandra...

Book Extracts
In this Book Extract, a Tibetan Lama explains why even when secret teachings are freely given they still remain a secret to the listener.
Series

The Stories of Monkey

The magical stories of Monkey, from the novel Journey to the West, are retold by The Zen Gateway.

Monkey | Chapter 5

Journey to the West Retold
Monkey, now the Great Sage and Equal of Heaven, has become so powerful that even the emperor of heaven is scared of him, after all he’s still a monkey.

Extract | The Zen Koan: Its History and Use

Book Extracts
Isshū Miura explains the secret to inducing kensho (sudden awakening) through development of the ‘great ball of doubt’.

Monkey | Chapter 4

Journey to the West Retold
In this Episode the Jade Emperor of heaven, the planet Venus and multi limbed transforming warriors all attempt to get the precocious monkey under control.

Extract | The Shadow Book of Ji Yun - Imperial librarian and Investigator of...

Book Extracts
A strange dancing creature appears every night on a family's estate. Bewildered and afraid, the family investigates in this Book Extract.

Monkey | Chapter 3

Journey to the West Retold
In this episode, Monkey ransoms one of the four dragons of creation and gets kidnapped and dragged down into the underworld.

Extract | The Four Noble Truths by Ajahn Sumedho

Book extracts
"when I first started meditating, I had the idea that meditation would make me kinder and happier... But during the first two months, I never felt so much hatred and anger in my life."

Monkey | Chapter 2

Journey to the West Retold
Monkey learns the secrets of immortality from a Daoist mystic, but how long will his teacher’s patience last?

Extract | The Year of my Life; A translation of Issa’s Oraga Haru

Book Extracts
Issa was not only a Buddhist priest but also one of Japan’s greatest Haiku poets. His verses featured in this extract are quite mysterious…

Monkey | Chapter 1

Journey to the West Retold
A precocious monkey seeks out the secrets to immortality in this retelling of the Chinese classic Journey to the West.

Extract | The Eye and Treasury of the True Law by Dōgen Zenji

Book Extracts
Zen Master Dōgen Zenji on the correct form and practice for sitting Zazen (meditation).

Introduction to the Stories of Monkey | With illustrations by...

Stories Retold
Born from a rock, possessing magical powers to rival the Gods and imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha, the Character of Monkey has been the subject of TV shows, films and Operas.

Extract | The Thousand-foot Cliff

Book Extracts
If I could only have that one thing, then I will be happy – when these kinds of feelings come up we have a prime opportunity for awakening.

Extract | Arresting the Stone Buddha

Book Extracts
 A judge has a stone Buddha arrested for theft in this book extract. 

Attracting without Asking

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation 
If there is ‘no-one’ to realise enlightenment then who are we doing this practice for? The ancient Romans and Greeks may give us a clue.

The Power of Non-Intentional Spiritual Relations

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation
How do magical ideas around manifesting and attracting the things you want in life relate to Buddhist practice and Bodhisattvas?

Extract | The Daily Devotional Chants of the Zen Centre | Part II

Book extracts
Zen master Daiyu explains what taking refuge in the Buddha really means

Extract | The Wisdom of the Zen Masters by Irmgard Schloegl

Book Extracts
If there is still an  ‘I’ (or ego) then there is no point in trying to deny it. What then, is the correct approach to empty the heart of ‘me’?

Bargaining with Spiritual Powers

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation
While the spiritual world may or may not be real, the way humans have bargained with these powers have many common features.

Extract | Bankei Zen: Translations from the Record of Bankei by...

Book Extracts
After pushing his body too far in the pursuit of insight, a young Master Bankei finds himself on the verge of death when something miraculous suddenly happens.

The Limits of Human Will

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation
In the quest to rid the culture of old superstitions, we may have lost an important way of interacting with the unconscious.

News Round Up for w/e 31st July 2022

News & snippets from Zen Cyber-Space
The latest news and snippets from across Zen Cyber-Space

Extract | The Five Houses of Zen by Thomas Cleary

Book Extracts
This Book Extract looks at the history of early Buddhism in China and it’s symbiotic development with Chinese spiritual traditions of the time.

Review | ‘Jewels from the Indra Net’ by Trevor Leggett

Book reviews
Published fourteen years after Trevor Leggett’s death, is this posthumous release worth picking up? Hillary Tucker reviews.

News Round Up for w/e 24th July 2022

News & snippets from Zen Cyber-Space
The latest news and snippets from across Zen Cyber-Space

The Most Important Thing is Vitality

Interview with calligrapher – Michiko Imai
Japanese calligrapher Michiko Imai explains how to apply 'The Way of Zen' to all your creative endeavors.

A First Zen Reader: compiled and translated by Trevor Leggett

Book Extract
In this extract from Trevor Leggett, we have a description of what the state of realisation feels like, and the next step that has to be taken afterwards.

News Round Up for w/e 7th July 2022

News & snippets from Zen Cyber-Space 
The latest News and snippets from Zen Cyber-Space

GRACEFUL EXITS How Great Beings Die: Death stories of Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist...

Book review
On the eve of her death, Sushila Blakman brought together a remarkable collection of stories of how spiritual masters die. Michael Haggiag reviews

News Round Up for w/e 3rd July 2022

News & snippets from Zen Cyber-Space The latest from Zen Cyber-Space
The latest news in Buddhism from across the web.

As Above, So Below

The Alchemy of Transformation
 The mysterious Emerald tablet is as enigmatic as it is short, but what does it have in common with the Buddha's teachings?

The Wheel of Truth by Ajahn Sumedho | IV

Book Extracts
Ven. Ajahn Sumedho explains how our relationship to everything we experience can produce (or not produce) an awakened mind.

News Round Up for w/e 26th June 2022

News & snippets from Zen Cyber-Space The latest from Zen Cyber-Space
The latest news about Buddhism from across the internet.

The Wheel of Truth by Ajahn Sumedho | III

Book Extracts
Ven. Ajahn Sumedho teaches us how to become aware of the ‘no-thing’.

