Buddhism

Skimming the cream: The Buddha taught only what is essential.

A careful analysis of the path out of suffering.
Dr Alan Sidi dives into The Four Noble Truths, a simple formulation which explains why we suffer and the way out of suffering. 

Verses from the Dhammapada 27

It's not surprising that many abandon meditation. It's not a means to achieving our desires or goals. Meditation is only truly discovered when ‘I’ am out of the way.

Verses from the Dhammapada 26

Jenny Hall takes a look at Right Mindfulness in our day to day life, the key to Buddhist practice.

Verses from The Dhammapada 24

Having to do work that we don’t like can leave us feeling drained and fatigued. Zen training teaches us how to reclaim that energy.

Verses from The Dhammapada 68

Pursuing goals at all costs can often leave a trail of destruction and suffering.

Verses from The Dhammapada 133

While it may feel like anger works in the short term, when left unchecked it can quickly lead to a race towards the bottom.

Verses from The Dhammapada 168

The Buddha once said, “Let a man rouse himself and follow the path of righteousness”. Without discipline and effort, the practice will never fully develop but being too rigid will break our resolve.

The Buddhas of the Ten Directions

The Way of Devotion
The interconnected nature of consciousness means that we can have a more fluid relationship with reality, even calling on it for help if we need it.

Verses from The Dhammapada 354

The Buddha once said, ‘The gift of the Law is greater than all other gifts’.

Verses from The Dhammapada 23

The Buddha once said ‘Meditating earnestly, the wise realise Nirvana, the highest happiness.’   

Verses from The Dhammapada 408

The Buddha once said “He is a Brahmin whose speech is kindly and truthful.” 

Verses from The Dhammapada 91

The Buddha once said “He presses on with his thoughts controlled never looking back to his home, like a swan who has left its pool.” Jenny Hall investigates.

Dhammapada Verse 274

Verse: “This is the Noble Path, which leads to freedom from delusion”

A Handful of Leaves

Stories from the Tradition
The Buddha explains why he only teaches a few of the many things he has seen.

Zaō Gongen

The Way of Devotion
This Japanese deity who converted to Buddhism can scare away evil thoughts and negative emotions.

The Golden Ball

Stories from the Tradition
A monk is quietly meditating in the forest when something irresistible appears before his eyes.

Dhammapada 142

Verses from the Dhammapada
“Even though richly clothed he who is calm and controlled who lives a good life and does no harm to others is a Brahmin or Bhikkhu.” 

Two Temple Boys Meet at a Crossroads

Stories from the Tradition
Two temple boys try to outmatch each other’s skill in Zen.

Red Demon, Blue Demon

Stories from the Tradition
A supernatural experience leaves a merchant wondering if he still exists.

Dhammapada Verse 184

Verses from the Dhammapada
The key to emptying the heart is not just patience, it’s patient endurance.

The Bandit and the Spider

Stories from the Buddhist Tradition
An evil-doing Bandit gets one last chance at saving himself after helping a spider.

Kokūzō Bosatsu

The Way of Devotion
This Bodhisattva symbolises the cosmic functioning of the Buddha and represents ‘the great wisdom gone beyond.’

Happy Birthday Buddha!

An Easter Essay
The ‘miraculous birth’ is a symbol that appears in many religions, but in the case of the Buddha what it represents might not be what you think.

Dhammapada 327

Verses from the Dhammapada
Jenny Hall investigates what it meant when the Buddha said ‘"Be watchful and guard your thoughts"

Through the Keyhole

Stories from the Tradition
A disciple of the Buddha is set an impossible test to prove that he has attained the status of Arhat.

Nothing Further to Seek

Sentient beings are already endowed with the Buddha nature, so why aren’t we all Buddhas?

The Anger Eating Demon

Stories from the Buddhist Tradition
A demon which feeds on anger finds plenty to chew on at the court of King Shaka.

The Woman Who Couldn’t See the Buddha

Stories from the Buddhist Tradition
A story about someone who is unable to see what’s right in front of their face.

