adopt a beginner's mind that is open to new experiences give yourself completely to whatever you are doing in the present moment experience the balm of stillness and a calm mind through meditation explore how your mind works and discover your Buddha-nature enjoy the challenges of koans and teaching stories of the Zen masters let go of unhelpful things, ideas, and habits cultivate single-minded attention and avoid distractions cherish "not knowing" and acknowledge the mysteries of life accept the transitory nature and fragility of life be a peaceful presence in service to the world move beyond an "us" versus "them" dualism to an affirmation of oneness experience the beauty of the Zen arts of flower arrangement, the tea ceremony, haiku, calligraphy, and martial arts

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Introduction to Zen Meditation: The Still Point

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Spirituality & Practice : Map: Zen Buddhism

01/29/2015

The idea that people can have a spiritual relationship with money may seem counterintuitive to some, but not to Kate Levinson. For me, having a spiritual relationship with money means recognizing that I am part of larger wholemy local and the global communitiesand that I can relate to money, and use my money, in ways that include compassion, gratitude, [and] connection, said Ms. Levinson, who is organizing an upcoming conference in San Rafael called Women, Money and Spirit. Balancing the two can be tricky enoughbut for women, grappling with the relationship poses an even weightier problem. The womens movement has won critical rights in past decades, including the right to even open a bank account without a husbands approval. But, Ms. Levinson said, money often makes women uncomfortable. Women often have a hard time putting themselves into the financial equation, be it asking for raises or buying something for themselves rather than for a friend or family member. We tend not to feel entitled. Ms. Levinson, who co-owns Point Reyes Books with her husband Steve Costa, has literally written a book to help women foster healthier relationships with money, and offers regular workshops based on its themes. The spiritual aspect of the equation is a bit newer to her, she said, but she emphasized that spirit is a broad term meant to reflect a recognition of something beyond ourselves and encompass a multitude of spiritual and cultural traditions. The conference will feature speakers from a range of disciplines: investing, herbal medicine, money coaching, nonprofits, Zen Buddhism and the Dominican Sisters, who vow to live in poverty. There are no experts advising us on the right way to handle money[Its] a diverse group of women who have given much thought to money in their lives and their communities, sharing what they know to be true for them. The Women, Money and Spirit Conference takes place on Feb. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Dominican University. For more information or and to register, visit womenmoneyspirit.com.

Excerpt from:
Conference highlights women, money and spirit

Dear Terrorists:

OK, you win. We surrender.

Never thought Id say that, but then, I never thought Id see gunmen burst into the offices of a satirical magazine as happened last Wednesday in Paris. Never thought Id see 12 people killed most were employees, two were police officers because a magazine published provocative cartoons mocking extremist Islam.

Here in the United States, as in France, as in pretty much every free place on the globe, weve cherished this crazy idea that people should be free to say whatever they darn well please. We have particularly believed in the power of humor, not simply as a means of expression, but as a way of puncturing the powerful and pricking the pretentious, of defying those who seek to make us fear.

But the bloodshed at Charlie Hebdo magazine forces us to realize the error of our ways. So I am here to announce that you have achieved your goal. From this moment on, no one on the planet the entire planet, do you hear? will ever, ever, ever again make fun of you. This is The End of Satire.

So youll hear no more cracks about Osama bin Gotten.

No one will ever again say youre full of Shiite.

And you wont have to hear anyone sing, Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran to the tune of an old Beach Boys song.

I even hear Jon Stewart is quitting The Daily Show to host a program on The Food Network, specializing in New Jersey cuisine. Mad magazine is going out of business and its famed mascot, the infidel Alfred E. Neuman, just became the latest journalist beheaded by the Islamic State. Bill Maher is teaching religious studies in Mississippi, Lewis Black is practicing Zen Buddhism and Stephen Colbert now claims Stephen Colbert was nothing more than a character he played.

You know, this isnt easy for us. In America, we have a tradition, stretching from Mark Twain to Will Rogers, to Dick Gregory to Norman Lear to the aforementioned Jon Stewart, of using humor to make trenchant political points. Probably, the French have a similar tradition.

Read more from the original source:
Terrorists usher in the end of satire

Katinka Hesselink 2006

Zen has become famous in the west for it's short stories, it's koan's, it's tea ceremony and it's calm way of life. Zen has come to stand for a particular mindset, a certain aesthetic as for instance the CSS Zen Garden, which has nothing to do with Buddhism exemplifies. Zen as in Zen Buddhism on the other hand, has been relatively neglected. The more informed may know that zazen (sitting meditation) has something to do with it. And yes, koan's do come into the story somewhere. But Zen is short of Zen Buddhism. What does all of the above have to do with Buddhism, other than the fact that meditation plays a dominant part in all of Western Buddhism?

Zen's has a reputation of being anti-tradition, but it does in fact have a lot to do with the Buddhist tradition. Historically Zen (Chinese Chan) came out of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. This shows in the practice of Zen Buddhists. They, like all Mahayana Buddhists, give a central role to the Bodhisattva Vow. This is the vow that means the practitioner will postpone enlightenment until all sentient beings are enlightened or saved as well.

To be an actual Zen Buddhist, one has to take refuge in the Three Jewels, like any other Buddhist. This means formally declaring to take refuge in Buddha (teacher and lineage),Dharma (teachings) and sangha (the community of Buddhist monks or more widely: the community of Buddhists).

Then there are the Ten Grave Precepts:

These can be taken literally, and should be taken literally (at first). Later they should also be realized on a deeper level. There is self elevation in cloths, speech etc. There is also self-elevation as subtle pride.

Enlightenment is reached by meditation. And the famous insight, so hard to actually realize, is that one merely has to discover one's own enlightenment or one's own Buddha-mind. Sure, the end is relatively well known, but the way there is not just about meditation. Sure, meditation is said to help you overcome greed, anger, fear and the difference between self and other. Still, we usually need a grounding in what that means on a practical level, even before those are actually starting to disappear. That grounding is in the Bodhisattva Vow, the three jewels and the 10 grave precepts.

Excerpt from:
Zen as Buddhism - Buddha's World - Katinka Hesselink