News Round Up for w/e 19th June 2022

News & snippets from Zen Cyber-Space
The latest from Zen Cyber-Space

News Round Up for w/e 12th June 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
Was the violent martial arts 'Wing Chun' originally created as a non-lethal art that mirrors the six parmitas?

The Wheel of Truth by Ajahn Sumedho | II

Book Extracts
Venerable Ajhan Sumdeo on the difference between trying to be a ‘good’ person and being a ‘whole’ person.

News Round Up for w/e 5th June 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week, Filmmaker Dan Coplan writes about his experience of turning an ancient Buddhist parable into a political thriller.

Mon Buddha Head, 7/8th Century, Burma/Myanmar

Images of Truth
Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence. With mind wholly liberated, you shall come no more to birth and death. 

News Round Up for w/e 29th May 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week, the link between Shakspear's 'dust' and Buddhism's dukkha.

The Wheel of Truth by Ajahn Sumedho

Book Extracts
Ven. Ajahn Sumedho recounts his experience as an 'arrogant', 'stubborn' and 'rebellious' foreigner, starting life as a monastic in very harsh conditions in the north of Thailand.

The Characteristics of the Pure Land That are Always Available by...

Blog
Is Heaven really a far off place, or is it something much closer to home?

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone!  

Blog
After (begrudgingly) starting a gratitude journal, Rachel Hilton discovered things about herself which had remained hidden for years.

News Round Up for w/e 21st May 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This Week from Zen Cyber space, The white house celebrates Buddhist holiday Vesak for the second year in a row and investigations into when meditation can become dangerous.

News Round Up for w/e 16th May 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace, celebration of the Buddha’s birth, death and enlightenment and a talk from meditation master Ajahn Sumedho.

News Round Up for w/e 7th May 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber Space, redefining the relationship between science and religion plus an interview with John Daio Loori, Abbot of abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery

Summer Reading List by Michael Haggiag

Book Review
 In this warm and and often very funny autobiography, Zen Master Soko Morinaga encapsulates our the inherent comedy of attempting to rid ourselves of our egos.

News Round Up for w/e 30th April 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber Space...

News Round Up for w/e 17th April 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week on the Zen gateway, new laws on Animal sentience passed and a gravid novel about a Hindu practitioner’s conversion to buddhism.

News Round Up for w/e 10th April 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber-Space, Buddhist monk goes Viral with Chant set to guitar and how Indian monks influenced the development of Buddhism in China 

Drama, the most important lesson on a School Timetable…

Blog
Nick Julius argues that the teaching of Drama in our secondary schools may be more important than the teaching of ‘hard’ subjects like Mathematics and Science

Psychopaths, altruists and the persuasive power of the podcast

Blog
Rachel Hilton takes a look at what Psychopaths can teach us about compassion.

News Round Up for w/e 3rd April 2022

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber Space the insights Buddhism may be able to provide to Physics and where to find the great floating Buddha of Ikebukuro. 

News Round Up for w/e 27th March 2022

News and Snippets from Zen Cyber Space

Zen 'Methodists' and The Force

Blog
Nick Julius takes a look at the influence of Zen Buddhism on one of the most enduring cinematic franchises, Star Wars.

News Round Up for w/e 19th March 2022

News and Snippets from Zen Cyber Space
This week, an interview with Jōkō Shibata and Japanese university develops exoskeleton for pilgrims.

News Round Up for w/e 13th March 2022

News and Snippets from Zen Cyber Space
This week from Zen Cybersapce, the world largest Buddha statue is to opened in 2022 and one news paper asks its readers whether you can be Buddhist and Christian at the same time

The Breakthrough by Ajahn Amaro

Book Extracts
While meditating we can get so wrapped up in the mind that we forget the body. Meditation master Ajahn Amaro gives us a method for reintroducing the body back into the meditation.

Avalokiteshvara Padmapani

Images of Truth
Padmapani means the one who holds the lotus, a symbol of emptiness, is a form of the great bodhisattva of compassion - Avalokitesvara. 

What Do Ancient Greek Theatre & Zazen Have in Common?

Blog
Zen practice and the ancient Greeks, have a lot more in common than you may think…

What Do Ancient Greek Theatre & Zazen Have in Common?

Blog
Zen practice and the ancient Greeks, have a lot more in common than you may think…

News Round Up for w/e 25th February 2022

News and Snippets from Zen Cyber Space
This week from Zen Cyberspace, 5 ways meditation enriched the creative life of artist Ivan Cash and using self compassion as means to ease depression

Mindfulness: The Path to the Deathless by Ajahn Sumedho

Book Extracts
Ajahn Sumedho reveals the secret to mindfulness of breath in this book extract.

News Round Up for w/e 20th February 2022

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Chögyam Trungpa: Working with negativity

Book Extracts
Chugyum Trungpa examines how using the negative emotions lead the way to liberation, and at what point this ‘negativity’ actually becomes a ‘negative’ influence in our lives.

The Parinirvana of the Buddha

Images of Truth
Before the Buddha died he gave one last sermon. The 15th of February marks the passing of the Buddha into Parinirvana celebrated by as celebrated by the Zen school.

News Round Up for w/e 13th February 2022

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, oldest known Buddhist temple discovered in Pakistan and well known buddhist teachers talk discuss the benefits of yoga for spiritual training.

News Round Up for w/e 2nd February 2022

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber Space, the Kung fu nuns of Tibet and how food can effect your mental health. 

News Round Up for w/e 28th January 2022

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace: exorcisms and calls to boycott the new Matrix: Resurrections film.

Forward from 'The Daily Devotional Chants of The Zen Centre'

Book Extracts 
Given that Buddhism is so concerned with self inquiry and self realisation, why is Buddhism also so devotional?

The Zen Koan by Isshū Miura & Ruther Fuller

Book Extracts
In this Book Extract, Zen Master Hakuin tells us how to find the  Buddha, urging us not to seek it in the sutras or words of men.