Dhammapada 225

Verses from the Dhammapada
How is aversion just another type of clinging?

King Milinda Eats a Fine Meal!

Stories from the Buddhist Tradition
Why do new things lose their shine?

Dhammapada 215

Verses of the Dhammapada 
Why do we fear change so much? Jenny Hall looks at what happens when we face that fear.

Three Omens from Yama

Stories from the Buddhist Tradition
Yama, Lord of Death, gives one lucky man another shot at life but will the young man recognise the God when he appears again?

Verses from The Dhammapada 59

The pitch black of the darkness holds many secrets, some terrifying but others sublime. Jenny Hall explores what it really means to bring light to this darkness.

Ananda and the Untouchable Woman

Parables
What is it we are escaping from when we get bored? Martin explores the deeper processes that are taking place that can show us the way to awakening.

Verses from The Dhammapada 147

The Buddha said, ‘Look at the body, sickly racked with pain, which does not endure.’ Jenny Hall investigates... 

Verses from The Dhammapada 217

Jenny Hall examines the passing away of Queen Elizabeth II and her long reign as the Monarch of the United Kingdom.

Scheme of the Eightfold-Consciousness

Teachings from the Yogacara School
In this part we take a look at the different types of consciousness that affect our day to day (and past) lives.

Dhammapada Verse 19

Verses from the Dhammapada
How can knowledge become an obstacle to awakening?

The Three Bodies of the Buddha

Teachings from the Yogacara School
Do human beings really have access to more than one body? We take a look at what the Yogacara school has to say on the matter.

A Vision of the Universe: Abhirati and the Tathagata Akshobhya

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
If looking for the Buddha nature is impossible then how do we find it?

Sermon on the Destructible and the Indestructible

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
In this episode, the Buddha explains how Bodhisattvas can live fully in the worlds of suffering and death, without suffering themselves.

Introduction to the Yogacara School

Teachings from the Yogacara School
How was Asanga able to visit the heavenly plane of Tusita, simply through the use of meditation?

The Perfume Feast

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
Why does the ‘taxing’ nature of our world make it possible to achieve Buddhahood in one lifetime? Find out in this week’s episode of the Vimalikirti Sutra.

Dhammapada Verse 280

Verses from the Dhammapada
How does laziness appear in the training and how can we use it as a means for transformation?

The Dharma Door of Non-duality

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
Bodhisatva’s gather from all four corners of the universe to explain how to reach the ‘door of non-duality’ and how to step through it.

The Family of the Tathagatas

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
The Buddha committed murder in one of his previous lives. How could committing such a heinous act help deliver beings into full Buddhahood?

Sariputra Wants a Chair and Gets a Throne

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
In this episode the essence of what the Zen masters taught is revealed.

Vimalakirti Does Some Spring Cleaning

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
The magical powers of the Boddhisatva's are now on full display, but where do these miracles come from?
Series

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra | Martin Goodson

Stories Retold
The Zen Gateway re-tells this dream like sutra for the modern reader.

Sitātapatrā

The Way of Devotion
If protection or general healing is what you need, Sitatapatra is the Boddhisatva to call upon. Born from the top knot of the Buddha she represents the heart-mind in it’s highest state.

Verses from The Dhammapada 286

While doubt is seen as one of five hindrances to meditation, ‘the great ball of doubt’ is one of the three requirements for Zen training. What is this ball of doubt and how can we develop it?

The Reluctance of Visitors | Part 2

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
All the Buddha’s disciples are too scared face Vimalakirti’s Dharma power, surely the future Buddha Maitreya will have what it takes to speak with the Boddhisatva. 

The Reluctance of Visitors | Part 1

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
Having heard news of Vimalakirti’s illness, the Buddha sends his top men to find out what’s wrong with the Boddhisatva, but all the Arhats seem suspiciously reluctant to go.

Vimalakirti Diagnoses his Illness

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
The Bodhisattva’s sudden illness even has the King worried, what is Vimalakirti up to?

