Flee the chit chat with others, except as an act of charity. Love people very much. Talk with few. Talk with moderation. Put nothing or no one between you and the Source. Do not… Dogen’s 8th Awareness: Not Engaging in Vain Talk
Personal Note When I first came in contact with Ming Zhen Shakya, our late founder and my teacher, I had read this particular essay written by Ming Zhen. I read it several times and after… Being Resolute
So much talk in the US about soldiers these days…bashing them, calling them “names” – misunderstanding what and why someone volunteers to serve as a warrior. To willingly put themselves in harms way for the… Those Who Serve & Risk Life & Limb for Others Are Heroes
The body and mind are of the nature to grow old. The body and mind are of the nature to get sick. The body and mind are of the nature to die. All that… The Five Remembrances: Birth. Aging. Sickness. Death. Karma.
Death and the Maiden By Egon Schiele Egon Schiele died in 1918 of the Spanish flu at the age of 28. __________ Hiding By Sophia Meyers-Green A poem written some 20 years after the death… Art Pieces 1: On Death. A Painting, A Poem & A Scrap from A Letter
Words for Dark Time One of our dogs, as he grew older became afraid of lightning and thunder. Being in the living room with us in full light brought him no comfort. What he wanted… Words for Dark Time
Years ago, when we moved to our house, we had a front lawn. Slowly as the grass didn’t grow well, I began to plant flowers and bushes. Now there is no lawn just plants…a small… Cultivate Wisdom, Dogen’s 7th Awareness
This piece, although written in 2003, is quite up-to-date on what happens when protests become terror and when breaking the rules of law and order enter as trickery and outrageous. Our dear teacher, the late Ming Zhen uplifts us to remember the more things change the more they remain the same…to some degree or another. It’s worth reading!
Dogen’s Awarenesses – Having Few Desires, Being Content, Quietude, Diligence, Unfailing Recollection are not commandments or rules to be memorized and slavishly followed. They are qualities to be lived not just something to think about or observe in other people. These awarenesses are like seeds in our minds, when we water them with practice they can break through our ignorance, like seedlings breaking through the dirt to become plants.
Friendship, Sickness, Aging and Death is common to us all. Especially during this worldwide pandemic. Venerable Lao Huo Shakya offers us a personal and traditional Buddhist response to those who lose a loved one. The tradition asks us to write a letter – one for each week of the period of grief. Venerable Lao Hue’s generosity is a boon to us all.
Om Om Om Peace, Peace, Peace