News Round Up for w/e 22nd January 2022

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyberspace, figures pay their respects to beloved Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh and the Buddhist Society’s fee online Buddhism course begins this week.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu; pub. Penguin Classics 1963

Book Extracts 
In this extract from the Tao Te Ching, we can see the overlap in wisdom between Taosim and Buddhism.

The Zen Community Launch: 1st February 2022

We are delighted to announce details of our new project - an online Dharma Centre - The Zen Gateway Community site, which will be opening on 1st February 2022. Please click the link for further details.

The Tiger’s Cave and Translations of Other Zen Writings by Trevor Leggett

Book Extracts
When it is attained in Zazen, the result is called Satori or realization. Zazen is, practice of infinity, conforming to the infinity which is the principle of the universe. 

News Round Up for w/e 12th January 2022

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace, university develops exoskeleton to aid Buddhist pilgrims and Japanese Buddhist monk combines electronic music and prayer a choreographed dance.

News Round Up for w/e 9th January 2022

news and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week, mindfulness for kids - what to try and how much? Also composer Philip Glass to create music for a Smithsonian exhibition of Tibetan art.

Standing Buddha:

Images of Truth
In this extract from a Zen text from the Dun Huang caves, Master Nyuri explains the supernormal powers of The Buddha.

On What Does Our Dignity Stand?: A Policy for Disaster (part III)

Blog
Is the way we think making us sick? Martin Goodson continues his blog series examining the mythic forms that underpin Western thinking and asks if, despite their contribution to our success, they are not exacerbating our problems?

News Round Up for w/e 2nd January 2022

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace, New York's Rubin museum praised for its immersive Buddhist exhibition and the Dalai Lama speaks out about the death of Desmond Tutu.

A Year in View 2021

The Zen Gateway Review
The Zen Gateway wishes you a Happy New Year! Our annual Year in View returns with a selection of some of our most popular articles and podcasts from 2021.

The Zen Gateway Christmas Essay 2021

As with the birth of Jesus, Buddhism and Zen Buddhism also have stories of major figures having emerged from a miraculous birth. Martin Goodson explores what this might point too, and the role of consciousness in Buddhism. 

News Round Up for w/e 26th December 2021

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week on the Zen cyberspace, discovering the Dharma in the frog and the toad and an ancient temple discovered in Pakistan.

News Round Up for w/e 17th December 2021

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyberspace, Archeologists uncover the oldest known sculpture of the Buddha and what to do when if you see a dragon in your bedroom.

Extract from: Wheel of Great Compassion: The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in...

Book Extract
In this book about Tibetan prayer wheels, Lorne Ladner gives a moving account of his experience with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, teacher to the Dalai Lama.

News Round Up for w/e 12th December 2021

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyberspace, the revival of Japan’s ancient mountain ascetic tradition and experiencing the uncertainty of COVID from the perspective of a Zen priest.

Extract of 'The Record of Rinzai' PART 2

Book Extracts
Master Rinzai points directly towards the true nature of mind in this powerful excerpt of The Record of Rinzai’ .

News Round Up for w/e 5th December 2021

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space

Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening by Guo Gu

Book Extract
Chan meditation master Guo Gu explains how to become the master of our own minds in this Book Extract

News Round Up for w/e 28th November 2021

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyberspace,  scientist working towards a theory of enlightenment and online dating advice from a buddhist teacher.

Padmapāni

Images of Truth
Those who call upon this Buddha at the moment of death are promised rebirth in Amitābha’s Lotus Land where they will attain Buddhahood. 

The Embossed Tea Kettle & other stories by Hakuin Zenji

Following a life-threatening sickness Hakuin was advised to take up a new practice by a mountain mystic. This practice not only cured his sickness but, so Hakuin claimed, gave him great health benefits. As a result Hakuin advocated this for his students so that they could practice more intensely. 

News Round Up for w/e 20th November 2021

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week, a website sells 14-foot-tall ‘Trump Buddha’ statue and 5 steps to wind down and fall asleep.

News Round Up for w/e 14th November 2021

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week, kung-fu nuns talks climate crisis and a new app gives instant access to 84000 teachings of the Buddha.

Heian Buddha (11th Century)

Images of Truth
The Heian Period (794-1185) saw a number of schools of Buddhism developing in Japan - Tendai, Shingon and Pure Land. Zen arrived in Japan in the 12th Century at the end of this fruitful period.

Dragon-Slaying: A Policy for Disaster (part II)

Blog
How does the world look through the lens of the Buddha's teaching of 'dependent origination' as opposed to the Western conviction in the 'myth of continual progress'? The Zen Gateway's co-founder, Martin Goodson, continues his exploration of this theme and wonders how this might impact...

News Round Up for w/e 7th November 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Dragon Slaying: A Policy For Disaster?

Blog
Martin Goodson examines how the myths that have shaped our culture are molding our perceptions of the crises we face today.

Bodhisattva (fragment) Gandhara 4th Century

Images of Truth
The Bodhisattvas vow to stay in this world of Samsara until every last sentient being is saved. While such ideals may seem distant from our own lives, at it’s core, the Bodhisattva vow has much to offer us in our own practice.

Carving the Divine: Buddhist Sculptors of Japan

Film Review
A documentary on the training of wood sculptors who create Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and deities for the thousands of shrines throughout Japan.

News Round Up for w/e 28th October 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, the Dalai Lama talks about what is often forgotten by westerners practicing Buddhism, an interreligious dialogue on faith and science ahead of the COP26 and how love is not all we need.

Four Men Shaking by Lawrence Shainberg

Book Review
Michael Haggiag reviews this highly personal account of a writer struggling to come to terms with Zen training, his search for awakening and himself.

News Round Up for w/e 23rd October 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyberspace, overworked and overwhelmed, how Buddhism can inform AI and how to encourage your teenager to meditate.

News Round Up for w/e 17th October 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Weaponised Psychology

How Facebook turns your demons against you - and what you can do about it.
A whistleblower gives an insight into how big tech uses emotional triggers to increase clicks. Developing emotional intelligence can give us a bulwark against being manipulated in this way.

News Round Up for w/e 10th October 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week we commemorate Bodhidharma Day with a recorded service from Daifukuji Temple and visit the grottos of Huashi Temple in China which are over 1,200 years old.