Introducing the Man Himself: Vimalakīrti

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
Having sensed the presence of the Buddha, the Bodhisattva, businessman and lay practitioner Vimalakirti, sets in motion a crafty plan to teach the Dharma to all.

The Purification of the Buddha Field

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
If the Buddha field is the pure and luminous aspect of the mind, how can impurities exist within it? The Buddha explains in this episode of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra.

The Holy Scripture of Vimalakirti

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra
Our retelling of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa returns. In this episode, the Buddha shows an assembled crowd a vision of cosmic proportions.

Verses from The Dhammapada 406

While violence seems to be escalating throughout the world, the Buddha’s teachings show us that anger and desire can be transformed into the warmth of the Buddha nature.

Verses from The Dhammapada 3

Why does compassion naturally arise from Zen training?

Bodhidharma Reverence -  The Way to the One Heart.

Dharma Talks
When we hear the word ‘reverence’ in a religious context, this may give the impression that we should be apologetically meek in the face of a god who may smite us at any moment. This is not so Buddhism.Dr Alan Sidhi Investigates.

The Map is not the Territory

The Buddha’s teachings are not the absolute truth about the nature of reality, nor is the path the Buddha laid out the actual path to this absolute truth.

Verses from the Dhammapada 360

Given that ’I’ (the ego) am the one who seeks to assert control over myself and ‘my’ environment, and ‘I’ (the ego) am the one who must be let go of, what did the Buddha mean when he says we must control the senses.

A Reflection on Differences

Dr Alan Sidi ponders the importance of recognising that things can share commonality as well as being simultaneously different in the differing schools and traditions of Buddhism.

Verses from The Dhammapada 336

When ‘I’ like something ‘I’ chase after it, when I dislike something ‘I’ tend to avoid it. It’s from this starting point that we can learn to let go of our suffering. Jenny Hall investigates.

Karma - A way of looking at a tricky doctrine.

If in Buddhism there is no permanent self or soul, what is it that gets reborn?

Bodhisattvas of the Earth

The Way of Devotion
According to the Lotus Sutra, we need not look to the heavens for the Bodhisattvas. They are already here on earth, inherent in all things.

Verses from the Dhammapada 288

The Buddha taught that all things are impermanent, therefore if we rely on the people, things and circumstances that surround us, we will inevitably live in fear that these things will one day leave us. Jenny Hall examines what it means to take refuge in our own hearts.

Verses from The Dhammapada 98

Being in a state of gratitude can be the key to a fulfilling and joyous life. Genuine gratitude however cannot be faked and is something that genuinely arises from the heart. Jenny Hall examines how we can open the heart to experience gratitude in our daily lives.

Verses from The Dhammapada 35

If we are constantly distracted by past events, or looking for the next thing to satisfy our futures, we can never really savour the present moment in all its richness. When we enter the eternal ‘now,’ true peace is found.

Verses from The Dhammapada 83

Within happiness lies the seed of sorrow, pleasure being a fleeting experience. When we open ourselves up to sorrow however, the inherent joy of the heart naturally reveals itself. 

Verses from The Dhammapada 402

When pain or suffering arises it is natural to try and avoid it. To find the way out of suffering however the only way is through it.

Verses from The Dhammapada 285

Coming face to face with impermanence can leave us with feelings of sadness and dis-ease. If however, we can open ourselves up to these feelings, we give space for the buddha nature to reveal itself.

Just Lay Down The Heart

Zen Training Stories
The thought of having to bow may leave us feeling uneasy but through this act we can discover the essence of the Buddhist path.

Dhammapada Verse 87

Verses from The Dhammapada
The Buddha taught that the very nature of life involves both uncertainty and unease. He taught that the First Sign of Being is impermanence. The Second Sign is suffering.

The Boy and the Bell

Zen Training Stories
A young boy is praised for breaking the Temple rules.

Dhammapada Verse 375

Verses from The Dhammapada
Jenny Hall explores how 'my' expectations can skew the senses which leads to misunderstanding the nature of a situation.

