Buddhism Dhammapada Verse 184 Verses from the Dhammapada May 14, 2023 The key to emptying the heart is not just patience, it’s patient endurance. Dhammapada 327 Verses from the Dhammapada Apr 9, 2023 Jenny Hall investigates what it meant when the Buddha said ‘"Be watchful and guard your thoughts" Dhammapada 225 Verses from the Dhammapada Mar 5, 2023 How is aversion just another type of clinging? Dhammapada 215 Verses of the Dhammapada Feb 12, 2023 Why do we fear change so much? Jenny Hall looks at what happens when we face that fear. Dhammapada Verse 59 Verses from the Dhammapada Dec 17, 2022 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 Dec 4, 2022 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 217 Oct 16, 2022 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 Sep 17, 2022 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 Sep 11, 2022 How can knowledge become an obstacle to awakening? The Three Bodies of the Buddha Teachings from the Yogacara School Sep 3, 2022 Do we really have 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 Aug 27, 2022 If looking for the Buddha nature is impossible then how do we find it? Introduction to the Yogacara School Teachings from the Yogacara School Aug 20, 2022 How was Asanga able to visit the heavenly plane of Tusita, simply through the use of meditation? Sermon on the Destructible and the Indestructible The Vimalakīrti Sūtra Aug 20, 2022 In this episode, the Buddha explains how Bodhisattvas can live fully in the worlds of suffering and death, without suffering themselves. Dhammapada Verse 280 Verses from the Dhammapada Aug 7, 2022 When Zen practice becomes ‘lazy’ it doesn’t mean we need to make an effort to be more productive. How does laziness appear in the training and how can we use it as means for transformation. The Perfume Feast The Vimalakīrti Sūtra Aug 7, 2022 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. The Dharma Door of Non-duality The Vimalakīrti Sūtra Jul 31, 2022 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 Jul 24, 2022 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 Jul 10, 2022 In this episode the essence of what the Zen masters taught is revealed. Vimalakirti Does Some Spring Cleaning The Vimalakīrti Sūtra Jul 3, 2022 The magical powers of the Boddhisatva's are now on full display, but where do these miracles come from? Series The Vimalakīrti Sūtra Stories Retold Jul 2, 2022 The Zen Gateway re-tells this dream like sutra for the modern reader. The Reluctance of Visitors | Part 2 The Vimalakīrti Sūtra Jun 19, 2022 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. Verses from The Dhammapada 286 Jun 19, 2022 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 1 The Vimalakīrti Sūtra Jun 10, 2022 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 Jun 4, 2022 The Bodhisattva’s sudden illness even has the King worried, what is Vimalakirti up to? Introducing the Man Himself: Vimalakīrti The Vimalakīrti Sūtra May 27, 2022 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 May 21, 2022 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 May 16, 2022 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 May 7, 2022 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 360 Mar 23, 2022 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. Verses from The Dhammapada 35 Dec 15, 2021 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 Dec 10, 2021 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 Dec 1, 2021 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 Nov 20, 2021 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. Dhammapada Verse 87 Verses from The Dhammapada Oct 23, 2021 The Buddha asks us to follow the way of light. Jenny Hall explores what the Buddha meant by this and how we can walk this way. Dhammapada Verse 375 Verses from The Dhammapada Oct 5, 2021 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 Oct 3, 2021 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. Verses from The Dhammapada 70 Aug 7, 2021 Many religions hand down ‘Laws’ to be obeyed. In Buddhism however the 'Law' is ever changing, and if we are to be abide by it we must become familiar with the delusion of ‘I’. Verses from The Dhammapada 1 Jul 10, 2021 If the space in between thoughts can be opened up to, the transcendental can appear. Verses from the Dhammapada 247 Jun 22, 2021 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. Verses from the Dhammapada 306 May 26, 2021 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. Verses from the Dhammapada 58 Apr 15, 2021 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. Verses from The Dhammapada 290 Mar 18, 2021 The Buddha taught that it isn't the objects themselves that are the problem, it is our relationship to them. We endlessly crave and then become attached to what is intrinsically ephemeral. Verses from the Dhammapada 36 Feb 6, 2021 The training of the heart/mind is central to the practice of Buddhism and to the formula of The Four Noble Truths. Central to this training with the emotions. Verses from the Dhammapada 272 Jan 13, 2021 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 Great Awakening! From Miraculous Birth to the Buddha's Enlightenment Dec 1, 2020 Our look at the mythic and symbolic meanings of the life of the Buddha ends with the three temptations from Mara and the Buddha's final awakening. A fitting tribute to Rohatsu Week. Verses from the Dhammapada 251 “There is no fire like hatred, no rushing like craving.” Nov 11, 2020 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. Verses from the Dhammapada 131 He who injures or kills another who longs for happiness will not find it... Oct 27, 2020 '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... Book Extract: Original Nature Zen Comments on the Sixth Patriarch's Platform Sutra, tr. Sokei-an Aug 13, 2020 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 Aug 8, 2020 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 Aug 2, 2020 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 Aug 2, 2020 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 190/192 Aug 1, 2020 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 289 Aug 1, 2020 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 341 Aug 1, 2020 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 20 Jul 31, 2020 A map of the way is a useful guide but should be no substitute for examining the terrain ourselves. Verses from the Dhammapada 328 Jul 31, 2020 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 134 Jul 30, 2020 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. Verses from the Dhammapada 250 Jul 30, 2020 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 31 Jul 30, 2020 The persistence of the natural world is a good example of how awareness and attention are a natural function of the Buddha-Heart. The Two Entrances A sermon by Bodhidharma plus commentary Jul 30, 2020 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 129 Jul 28, 2020 Physical and mental pain is something that we all experience in life. Jenny Hall asks what, if anything, can be learned from it? Verses from the Dhammapada 404 Jul 28, 2020 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 Jul 28, 2020 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 5 Jul 27, 2020 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 Jul 26, 2020 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. Verse from the Dhammapada 271 Jul 20, 2020 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 Jul 19, 2020 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 Jul 16, 2020 Giving is the first of the Six Paramitas, however the motivation behind it is as important as the action. Jenny Hall explores this theme. Verses from the Dhammapada 378 Jul 11, 2020 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 Jul 11, 2020 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. Verses from the Dhammapada 53 Jul 1, 2020 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 Jun 1, 2020 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. Verses from the Dhammapada 175 May 20, 2020 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. Staying on Target May 18, 2020 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 May 1, 2020 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 BUDDHA CH'AN DHARMA ASSORTMENTS DHARMA TALKS FUNDAMENTALS MAHAYANA SCRIPTURES STORIES RETOLD THE WAY OF DEVOTION ZEN NEW! Dharma Centre We have just launched our online Dharma Centre. All are welcome... Join our Community! Donate The virtue of generosity, charity or giving. Your donations are welcomed. Learn more