News Round Up for w/e 3rd October 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber space
Is Buddhism’s bottom line the oft-quoted “Be a lamp unto yourselves?” This may be a lovely, liberating thought when we are casting off reliance upon external authority. But sometimes being our own illumination can feel lonely indeed.

News Round Up for w/e 26th September 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber space
Environmentalist Stephanie Kaza invites us to consider how Buddhist principles can help us nurse the planet back to health.
Series

Peaks and Lamas by Marco Pallis

Book Extracts
Marco Pallis (1895-1989) was a member of the Traditionalists, a group of writers who believed in the ‘Perennial Wisdom’ of all religions. In later life he worked for the Tibet Society housing many refugees in his London flat witnessing the strange and magic culture of the Tibetan refugees

News Round Up for w/e 19th September 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber space
If you’re not trying to get somewhere, says Judy Lief, nothing can stop you.

The Water of Life

The Alchemy of Transformation
Martin examines the mythical imagery of water. From folk tales to Arthurian legends; we look at how water has been used to convey the mystical workings of the inner world, it’s powers for healing and what it can tell us about our own practice.

News Round Up for w/e 12th September 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber space
This week from Zen cyberspace, Myanmar releases vitriolic monk responsible for religious violence, why mindfulness on its own is not enough and choosing to be healthy. 

In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn

Book Extracts
When the famous Chinese fortune teller Shōko Setsu threw a tile at a rat, the shattered pieces contained an impossible message that would change his life.

News Round Up for w/e 4th September 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber space
How do the sangha cope with negative feelings and the threat to Afghanistan's Buddhist heritage under threat from mining operation.

Three-Hundred-Mile Tiger: The Record of Lin-Chi Translation and Commentary...

Book Review
This version of the Record of Lin-Chi (founder of Rinzai school of Zen) comes with a hefty commentary that bridges the gap between East and West. Sokei-an's commentary is suitable for both beginners and advanced students - reviewed by Mark Bush

News Round Up w/e 27th August 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Project

From the archive, we present an article with images from the work of Roberta Mansell who spent many years illuminating perhaps the most famous Mahayana sutra - The Lotus Sutra.
Series

Men, Masculinity and Mindfulness

Blog
Whether it’s toxic masculinity or the infantilisation of men, what masculinity should be remains a contentious issue within the cultural dialogue. Martin Goodson looks at whether the Buddha's teachings can offer any guidance on this issue.

News Round Up w/e 21st August 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace, a gentle movement practice for mindfulness, breaking through cynicism and how to deal with an increasingly overwhelming news cycle.  
Series

The Narrow Road To The Deep North ...by Matsuo Bashō

Book Extracts
Matsuo Bashō (1644-94) was on of the greatest of the Japanese haiku poets. The vitality and flexibility his genius gave to the strict 17 syllable form brought haiku to a level of immaculate perfection.

When You Greet Me, I Bow: Notes and Reflections from A Life In Zen, by...

Book Review
Michael Haggiag reviews this title by Norman Fischer, former abbot of the San Fransisco Zen Center, whose writings are marked by a deep insight into issues that Westerners face with Buddhist practice.

News Round Up w/e 12th August 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace, an award winning short film available for free, are we in a simulation? And the marking of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima.

News Round Up w/e 8th August 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber space, how mindfulness is showing up at the Olympic Games, podcast debut from the Dalai Lama and Buddhists monks help join the effort against Covid.

Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel

Book Extracts
In 1924 when Tibet was closed to foreigners, Alexandra David-Neel gave the west a unique glimpse into a land shrouded in mystery.

News Round Up w/e 1st August 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

C. G. Jung - Forward to D.T. Suzuki’s Introduction to Zen Buddhism

Book Extracts
In this book extract Carl Jung, a pioneer of western psychology, writes a forward for D.T. Suzuki, a pioneering Buddhist teacher for the west.

News Round Up w/e 25th July 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyberspace...

Zen is Right Now: More Teaching Stories and Anecdotes of Shunryu Suzuki

Book Review
This collection of short stories about the life and teachings Shunryu Suzuki has a the feel of a modern day writings of the Zen Masters - reviewed by Michael O'Neill.

News Round Up w/e 16th July 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, how meditation informed the great Jaxx musician John Coltrane’s work, how pets can help us practice the Dharma and how monkeys revered by Buddhists in Thailand have ended up taking over an entire city.

The Spirituality of Place

The Alchemy of Transformation
From the ‘Genius Loci’ of the Roman era to the psychogeographists of the 20th Century, the effects that places have on the human psyche and the effect that the human psyche has had on  different places, has been a constant source of fascination across different cultures.

News Round Up w/e 11th July 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, a scroll of esoteric Buddhist texts from Japan, Indonesia plans to make 9th Century temple a worldwide centre for Buddhist, and the Buddhist monks who stopped eating to become mummified.

The Record of Empty Hall: One Hundred Classic Koans - tr. Dosho Port

Book Review
Having completed his Koan training in 2015, Dosho Port provides an excellent translation, with commentary and historical context, to these often misunderstood texts.

News Round Up w/e 2nd July 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, using ultrasound to induce mindfulness, an artist paints 10,000 Buddha's across the world and the many meanings of the word Dharma.

News Round Up w/e 26th June 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, tips for going on a media diet, scientific evidence on how the breath controls the brain’s cognitive function and how to read the Sutra’s (and enjoy yourself).

Buddhist Theophany

Images of Truth
When the godhead or deity appears this is known as a theophany. Although the Buddha was a man, was it the Buddha or the man that incarnated all those years ago?

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa

Book extracts
Chögyam Trungpa's spent many years living and teaching in the west. His seminal work ‘Cutting through Spiritual Materialism’ was an attempt to address the cultural and practical difficulties that westerners experienced with Buddhist practice.

News Round Up w/e 18th June 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, a practice to help prevent gossiping, what are the historically verifiable facts about the Buddha and insights gained from recovering from COVID 19.