Dhammapada Verse 131

Verses from the Dhammapada
The Buddhist precept not to kill may seem self explanitory, but we may be breaking this rule by the way we treat our inner space.

Bodhidharma's Death

The Story of Bodhidharma
Even in death, Bodhidharma’s last encounter left those he met scratching their heads in confusion.
Series

Zen Training Stories

Stories Re-told
Stories from across the world that give insight into Zen training.

The Demon Waits

Zen Training Stories
The demon Redeye stands guard over a Bodhi Tree waiting for a man who would reach full awakening. The Buddha’s enlightenment story, as told from the point of view of the Demons.

Losing Illusions: The Teachings of Rinzai Gigen

“If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha”. The writings of the Zen masters are full of stories and phrases like this. So what are we to make of such statements when so much praise and reverence is devoted to the Buddha? Michael O'Neil investigates.

The Widow and the Calligrapher

Zen Training Stories
When life took its toll on a woman, who had become embittered and lonely, a chance encounter with a calligrapher gives her the key to turning it all around. 

Huike's Encounter with Bodhidharma

The Story of Bodhidharma
When Huike came to Bodhidharma for training, he was berated by the master for his lack of commitment and ignorance of the severity of the training. Although Huike's response made him the first disciple of Zen, it was also to his great personal cost.

An Audience with the Chinese Emperor

The Story of Bodhidharma 
The legendary founder of Zen Buddhism challenges the Emperor of China himself in this enlightening exchange.

A Miraculous Birth?

When faced with the religious, mysterious or symbolic, the natural inclination can be to attach meanings and explanations to them. In doing so however we may be closing ourselves to the mystery that is being conveyed. 

Verses from The Dhammapada 70

If we wish to flow with the ever changing Dharma (law of Buddhism) we must first become familiar with the delusion of ‘I’.
Series

The Story of Bodhidharma | Martin Goodson

Bodhidharma is the legendary founder of the Zen/Chan Buddhist school, who came from India to China to teach the Buddhist way.

Bodhidharma

The Story of Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma was the quasi-mythical figure who founded the Zen school in 5th Century China.

Verses from The Dhammapada 1

If the space in between thoughts can be opened up to, the transcendental can appear.

Verses from the Dhammapada 247

Although renunciation is an essential element of the Buddhist path, it is not the object of ‘my’ desire that is the problem but ‘my' desire to escape whatever is being experienced in this present moment.

Fudō Myōō (Acala)

The Way of Devotion
'Wrathful' Deities may seem at odds with Buddhist values but as the saying goes, 'the passions are the Buddha nature; the Buddha nature is the passions’. 

'Secrets' of the Way

What is the Way?
Many 'secret' teachings are widely available to the public. If the secret is out, then what is it that remains a mystery?

Verses from the Dhammapada 306

Motivation for the deception of others may arise as a consequence of an attachment to a self-image. Jenny Hall explores how this attachment can lead to inauthentic ways of living.

Kṣitigarbha

The Way of Devotion
Through the bonds we share with our family, the Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha encourages compassion and duty to to all life, by extending that bond to all living beings.

Learn to Walk from Walking the Way

What is the Way?
The way can teach us how to walk the path if we know how to listen.

Faith in the Way

What is the Way?
By practicing we develop faith in the path, but to earn that faith we must actually practice.

Turning a tap in Adelaide, a downpour in London

Stories Re-told
While the western approach to changing the outer world may be 'to go out there' and do something about it, in many eastern philosophies the answer lies in changing your own heart first.

Manjushri

The Way of Devotion
Manjushri is the bodhisattva that represents clear seeing and wisdom. With his sword in one hand he cuts through delusion, with the The Great-Wisdom Sutra in the other, he teaches the emptiness of self nature.

Verses from the Dhammapada 58

The lotus growing in muddy water and then rising up to bloom in air has become the ideal symbol for rising above the defilements including the delusions of 'I' that bring unhappiness. However, this release arises by coming to terms with the nature of those ties that bind. 