The Book of Five Rings by Myamoto Musashi

Book Extracts
Considered a classic by modern martial artists, the book of 5 rings extends far beyond the art of fighting and into the realms of the transcendental. 

News Round Up w/e 11th June 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace, centuries old Buddhist monastery discovered in Bangladesh, a Buddhist monk gets trapped in a cave while meditating and how the Buddha Dharma can help create a sustainable society for the future. 

PRAJNAPARAMITA Cambodia - 12th Century

Images of Truth
Prajnaparamita, the mother of the Buddhas, is a living embodiment of the Great Wisdom Sutras, which point the way to the nameless insight of the Buddha.

News Round Up w/e 6th June 2021

A round-up of news & snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space: renowned poet Alan Ginsberg narrates his spiritual journey, an online meditation event for beginners at the London Zen Centre and a firefighter's 'Zen' wisdom.

Extract of The Record of Rinzai

Book Extracts
A collection of stories and teachings by Rinzai Gigen, the father of Rinzai Zen, this record captures the essence of Zen training and practice.

News Round Up w/e 30th May 2021

A round-up of news & snippets from Zen cyber-space
The 17th Karmapa faces lawsuit and The White House celebrates Wesak the Buddha's birthday, Enlightenment and Parinirvana.

Transfer of Merit: A Short History of its Practice

Blog
Why do we dedicate merit at the end of meditation or chanting? What is its significance and do we really need to do it? 

THE DHAMMAPADA Introduced and translated by Eknath Easwaran

Book Review
The Zen Gateway's co-founder, Michael Haggiag, reviews a beautiful translation of the classic Dhammapada by author, and translator of many Indian spiritual works, Eknath Easwaran

News Round Up w/e 23rd May 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyber space, an online event from the Buddhist Society introducing Zen practice (from the same lineage as The Zen Gateway), research into how meditation affects gene regulation, and seeing the Buddha nature in those on the opposing side of the political spectrum.

What is Wrong with Mindfulness? (and what isn’t?)

Book Review
Is secular mindfulness an innovation on Buddhist teachings, or has something been lost in translation? Michael O’Neill, a Zen meditation teacher, gives his thoughts on this on going debate within the Buddhist community.

News Round Up w/e 14th May 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber space, restoring lost Buddhist texts back into their original language, the brain science of attention and young Zen monk deals with imposter syndrome.

6th Century Gandharan Buddha

Images of Truth
One of the earliest iconographic depictions of the Buddha was Afghanistan, depicted in the Hellenic style of the Ancient Greeks.

News Round Up w/e 9th May 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen Cyber space, the London Zen center will be holding regular online events for anyone interested learning Zen Buddhism, a historian goes to India in search of revolutionary Buddhist ideas, and the power of sound.

Book Extracts: The Three Pillars of Zen

Book extracts
At Hosshin-ji, noted for its severe sesshin, there is a unique discipline for combatting the fatigued, faltering mind.

News Round Up w/e 1st May 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week on the Zen gateway, a Buddhist temple plans to open a branch in space, the story behind the Shri Lankan Buddhist revival, and an re-examination of the question: do Buddhists proselytize?

News Round Up w/e 24th April 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
Thai Buddhist monks attempt to get into Guinness Book of Records and does the re-starting of a clock in a Japanese temple signal the re-birth of an area devastated by an earthquake? 

Portrait of a Lama: Tibet 15/16th Century

Images of Truth
This meditative Lama's portrait illustrates a wonderful story of a monk who is frightened by a giant spider that disturbs his meditation. His teacher devises a clever method to open his eyes to the true source of his fear.

A Plague on Both Your Houses

The Alchemy of Transformation
It has been over a year since the start of the COVID19 pandemic. At the time we published a series of articles around the spiritual implications of 'disease', 'contagion' and 'lockdown' exploring themes this time has evoked. As we now see light at the end of this tunnel and begin to...

News Round Up w/e 17th April 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
The interwoven story of Buddhism and martial arts; science-backed ways to calm an anxious mind and the story of how monks from Bhutan built a stupa in the wilds of Yorkshire.

A Sermon on the Original Face

Book Extracts
The 'Original Face' sometimes called 'True Face' is the typical name in Zen for 'Buddha-nature', the ground of all Being, which is the primary insight necessary for all Zen trainees.

News Round Up w/e 11 April 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace: How to unleash your creativity through the profound teachings of Dzogchen, an interview with Artist and Writer Susan MacLeod, and becoming a Dakini; a writer embraces a dance of the sacred feminine.

Book Extracts: ‘Discourse on the Inexhaustible Lamp'

Torei Enji Zenji, comments Daibi Zenji pub. The Zen Centre London 1989
The sword of Shiya is so sharp that it cuts through a hair blown across it. Twenty years of honing it! The arm that cuts down Buddhas and patriarchs. Kanzan snatched that sword.

News Round Up w/e 2nd April 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
This week from Zen cyberspace: Making bread as a tool for mediation, the space where western psychology converges with Buddhism and a Zen Master answers questions from Children.

Blog: Can We Ever Truly Leave Omelas?

Blog
At a time when the price paid for western prosperity is being held under the microscope, it may be worth asking, can we ever truly separate ourselves from the society into which we were born?

Maitreya Buddha: Thailand c. 8th century C.E

Images of Truth
On the border of Thailand and Cambodia, bodhisattvas rather than Buddhas seem to have been the focus of worship during the 7th-9th century CE. 

News Round Up w/e 26 March 2021

News
This week from Zen cyberspace: an ancient mystery uncovered, meditation tips for parents during COVID and what happens when we take on a holy attitude to the practice. 

News Round Up w/e 19 March 2021

News
In this week’s news from Zen Cyberspace; practicing Zen through ‘the way’ of tidying, Tibetan Lamas reincarnated as western children and using mindfulness to improve sleep.

Standing Buddha - Afghanistan c. 6th Century CE

Images of Truth
This serene figure of the Buddha is a definitive image of Gandharan sculpture.