Avalokiteśvara

The Way of Devotion
One of the Great Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara, is the embodiment of the Buddha's compassion. This 'embodiment' is formed of the images, mantras, scriptures and acts of body, speech and mind inspired by the Bodhisattva's compassionate heart.

When the Way Becomes Clearer

What is the Way?
Sometimes the human heart can lead us on a merry goose chase. Often, it's reasons and motivations are hidden from us. Though we don’t realise it, over a period of time, it reminds us of why it is that we do what we do.

The Prison of my Opinions

What is the way?
We often ask 'what is the way' when facing difficult circumstances. Yet this 'way' can present itself to us, as long as we remain open to the situation.

Amogasiddhi | The Five Wisdom Buddhas

The Way of Devotion
Amogasiddhi’s symbol is the moon, our satellite which reflects the sun’s rays even at night onto the earth. His season is Autumn, the season where life passes into death. His power overcomes envy for he does not grasp, even after the life that is now falling away. 

The Way of Devotion: An Introduction to Devotional Practices

Western Buddhism places an emphasis on meditation practices, however Eastern Buddhism also has a strong devotional element that can get overlooked in Europe and America. This series explores this side of Buddhist practice.

The 'Way' of Living

What is the way?
A Samurai seeking the way get’s more than he bargains for when he approaches a Zen Master for advice.

Verses from The Dhammapada 290

It isn't the objects of our desires that are the problem, it's our relationship to them.

The Three Refuges

Dharma Assortments
Training without Refuge or teacher is not likely to carry anywhere because there is nothing to look up to and nobody to guide us and so it very soon comes down again to just my own ideas.
Series

What is the Way? | Martin Goodson

We often talk of the Buddha’s Way, but the word ‘Mahayana’ (the northern Buddhist tradition) means ‘the Great Way’.

What is the Way and what isn't.

What is the Way?
The subtle difference between walking 'The Way' and walking 'My' Way.

Verses from the Dhammapada 36

The Buddha's teachings on The Four Noble Truths can help us through any challenging situation.

Amitābha Buddha | The Five Wisdom Buddhas

The Way of Devotion
Amitābha Buddha also known as Amida Buddha heads the most popular of the Chinese schools of Buddhism amongst the laity. His salvation is promised to all those who sincerely call upon his name. He is also coopted as one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas in Esoteric Buddhism who sits in the West the direction of his...

Flag Waving: Reflections on two monks discussing a fluttering flag.

A Dharma Essay
Clear seeing arises in the absence of partiality, however this is not something that 'I' can do as 'self' is dependent upon partial seeing in the first place. This impacts on any notion that 'I' can solve the problems that 'I' make.

Ratnasambhava | The Five Wisdom Buddhas

The Way of Devotion
The cultivation of equality is the 'jewel' wisdom taught by this Buddha. Associated with vedana skanda Ratnasambhava is neither driven by nor averse to pleasant and unpleasant feeling and thereby leads to the attainment of Arhatship.

Verses from the Dhammapada 272

Craving for a particular future can create anxiety and distress in the present. Jenny Hall explores this connection in the light of the teachings.

The Story of Eno Daikan 3: The True Face of Elder Myo

In this final part of Eno Daikan's story, having received the Buddha's robe and bowl, he flees the monastery only to be pursued and caught by the Elder Myo. It is at this point Eno delivers his famous Koan.

Samantabhadra

Bodhisattva Samantabhadra is known as Fugen in Japan and is the Bodhisattva of Praxis. He is known as the Bodhisattva of Compassion in Activity.

The Story of Eno Daikan 2:

The Heart has no stand
The delusion of 'I', takes its stand by splitting the world into opposites. 'Me' or 'you', 'mind' or 'body', 'inside' or 'outside', 'relative truth' or 'absolute truth'. And perhaps most relevant, 'my opinion' or...

The Great Awakening!

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
We take a look at the symbolic meaning of the three temptations of Mara which led to the Buddha's final awakening.