News Round Up w/e 12 March 2021

News
News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Book Review: Zen Seeds

60 Essential Teachings on Effort, Gratitude and Happiness by Shundo Aoyama
With the Covid-19 lockdown intensifying Michael O'Neill finally decided to dive into this inspiring title, finding it a rewarding and comforting experience.

News Round Up w/e 06 March 2021

News
News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Images of Truth: The Goddess Vasundhara, 11th century Nepal

Images of Truth
Magical powers, Devas and bodhisattvas expound the Dharma in this week's images of truth

News Round Up w/e 25th February 2021

News
News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

‘A Pilgrim’s Guide to Forty-Six Temples' by Shiro Usui

Book Extracts 
In this book extract we look at the history of Daitokuji temple, a sometimes controversial yet prolific Zen temple.

News Round Up w/e 20th February 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Images of Truth: Buddha Head

Images of Truth
The surviving fragment of a statue of the Buddha reveals a serene face, apparently in a state of deep introspection.

Blog: “Tell me then, where do you go after you have died?”

Blog
Do the Buddhist scriptures really give us a definitive answer to the question of life and death?

News Round Up w/e 13th February 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Images of Truth: The Buddha Listens to Bavari

Images of Truth
The Buddha spent much of his teaching life in discourse with those who sought Truth. Some asked questions, others sought to refute his teachings. Whatever they came for the Buddha showed them all the same courtesy of listening carefully to what they were asking and then replying from the depth of his wisdom...

News Round Up w/e 6th February 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

News Round Up w/e 30th January 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 4 Extract 5

The son inherits his father's wealth.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 4 Extract 4

The son slowly becomes accustomed to his new surroundings.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 4 Extract 3

The father recognises his lost son.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 4 Extract 2

The parable of a lost son.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 4 Extract 1

The disciples lament their age and weariness but are inspired by the prospect of supreme enlightenment.

Amida Buddha - Muromachi period

Images of Buddha
Amida Buddha is the Buddha of the Western Paradise who has vowed to rescue anyone who calls upon his name. It is one of the most popular Buddhist schools amongst the laity. The school originally arose in China but has spread throughout SE Asia.

News Round Up w/e 23rd January 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 3 Extract 6

The Buddha encourages Sariputra to commit himself to the Three Vehicles.

News Round Up w/e 16th January 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

News Round Up w/e 9th January 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 3 Extract 5

The Buddha explains to Sariputra the full meaning of the parable of the burning house.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 3 Extract 4

The Buddha continues to tell Sariputra the parable of the burning house.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 3 Extract 3

Sariputra is concerned about the doubts his disciples now have so the Buddha tells him the parable of the burning house.

Epiphany: The Cult of the 3 Magi

The Alchemy of Transformation
The Feast of Epiphany in the Christian calendar celebrates the arrival of the 3 Kings to the nativity. The idea of the spiritual journey is also found in Buddhism, this article looks at some of the reasons why a person may undertake such a journey.

Podcast: An Interview with Meido Moore

The Zen Gateway Interview
An interview and discussion with Meido Moore Roshi, Abbot of Korinji Training Temple and author of Hidden Zen: Practices for Sudden Awakening and Embodied Realization.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 3 Extract 2

The Buddha describes the marvellous consequences of Sariputra's awakening.

The Illuminated Lotus Sutra Chapter 3 Extract 1

The Buddha predicts Sariputra's awakening.

News Round Up w/e 2nd January 2021

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

A Year in View 2020

The Zen Gateway Review
Not everything in 2020 was grim at least not on The Zen Gateway. Take a look at what we did over the past 12 months in our regular review.

Staying at Home

Co-founder Michael Haggiag discusses the mind-made qualities of 'detention' and 'opportunity' from his personal experience of incarceration.

Book Review: Awakened Cosmos

The mind of Classical Chinese poetry by David Hilton
Jeremy Frank reviews a book of poems by Tu Fu which charts the poet's spiritual understanding. Poetry is often used to give a sense of the 'ineffable' and the translator, David Hilton also supplies a useful commentary on Tu Fu's succinct insights.

William Blake and the Mind-made Worlds of Mahayana Buddhism

The Alchemy of Transformation
Parallels to the Yogacara teaching on 'Mind-only' or 'consciousness-only' as the basis of reality exist in the writings of William Blake as well as in some of the 'New Thought' movement; although directed to quite different ends.

News Round Up w/e 26th December 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Images of Truth: Emaciated Buddha Frieze 3rd Century

The high holidays can be a time of excess. This frieze of the Great Bodhisattva during his time of asceticism reminds us of the superhuman efforts he made to reach Enlightenment.  

News Round Up w/e 18th December 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space
Series

The Xmas List 2020: Books & Films

The Zen Gateway Suggestion List
If you are looking for a late gift for a 'spiritually-inclined' friend (or even yourself), try taking a look at our suggestion list for the festive season.

News Round Up w/e 12th December 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Jātaka Tales: The Carpenter's Boar pt. 2

The final part of this Jātaka tale sees the Boar defeat the tiger and the sham ascetic, liberating the boars from danger, whilst the tree sprite reveals the details of who each character is in this birth.

Review: In China Root:

Taoism, Ch’an, and Original Zen by David Hinton
Rachel Hilton assesses David Hinton's new book which argues that Zen schools have a greater debt to Taoism than previously realised in the West. The author yakes a philological journey into the problem of translating Chinese characters into Western languages.

News Round Up w/e 5th December 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Jātaka Tales: The Carpenter's Boar

Part One
Artist Roberta Mansell illustrated some of the stories of the Buddha's previous births (Jātakas), for her children. She has kindly allowed The Zen Gateway to feature some of them. We present some here with extracts of text from the original story.

Book Review:Entangled Life

How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures” by...
Peter Glynne Jones reviews this book from biologist Merlin Sheldrake (son of Rupert), on the fascinating world of fungi. A book that challenges our sense of who we are and what we think our role in this life may be.

News Round Up w/e 28th November 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

News Round Up w/e 22nd November 2020

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space

Review: My Octopus Teacher

A Netflix documentary 
Craig Foster spent a year following and learning from a wild octopus. It became a relationship that changed his life forever. 

News Round Up w/e 14th November 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Images of Truth: Bodhisattva - Central Tibet

13th/early 14th century
Tibet became a refuge for Tantric teachings once persecution took hold in India. Bodhisattvas came to represent the function of the Buddha nature in the world and devotional images began to be formed in this Himalayan kingdom.

News Round Up w/e 7th November 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Book Review: Hidden Zen

Practices for Sudden Awakening & Embodied Realization by Meido Moore
A collection of breath-based energetic (ki) exercises to awaken body awareness, normally handed down teacher to student, is revealed in this new book from the Abbot of Korinji Zen Monastery in Wisconsin.

News Round up w/e 31st October 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Images of Truth: Yakushi Nyorai

(Medicine Buddha) Japan 12th Century
The Buddha is called the Great Physician and his teachings medicine for body and mind. These Buddhas dispense medicine to alleviate the 'dis-ease' of the human condition.
Series

Words without Music

Review; Buddhism - The British Library Exhibition

Review of ''The Epic of the Buddha''

Hail Satan. Film review

The role of Satan as 'opposer' is used for political ends in this documentary tale about the struggle for religious plurality in the U.S.

Every day is a Good Day

An Interview with Shoukei Matsumoto, author of ''A Monk's Guide to a Clean...

An interview with Jeff Shore

Jeff Shore is an American lay Zen teacher currently living in Japan. He discusses the health of present-day Zen teaching and practise.

News Round up w/e 24th October 2020

News and snippets from Zen Cyber Space

GRACEFUL EXITS How Great Beings Die: Death stories of Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist...

Book review
Michael Haggiag reviews a remarkable book about how spiritual masters die a good death.

From Familiars to Zombies:

The Horror of Bodily Invasion in Folklore and Films
From the archive - The stronger the sense of a separate self, the greater the horror of bodily invasion.

An Illustrated Jātaka:Mahāmora-jātaka (part 2)

The Tale of the Golden Peacock illustrated by Roberta Mansell

News Round up w/e 16th October 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

The Gateway Interviews: Dr Sam van Schaik

Head of The Endangered Archive Programme at The British Library, London
We discuss Dr Schaik's new book Buddhist Magic and take in along the way, the history of the Dunhuang complex, its library and the prevalence of Zen in Tibet up to the late medieval period.

Images of Truth: Seated Buddha (Cambodia) 6-8th Century

The hard sandstone used to create this elegant Buddha rupa makes its formation an act of arduous devotion that accumulated great merit for sculptor and donor alike. 
Series

The Illustrated Jātakas or Stories of the Buddha's Former Births

Illustrated by Roberta Mansell
These stories tell the tales of how the Great Bodhisattva, who would one day become Shakyamuni Buddha, developed the virtues that would lead to his Complete and Perfect Enlightenment.

An Illustrated Jātaka:Mahāmora-jātaka (part 1)

The Tale of the Golden Peacock illustrated by Roberta Mansell
These tales tell of the previous births of Shakyamuni Buddha and appear throughout the scriptures. They tell how the Great Being (Bodhisattva), developed the virtues which in turn led to his final re-birth and attainment of Complete and Perfect Enlightenment.

News Round up w/e 10th October 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Images of Truth: Seated Buddha (Tibet) 13th Century

The golden body of the Buddha shines a spiritual light that points to the fact that the teachings must be realised in this very body, if they are to be understood completely.

Interview: Paul Baswick - Running A Māra-thon

The samādhi of running
Zen Practitioner Paul Baswick talks to The Zen Gateway about incorporating running into Buddhist practice as he prepares for a charity marathon.

News Round Up w/e 3rd October 2020

News and snippets from Zen cyber-space

Interview: Zen and the Art of Influencing Culture

A conversation with the author of Zen in Japanese Culture, Gavin Blair.

Review: Mindfulness Apps

The next turning of the Wheel or a shallow gimmick?

Images of Truth: Gandaran Bust of Buddha

3rd Century
The familiar image of the standing Buddha probably originated in Gandhara in the 1st/2nd century CE; from that region, straddling the present-day nations of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the form spread to every region permeated by Buddhism.
Series

Images of Truth

Buddhist art and iconography
Buddhist art has always been more than just decorative, it is also used for reflection and contemplation. This series features images and a short text that may be used for personal reflection, a perfuming of Heart & Mind to quieten & uplift consciousness.

News Round Up w/e 26th September 2020

News & snippets from Zen cyber-space.

Blog: The ‘Dharmafication’ of Science

Is science being infiltrated by estoeric ideas from Eastern religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism? What are the ramifications for Western cultural understanding and how we see ourselves in the world?

The Round Table of King Arthur

Our spiritual and moral values arise from ancestral influences. The process of adaptation develops wisdom that is recognised and eventually codified as moral strength. Our traditions and legends preserve this wisdom to be handed down for posterity.
Series

The Zen Gateway Blog

Dharma, Culture, Philosophy & Life-ways
Here you will find blogs, curated videos and podcasts, books, musings and resources for new ways of living and relating in and through the world.
Series

The Zen Gateway Interviews

A collection of written and audio interviews with people of interest for those walking the Buddha's Way.

Book Extract: Hidden Zen by Meido Moore

Practices for Sudden Awakening & Embodied Realization
In his latest book the abbot of Korinji monastery in Wisconsin introduces us to the less-well known (at least in the West), Rinzai practices of internal energy cultivation and mantra practices. 

News Round Up w/e 19 September 2020

A round up of news and snippets from Zen cyber-space.

News Round Up w/e 13th September 2020

Clippings from Zen Cyber Space

Book Extract: The Embossed Tea Kettle by Hakuin Ekaku

Following a life-threatening sickness Master Hakuin was advised to take up a new practice by a mountain mystic. This practice not only cured his sickness but, so Hakuin claimed, gave him great health benefits.

News Round Up

w/e 5th September 2020

Book Extract: Contemplative Science:

Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge by B. Alan Wallace
In this extract Alan Wallace explores the question, why Western science is disposed against a science of introspective investigation. This lack, he argues, means that complementary epistemologies are not open for examination. 