Sitting Under the Bodhi Tree

From Miraculous Birth to The Buddha's Enlightenment.
Our story moves into its final act when the Great Bodhisattva, having now abandoned the ascetic life, makes his seat under the Tree of Awakening. It is a time of great challenges where the power of the Buddha-Heart can be realised.

Retreat to the Forest & The Five Ascetics

From miraculous birth to The Buddha's Enlightenment
Having learned all he could from his spiritual teachers the Ascetic Gautama retreats to the forest. Here he realises the middle way which is not about relinquishing 'things' but the letting-go of attachment to things, a difference that the ascetic life can conflate.

Verses from the Dhammapada 251

“There is no fire like hatred, no rushing like craving.”
The Buddha taught the delusion of a separate self as the cause of human dissatisfaction. Being a delusion, and thus insubstantial, this lack gives rise to craving to fill the void. Hatred is 'my' attempt to protect myself from this truth.

Just Look At The Place Where Your Own Feet Stand!

Stories from the life of Zen Master Daiyu Myokyo
Underneath our distractions is a desire to avoid an unpleasant truth, underneath that desire is fear! Plus: "The Heart rolls with the 10,000 things, this rolling is truly mysterious!"

Two Teachers, Two Lineages

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
The pre-training of the Great Bodhisattva is an important lesson for practitioners not to to just make up a personal practice. The Wisdom of tradition is the cumulative experience of those who go before us and helps make the training a more 'rounded' experience.

Verses from the Dhammapada 131

He who injures or kills another who longs for happiness will not find it...
'Avoiding killing' is the 1st lay precept, mindfulness helps us in this by not turning a blind eye to ourselves and others. Understanding the life of even 'negative emotions' forms part of this precept too, as we can be too eager to 'get rid' of things 'I' don't like to...

The Liberation of Having No Options

Stories from the life of Zen Master Daiyu Myokyo
More choice is often peddled as always being better, more freeing, however it brings with it attachment and paralysis, even despair. Not having an option can be liberating and ceases to split desire pitting one against the other.

The Great Renunciation

From Miraculous Birth to The Buddha's Enlightenment
A husband and father leaves in the dead of night, abandoning his family and his responsibilities. The Great Renunciation is a problematic part of the Buddha's life-story, it is only the Great Vow of Compassion that he took to return to share his discovery of the cause of suffering that gives it meaning. 

The Story of Eno Daikan (Huineng)

Part I - Introduction
Eno Daikan is seen as next in importance after the traditional founder of Zen, Bodhidharma. He is closely connected with The Diamond Sutra and the teaching of prajñaparamita. His collected sermons form The Platform Sutra a rare accolade for teachings that do not represent the direct teachings of the Buddha.
Series

Stories of the Zen Masters

The Zen masters embody Zen practice. Their stories show the Wisdom-of-the-Heart in practice as well as the struggles to attain Enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

"Something Will Have to Give Way"

Stories from the life of Zen Master Daiyu Myokyo
Myokyo-ni always said that a spiritual training that did not involve the emotional household would effect no lasting transformation. We continue our series of life-stories that illustrate this point

Four Fateful Trips Beyond the Palace

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
The bubble of security bursts for Prince Gautama when he leaves the palace on four trips. Suffering is often the way into the spiritual life once we realise that we have been living in blind ignorance of the truth. This trauma can cast us into despair or set us upon a new path.

Life in the Palace - From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment

Childhood - the 'age of innocence' - is a protected period where our identity is formed. But sooner or later this bubble is ruptured, an event that can arise due to the inner prompting of the Heart's own nature.
Series

Stories from the Life of Master Daiyu Myokyo (Myokyo-ni)

A collection of teaching stories from the life of a contemporary...
Daiyu Myokyo Zenji (1921-2007) was born in Austria, moved to the U.K. and then trained in Daitokuji monastery in Kyoto from 1960-72. She received inka from Kannun Sojun Roshi, returned to the U.K. and spent the rest of her life teaching the Zen Way. She often used anecdotes from her own life to illustrate her...

Everything Teaches Zen

Stories from the life of Zen Master Daiyu Myokyo (Myokyo-ni)
Myokyo-ni said that she had several 'Zen' teachers in her life before her formal training began in Japan. If we are open-minded then the world itself can point the way.

Queen Maya's Dream

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment
It starts with a dream. In the little Himalayan kingdom of the Shakya clan, King Suddhodana rules with his wife Queen Maya. We continue our series exploring the symbolism of the Buddha's life-story.
Series

From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment | Martin Goodson

A symbolic exploration of the Buddha's life-story
These articles explore the symbolism of the mythic story of the founder of Buddhism to reveal mythic themes that reflect truths about the nature of the human condition.

How the Buddha's life-story is our life-story.

An examination of concepts and symbols embedded in the Buddha's life-story which act as a mirror for a deeper understanding of the meaning of one's own individual life.
Series

Dharma Assortments

A collection of articles on Dharma, Zen practice, people and other items...

A Torrent from the Mountain Peak

Remembering Daiyu Myokyo Zenji
A collection of stories told by Ven. Myokyo-ni from her own life which she used to illustrate various teaching points. This article was originally published in Zen Traces, the journal of the London Zen Group in 2007, shortly after her death.
Series

The Way of Devotion | Martin Goodson

Buddhas and bodhisattvas have been the focus of devotional practices since the dawn of Buddhism. Such practices are designed to evoke love and warmth of heart which are the fruit of the Great Bodhisattva Ideal.

Maitreya

Maitreya is the Buddha who is to come prophesied by Shakyamuni Buddha to be the one who follows on from himself. He reminds us that in time all beings will attain Buddhahood!

Book Extract: Original Nature

Zen Comments on the Sixth Patriarch's Platform Sutra, tr. Sokei-an
From the chapter on Prajnaparamita, living in accord with original nature is the teaching of the Sixth Patriarch, Enō Daikan.

Verses from the Dhammapada 82

The teachings of the Buddha are revealed in everyday phenomena if we are quiet enough and open enough to listen out for them.

Verses from the Dhammapada 421

In a world that is constantly changing, as the Buddha taught, clinging attachment will lead to suffering. In this article Jenny Hall looks at how this clinging causes us to feel cut off from others.

Verses from the Dhammapada 166

By attending to what arises in our own heart; the practitioner cultivates what she will become. Jenny Hall looks at how the past affects the present.

Verses from the Dhammapada 341

Birth and re-birth are central features of the Wheel of Life. In this article Jenny Hall looks at this process and its implications for Zen practice.

Verses from the Dhammapada 289

The 12th Link of the Chain of Dependent Origination is 'Death', but there is a death-in-life necessary to experience life more fully. Jenny Hall explores this theme.

Verses from the Dhammapada 190/192

Letting-go of cherished things can be fearful for 'I', but taking refuge also means gaining support. In this verse Jenny Hall discusses the strength found in taking refuge in Buddha.

Verses from the Dhammapada 328

The 'wise friend' is the subject of this verse which points to the importance played by the 'sangha' or Buddhist community in providing support for practice.

Verses from the Dhammapada 20

A map of the way is a useful guide but should be no substitute for examining the terrain ourselves.

Verses from the Dhammapada 31

The persistence of the natural world is a good example of how awareness and attention are a natural function of the Buddha-Heart.

Verses from the Dhammapada 250

Jenny Hall explains how 'I' use thoughts about past and future to grasp and how this prevents us resting in the 'now'. In this way we find it difficult to accept this moment as 'enough'.

Verses from the Dhammapada 134

Emptiness was described by the Indian sage Nagajuna as the True Nature of phenomena. It's realisation forms the central insight in Mahayana Buddhism. Jenny Hall explores our fear of emptiness and sees the way as going right through this fear.

The Two Entrances

A sermon by Bodhidharma plus commentary
The First Patriarch of Zen, Bodhidharma, lays out the two principles for practice in this sermon originally found in the caves of Dunhuang

Verses from the Dhammapada 404

The simple life may not sound very exciting and 'I' likes stimulation to keep me interested and engaged. However, the attitude we take towards things is key in how we experience them. Jenny Hall explores this connection in this latest verse.