News Round Up

29th August 2020

Tibetan Zen by Sam van Schaik

Discovering a Lost Tradition
Michael O'Neill reviews a book about a forgotten history of Zen in Tibet by the Head of Endangered Manuscripts at The British Library.
Series

Reviews

Books, films, exhibitions and assorted media.
Welcome to our review page where we review books and other media that we hope will be of interest to our readers.

Book Review: Buddhist Magic by Sam van Schaik

Divination, Healing, and Enchantment through the Ages 
How did the practice of magic help with the spread of Buddhism through SE Asia? A new translation of a book of spells from the Dunhuang caves may help answer this question. 

Atlantis

The myth of Atlantis, the city that sank beneath the waves, is a tale of pride before a fall. A civilisation that grew so strong that the gods feared them and destroyed the city overnight sending it to the bottom of the ocean that still bears its name.

News Round Up

22nd August 2020

Book Extract:The Myth of Redemptive Violence by Walter Wink

The story that the rulers of domination societies told each other and their subordinates is what we today might call the Myth of Redemptive Violence. It enshrines the belief that violence saves, that war brings peace, that might makes right. It is one of the oldest continuously repeated stories in the world. Here...

The Gateway Interview: Tim Barlow

An interview with actor Tim Barlow
Tim Barlow is an actor of stage, film and TV. He has worked in Hollywood and the UK from 'Hot Fuzz' to 'Dr Who'. He is also a Zen Buddhist practitioner. In this interview he discusses the spiritual side of life and lessons that he has learned over the years in this frank and...
Series

Book Extracts:

Curated book extracts for people interested in the Dharma, Zen and Buddhist culture who might be looking for additions to their bookshelf.

News Round Up

15th August 2020

The Heart Sutra: The Swiss Army Knife of Mahayana Buddhism

One of the best known sutras, chanted throughout Asia and the Far East, has multiple uses and seems to evolve through time and place.

Buddhist Magic

Divination, Healing, and Enchantment through the Ages, By Sam van Schaik
Sam van Schaik is head of the Endangered Archives Programme at the British Library. In this book he shows how the use of magic has been used to help spread the influence of Buddhism in Asia. His previous books include Tibetan Zen & The Spirit of Zen.

News Round Up

8th August 2020

News Round Up

1st August 2020

Monkey

By Wu Ch’êng-ên, tr. Arthur Waley
This classic of Chinese literature from the 16th century was a satire on courtly life at the imperial palace as well as a political statement on the rivalries between Taoism and Buddhism. It also contains deep truths about human nature and shows the author's own sincere faith.

News Round Up

25th July 2020

The Stoppered Vessel

The transformation of energies from poison to medicine takes place using containment a magical process that is mirrored in the uses of the magic vessel.

The Blindness of the Calculating Self

The classic motif of the youngest child as hero(ine), can be a metaphor for a certain say of being in the world that opens the heart.

Spiritual Medicine Begins as Poison

The restraint of behaviour whilst suffering out the energies of the passions in the body leads to a lasting change and old outmoded forms of behaviour are purged.

Buddhism & Folklore - The Naive Heart

We begin a series of articles looking at the transformative process of individual psychology through folk stories and look at how the motifs contained therein shed a light on those described by Buddhist practice formulae

A Crooked Heart Misses the Target

The contrasted effects of a calculating versus a non-grasping attitude are demonstrated in Eugen Herrigel’s book, Zen in the Art of Archery.

In Light of Asia: Georgia O'Keeffe & Mark Rothko

In this final essay, Michael O'Neill looks at the influence of Buddhism and Zen on Western abstract and surreal artists.

Climate – A New Story

By Charles Eisenstein, 2018
Peter Glynne-Jones reviews this different 'take' on the climate problem. Charles Eisenstein uses Thich Nhat Hanh's term 'interbeing' to explore how humankind needs a radically different relationship with the world around us.

OBITUARY- Dr Garry Gelade

The Zen Gateway Co-founder, Michael Haggiag, says 'farewell' to a much loved and respected dharma teacher.

In Light of Asia: Paul Gaugin & Vincent van Gogh

Although known for their 'hell-raising' lifestyles both Gaugin and van Gogh were deeply touched by the teachings of Buddhism as well as by the styles of Japanese art.

In Light of Asia: Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp was reluctant to 'explain' his art but there is evidence that he was deeply influenced by Buddhist symbols and conceptions of 'No-I' and impermanence.

In Light of Asia: Claude Monet

Claude Monet, inspired by the Buddha's teaching of impermanence created works of contemplative art, using impressionism to give a fleeting quality to his work.

The Emergence of Artistic Interest Towards the Orient.

The first in a series of articles about the influence of Oriental and specifically Buddhist ideas on Western art.

The Story of the Four Harmonious Friends

This Jataka Tale (previous life-story of the Buddha), is illustrated by Roberta Mansell.

Book Extract: Hua-Yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra by Francis H. Cook

The Chinese Huayen school is said to provide the philosophical basis for the Zen school. 

Book Extract: How to Read Buddhist Art by Kurt Behrendt

A lavishly illustrated art book from The Met in New York details the development of artistic styles and iconography through the countries of Asia that Buddhism reached.

Setting up a Meditation Practice (Zazen)

The physical and mental components of sitting meditation. How to establish a meditation practice at home.
Series

The Alchemy of Transformation

Martin Goodson takes a fascinating look at the parallels between western Alchemy and the Buddhist tradition.

Records of the Transmission of the Lamp vol. 7

In this extract the translator discusses the thorny problem of history, truth and fiction and asks what 'truth' can mean when history is made up of the accumulated fictions of those who record it.

Noor Inayat Khan: Princess, Spy & Author of a book on the Jataka Tales

The British Spy who published the Buddhist Jataka Tales for English Readers who died fighting fascism and of whom you've probably never heard.

Karmic Dreams

The Zen stories of 'awakening' links this inner transformation with an outer event. What is the significance of this link for how we view our own consciousness and its relation to the physical world?

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