Verses from the Dhammapada 173

The Great Bodhisattava Vow to help all sentient beings starts with the empty and open heart. Jenny Hall looks at this connection in practice.

Verses from the Dhammapada 129

When we want something to change, we may try to to get rid of, ignore or even destroy obstacles in our way. The Buddha taught however, that this will only cause us more suffering.

Verses from the Dhammapada 5

The terrible acts of Angulimala provide the backdrop for the Buddha's lesson on choosing the path we take in life.

Verses from the Dhammapada 399

Anger is a defiling passion in Buddhism, how can this energy become an entryway into the spaciousness of the Buddhanature? Jenny Hall discusses this problem in her latest commentary.

Prajñāpāramitā

Known as the Mother of all Buddhas, this female deity is the embodiment of the wisdom-gone-beyond

Verse from the Dhammapada 271

Loneliness is the 21st Century 'malaise' for the first world. Can the Buddha's teachings help us if we are facing this problem?

Audio Course: Learning to Chant

This is an online course designed to allow participants to learn to chant the Heart of Great Wisdom Sutra and the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows

Verses from the Dhammapada 358

Giving is the first of the Six Paramitas, however the motivation behind it is as important as the action. Jenny Hall explores this theme.

The Importance of the Lineage in Zen Training

Dr Alan Sidi recounts a moving episode during his trip to Japan when he had insight into the power of the lineage and into the significance of that for each of us as we play a mediating role in the transmission of the Dharma.

Verses from the Dhammapada 378

Strife brought on by the every-changing nature of the world causes turbulence in our hearts. What did the Buddha teach about attaining equanimity, to establish peace at heart?

Verses from the Dhammapada 366

A key element of a Zen monk's life is frugality and the avoidance of waste. Jenny Hall looks at the importance of this in a Buddhist practice to generate compassion and carefulness.

Bodhisattva Vajrapani

Vajrapani, whose name means ‘He who holds the vajra’ ( a symbolic thunderbolt), is one of the Dharmapalas or Dharma guardians - protectors of those who preach and practice the Buddha’s teachings.

BODHIDHARMA: Reverence - The Way to the One Heart

Oneness' requires the heart to be empty of 'I', this is why reverence is such an important spiritual sentiment. This article explains how it also acts as a gateway to the heart-wisdom of the Zen masters.

Verses from the Dhammapada 53

Despite wanting to be better versions of ourselves we can still act impulsively. The Buddha showed that our future actions are the result of how we cultivate the heart. Jenny Hall tells a story to illustrate the point. 
Series

Verses from the Dhammapada | Jenny Hall

The Dhammapada is one of the oldest collections of sayings of The Buddha. The collection of 423 verses appear in the Pali Canon and arise from specific stories during the teaching life of the Buddha.

Akshobhya | The Five Wisdom Buddhas

The final Meditation Buddha took a vow never to be angry until he reaches full Buddhahood. He is symbolised by the deep blue ocean that remains calm no matter what is happening on the surface.

Verses from the Dhammapada 175

Space' is a word that describes a physical absence as well as an inward state. Jenny Hall explores the connection between the two to reveal the power in living simply.

Vairocana | The Five Wisdom Buddhas

Not all Buddhas were considered flesh and blood or walked the earth. The Five Wisdom Buddhas are the Wisdom states as persons. The body of Vairocana is the body of the True Dharma.

Staying on Target

The Buddha's parable of the poisoned arrow warns against being distracted when urgent action is necessary. The later Zen masters developed lightening fast ways of removing these arrows from their followers.

Verses from the Dhammapada 97

Impassioned thinking makes us hasty in our judgements and prone to 'fake news'. Truth appears in the space vacated by delusion, Jenny Hall explores this view in this latest verse from the Dhammapada.

Topics

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CH'AN
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MAHAYANA
SCRIPTURES
STORIES RETOLD
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